Repairing roofing felt

By Tony Pearson

Something we often write about in our reports is how roofing felt is damaged or hanging down in lofts. Here is an outline on how to repair it as it is often a simple job and requires no specialist knowledge to complete.

Firstly, what is roofing felt and where is it? Well, it is a secondary form of defence that can only be seen in the loft if the loft has not been lined or converted. The felt is there to catch any rainwater etc. that gets past the pitched roof covering and take it down to the gutter rather than entering the property. For it to be called upon would mean there was a broken tile or similar on the outside, so it is unlikely to have ever been needed but if it is, then you want the water to run to the gutters rather than inside the property.

Sometimes when there are minor defects it can be reconnected using a strong tape.

For example, below:

Becomes:

To achieve this, you just need to buy yourself a good quality tape and crawl along to the area on boards – taking care to not apply your weight to the ceiling board as you will almost certainly fall through! Once in the area, just tape it up so that it stays up and any water running down the felt will reach the bottom and into the gutter as there will be no gaps in its path.

Of course, if the felt is in a poor condition such as this below:

The repair is then much more serious and will require the roof covering to be removed and the felt replaced before the roof covering is put back or replaced.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any queries on this and similarly, we are always approachable for any questions you have on repairs we identify in our reports.