Roofing Virgin question: membrane - top down, bottom up?

[ToughButterCup]

I have scoured `YooChube for how to videos without success, so I'm asking here. This is such a basic question Im almost embarrassed to ask.....?

 

Which way round  do you lay roofing felt - top to bottom or vice versa.? My roofing felt is Kloeber NG.

 

I ask because I'm trying to avoid walking on it as I'm laying it: seems to me to be an avoidable risk.

If I were to lay it bottom to top, I'd have to  lay temporary battens, (so I can walk up the rafters) which would then mean sealing those holes when the  battens are removed. And I'm wondering if it's possible to avoid that.

 

I'll be laying it on my own.... So top to bottom will be a right pain.  A bit easier if I get up there very early because it'll be calmer then.

 

Ya just can't get the staff these days squire.

Yours sincerely, The Roofing Virgin

 

[Barney12]

I’m not a pro roofer but.....

 

it it has to be bottom to top as your next peice needs to overlap (by the specified distance) the bottom so any water runs over the top of the membrane and off your roof. 

 

You'll do well to damage the modern memrains they’re pretty resilient. Just don’t wear your high heals up there  

[Barney12]

P.S. Try and find a willing helper. It’s an absolute ball ache of a job to do on your own. 

[Russell griffiths]

Put the battens on as you go up the roof so you stand on the battens not the membrane

 

if you just put the membrane on all the way up what stops

A. You falling through the rafters to a horrible death

B. It blowing off, staples alone won’t be enough 

[newhome]

Why would you need to remove the battens? Surely you would just fit the Nulok battens at this stage ready for tiling? 

 

 

[ToughButterCup]

Well @Barney12, and @Russell griffiths 'taint that easy. Here's why.

 

Slap bang in the middle of the roof is our solar PV. The battens for that are wooden. There's a few meters left and right, above and below which aren't.

Those battens will be surrounded, as it were, by metal Nulock battens.

 

The issue of falling between the rafters isn't..... an issue that is. I have been fitting counter battens for the last couple of days and walking up the roof on the rafters is now 'normal'. It's a measured risk which I have mitigated with appropriate safety gear.

 

I have no choice I think:     top to bottom and pray for light to calm conditions. If it blows, batten and then tape.

[PeterW]

You can do it top to bottom but you leave the last 6” loose so you can get the next bit under and create an overlap. Downside is that your battens need to be perfectly measured as the bottom row is the one that you use to gauge from as it goes into the guttering 

[Construction Channel]

I can almost guarantee the second you get the felt out the wind speed will increase dramatically, can you not put temporary battens where the laps go as you will be taping that anyway? Im with Russel, The staples won't hold it and that's when things start getting stressful...

[Alexphd1]

Already answered above bottom to top but next build we will be doing top to bottom, I think will be a better job. 

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, Construction Channel said:

[...]

Im with Russel, The staples won't hold it and that's when things start getting stressful...

 

Right, I get the message.

@jamiehamy gave me some Tescon Profil tape when we visited him in Scotland recently.  So, I'll temporarily batten. And then repair with tape.

 

 

Early in the morning here is often very calm. But by 9.30 or 10.30 in this type of weather, a sea breeze gets up. It's beautiful up on the roof this morning, lovely and cool on my back: but the sun's frying my face from the reflected heat. 

[bassanclan]

Go bottom to top

Fit the actual battens you need in their final resting place, but only every third or fourth course