| Author | Message | ||
     Joe (Joe) Moderator Username: Joe Post Number: 624 Registered: 07-2006 |
I should add that we have reslated various houses with old lath and always either added new lath in between the old stuff, or just went over top of it with wide boards and sheathed it solid. This is my preferred method of dealing with old, bouncy lath. | ||
| Lv_pa (Lv_pa) Member Username: Lv_pa Post Number: 27 Registered: 05-2007 |
Thanks, everyone. Yes, I remember reading that article about the guy in Louisiana, that's why I was surprised when two experienced slaters told me the nailing method was unsound. Again, I do like the idea of using extra long nails and bending them over on the inside. Maybe I'd use aluminum nails since they'd be easier to bend than copper. That would keep everyone happy and minimize the work needed on the deck. About the new part already installed, I'll just have to keep an eye on it for any problems. Honestly I have a hard time picturing how the small amount of water that gets between the slates could expand and contract enough to work the slates loose. Water expands about 9% by volume when it freezes, and it seems to me the upward push would only be a few thousandths of an inch. | ||
| Old_school (Old_school) Senior Member Username: Old_school Post Number: 664 Registered: 01-2009 |
Hey, when you do the rest, just use longer nails. Liam, the problem with adding a lath is that you will raise the whole roof up an inch and that would mess with his flashings. | ||
| Joe (Joe) Moderator Username: Joe Post Number: 621 Registered: 07-2006 |
I know a guy in Louisiana who installed his entire roof this way, drilling and then pushing the nails in. This was just before hurricane Katrina. The roof weathered the hurricane fine, even though most of the trees around the house were uprooted. I wrote about this in an article: http://www.traditionalroofing.com/downloads/TR5_senior_article.pdf | ||
| Slate_man (Slate_man) Senior Member Username: Slate_man Post Number: 673 Registered: 01-2007 |
I would add a pcs of lath over the old to strength the decking. It would be better to nail them in. Do a test on the ground and see how easy a hammered nail and a drill nail pull out!! | ||
| Lv_pa (Lv_pa) Member Username: Lv_pa Post Number: 25 Registered: 05-2007 |
Old_school-- no, the tips of the nails are just visible on the other side of the lath. That's a good idea, using longer nails and bending them over on the attic side, though I certainly don't relish the idea of redoing the new part that way. That's why I'm still trying to figure out whether this is really a problem or not. Chris-- I don't think it's much more work than hammering. I just carry up a cordless drill instead of a hammer and keep it in my belt holster. | ||
| Old_school (Old_school) Senior Member Username: Old_school Post Number: 662 Registered: 01-2009 |
Are the nails long enough to bend over the tips that are sticking through the lath? That would do it, and it would be easier than trying to redo it. That is not much to stand on when one thinks of slating a roof. It would have been easier if they had at least 1 x 4's | ||
| Chris (Chris) Senior Member Username: Chris Post Number: 110 Registered: 09-2009 |
that is an incredible amount of labor having to drill each hole. the fact that you have been thru two tough winters without trouble kind of answers the question. dont forget, some very old slate roofs only used a little peg of wood hung over lath. | ||
| Lv_pa (Lv_pa) Member Username: Lv_pa Post Number: 23 Registered: 05-2007 |
Hello all, I am reslating a 30 square, 110 year old roof which is on 1x2 wood lath with approx. 6" gaps. To save time, and to allow air circulation across the rafters, I am trying to nail to the existing laths. I didn't like hammering nails to the laths because they were kind of bouncy and I was afraid of breaking them. So I decided to drill 9/64" holes in the laths and just push the nails in with my thumb. The nails are the usual 1 1/2", 1/8" shank copper nails from the Jenkins store. They are ribbed for about 1/2" of the length. The roof is a 12:12 slope. I did about 5 squares using this method, and the new part has now been through two pretty brutal winters with no signs of trouble that I can see. However, I have now had two slaters tell me that my nailing method is not sound. They say that, because of ice dams and blowing wind, water can get between the slates, and freeze/thaw cycles can then work the slates loose because the nails were pushed in rather than hammered. What do you guys think? Is this a problem, and if so, what is the easiest way to change the process to finish the rest of the roof? Thanks, LVPA |
