In roofing, what is "lath" and what is "sheathing"? My roofer says lath repair will be billed extra.

Question

When we bought our old home, our home inspector said that we needed a new roof. It has two layers of shingles nailed into cedar wood (not cedar shingles). He said they used to use cedar in the old days, but no roofer would reuse the cedar. So the whole roof repair would be a tear off of the shingles and wood beneath.

We have a good contractor, but I'm not sure I understand his estimate and whether he understands that there is cedar that needs to be removed (a complete tear off) - although we told him that.

Here's his estimate below - what does this mean in layman's terms?

"Remove all existing roofing to lath, repair lath if needed and install 7/16" OSB sheathing, #15 roofing felt and 30 year dimensional asphalt shingles with rollvent ridgevent. Includes cleanup and disposal of debris.

It also says "Lath repair will be billed extra." That's what makes me wonder - what is "lath"? That's not the cedar that needs to be removed is it? The cedar is the sheathing?

Answer 1

lath: a thin, narrow strip of wood, used with other strips to form latticework, a backing for plaster or stucco, a support for slates and other roofing materials, etc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lath

sheathing: to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing: Example ..to sheathe a roof with copper.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sheathing

you could call other roofing companies just to ask them what the lath & sheathing thing is to them and maybe get a better deal in the process of asking.

Answer 2

More than one quote is the best thing. Hopefully, you will not need any lath replacement, but it will probably be minimal, if your roof has not been leaking for long. Lath is usually 1 x 4 cedar or pine, and is very inexpensive.

Have a conversation with your contractor. You both need to be on the same sheet of music before work begins.

You need a start date, end date, material and labor estimates, and completion expectations outlined. Do you want them to cover the bushes and clean up when they're done?

Can you get a guaranteed package price?

Answer 3

Frankly, I had never heard of lath in reference to roofing. But he does mean stripping the shingles down to the cedar boards beneath. I believe your inspector was saying a contractor would not replace the cedar shingles, period If the cedar boars under the shingles is in generally good shape, fastening the sheathing to the cedar boards will actually give you a better, stronger roof. Some of the boards may need to be replaced with standard pine lumber, thus the comment about replacing lath will cost extra

The sheathing is the 7/16 " x 4' x 8' panels which will be used to cover the roof before the roofing felt is applied.

Answer 4

The lath is the wood slats that the ceder shakes were originally nailed to. If you can see in your attic, go up and take a look. If there are broken slats (lath) you will see them.
When they tear off your roof they will tear off everything right down to those slat strips. Then install the OSB to the slats.
As an experienced roofer, I seldom needed to repair any slat boards.
So unless you see any large areas of broken slats, then there should be no trouble.
And again, from experience, I can say that 95% of the time, if a slat is cracked, it happens during the tear-off. 1 or 2 cracked slats here and there is no big deal.
Last bit of advice. Make sure your roofer in insured!

Answer 5

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RE:
In roofing, what is "lath" and what is "sheathing"? My roofer says lath repair will be billed extra.
When we bought our old home, our home inspector said that we needed a new roof. It has two layers of shingles nailed into cedar wood (not cedar shingles). He said they used to use cedar in the old days, but no roofer would reuse the cedar. So the whole roof repair would be a tear off of the...

Answer 6

He is referring to the stripes of wood (Cedar Lath) under the two layers of wood shakes(Shingles). Those strips of wood cover the spaces between you rafters and the wood shingles are nailed to to them. Todays way is to nail 4x8 panels of OSB or CDX panels
right to the rafters. Apply the # 15 felt and an ice barrier thet consists of at least two layers of underlayment(felt) or self-adhereing polymer bitumen sheet that extends from the bottom edge of the eave to a point at least 24" inside the exterior wall line of the building. Some towns allow you to leave the existing lath if
it is not watersoaked or has not in anyway deteriorated to a point
where it is not adeguate for a base for additional roofing.
Existing vent flashing,edgings,collars or counter flashings shall not be reinstalled where rusted or deteriorated.
As long as your rafters are not watersoaked or damaged then you
can rip right down to them and start new instead of trying to find all the pieces of bad lath and then piece them together first.
In all cases check with your local Building Inspector he can advise you of what is best for the area you live in because there are different codes the roofer must follow in areas that have a
average temp in January of 25 degrees or less.

Answer 7

lath's are what the cedar strips were nailed to when they was first put on personaly u should not have to replace any of them he is goin to put osb board back on they cover 4'x8' area which is 32 square feet a lath is about a 3 to 4 inch strip and there is about 3 to 4 inches of space between each lath so there should not need to be any need for replacing them the other materials sound about right u will need now remeber u need roof vents and roof cap drip edge ice shield flashing if u have a chimney or dormer on ur house roof i have not seen ur home or the style of roof u have so them are extra's u might not need if u have a straight roof but most homes that are old enough to have two layers of shingles and a layer os wood shakes are more than likely not going to be just a straight run roof u will have valleys and ect. but back to the question u should not need any laths work done the osb should take care of it and if i was you id use1/2 osb not 7/16 only reason y is because it is a sterdyier roof in the long run, the more materials u have on ur roof the heavy it is and the less ur trusses hold so if ur putting on a new roof it is plain dumb to leave the woods shakes on and re-deck your roof on top of the wood shakes, in the long run if you re deck over the wood shakes it will make your rafter-trusses sag an make a possible sag in ur roof plus i think it is in ur building code not to have more than 2 layers of shingles on ur house if u leave the wood skaes on and roof over them that means u have two layers and later in life u want to re roof you home u have to tear it off again leave the laths on and re-roof tear every thing else off the shingle and wood shakes

Answer 8

It sounds to me like you originally had a cedar roof that was nailed into lath. Lath are the boards that the run perpandicular to the joists, like furring strips. Using lath allows air to circulate through a cedar roof so it doesn't rot. If you look at the underside of your roof from inside your attic you should see these boards. If you have rotten lath boards it sounds like he will cut them out and replace it with osb.

Answer 9

He gave you a bill for the roof, not for the wood that holds it. Lath is the structure underneath the cedar. He's saying that, if the structure under the cedar is bad, that's extra, to protect himself. It appears to be a professional estimate with proper materials. In any case you know that you should have more than one estimate, or at least a good recommendation.

Answer 10

Most people grow up with the bible and think teaching it to children is saving them. I have read the bible and its just something I can't believe. I study Buddhism because I feel its better for my soul. I don't think people should push their beliefs on young child because its kinda brainwashing. No, I don't believe sewer faeries. The bible attacks people fears of the unknown, thats why its been around for so long. The messages are mixed but if someone can find soul lessons in it then more power to them.