Repair Rotted Roof Timbers

Make a cut in the center of the beam while a helper holds the two pieces into place.

Repair rotted roof timbers.

Fortunately repairing rotten or weathered eaves is a relatively simple project that you can do yourself without ever having to climb onto your roof. There are images and video answers included. It takes paint well and won t rot. Cut the beam out of its resting place using a reciprocating saw.

Lay felt paper onto the roof overlapping the existing paper to get good coverage. These tend to be eaten away by woodworm and the roof beams then move opening up the joints. You can find it along with images and guides in the article roof beams. Cut through any nails at the points where the beam is attached to the surrounding framing.

Using a pry bar gently pry the beam loose from the ceiling. Use a polyester filler to rebuild rotted or damaged wood. Commonly what you can see of the rotted wood is only part of the problem it is what you cannot see under the surface of the wood that can be the main issue. This project requires two parts.

Read through this selection of commonly asked roof beam dry rot repair questions. You can mold and shape it to match the original wood profile. Apply a resilient weatherproof coating to the new pieces then secure them using stainless steel nails. This guide covers everything you need to know about repairing structural timbers including roofing joists and flooring joists when they have been damaged by wet rot dry rot and insect attack such as that from woodworm beetle.

The options for replacing roof joists are the repair of the beam with timber resin materials repairing using specialist repair plates or where extensive damage is present the removal and replacement of the entire joist and truss. Wood rotting from the inside out compromises the structural integrity of the rafter. Once you repair the hole in the roof plywood you need to seal up the seams and recover the roof. When repair is no longer an option the roof rafters must be replaced.

For centuries repairs have been fashioned using carpentry methods or with blacksmith made splints brackets and ties and these ancient repairs certainly add character and help tell the story of the building. Resin repair with tie bars and injected resin can solve this problem how to repair roof trusses. Repairing failed structural timbers is of course not a new practice. I encourage anyone with roof beams to read this.

Older roof timbers were connected with mortise and tenon joints plus wooden pegs. However as with most faq pages the answers are brief and you ll probably want more information. Start by prying away the bottom and sides of the old eaves and cutting new materials to match.