Removing plastic vapor barrier from a roof - what about the nails?

[Stephen Tashiro]

I'm planning to put down a plastic vapor barrier (a substitute for tar paper) on the roof of my storage building. I'm curious how hard it would be for someone (presumably not myself) to remove this material when the roof is replaced again.

It's nailed with roofing nails like tar paper. The tar paper that I've pulled off of old roofs was hand nailed with roofing nails and when I pried it off with a roofers spade, most of the nails came out with the paper. Those that didn't stood a little proud of the underlayment since the thickness of the paper raised their heads a little. They weren't hard to pull out.

However, the plastic material is thin. Will it be practical to remove the nails when the roof is replaced? Does hand nailing vs nail gun nailing make any difference in this?

[Tom Godley]

I would not use plastic for the underlayment.

Tar paper keeps things from sticking to the underlayment and all the holes and the seams allow some moisture transfer. It provides minimal water runoff.

Plastic traps moisture but my guess is that the heat will cause it to degrade quicker than regular underlayment.

[David Freed]

If it is going on a plywood deck, I wood just staple it down.

Have you considered metal roofing or Decra shingles? Either one will last much longer than regular shingles. Many builders use a special kind of bubble wrap as underlayment under metal roofing.

[David G Baker]

I would use tar paper. I always use 30 pound tar paper rather than 15 pound that most roofers want to use. Tar paper has saved me from moisture damage on several occasions. I can't imagine why you would want to use plastic sheeting when tar paper has been used very successfully for so many years and is not very expensive.

[Jay Jolliffe]

I'm a little anal & on the roofs that I've done I always took the nails out. I don't know if you have this in where you are but on the north east coast they use a material called roof guard. You nail it on with a plastic washer head nail. If provides more protection against moisture.

[Pat Germain]

If it is going on a plywood deck, I wood just staple it down.

Have you considered metal roofing or Decra shingles? Either one will last much longer than regular shingles. Many builders use a special kind of bubble wrap as underlayment under metal roofing.

Dude, have you priced metal roofing lately? A friend of mine is building a custom home. He wanted to go with a metal roof until he got a few estimates; several hundred percent more than a very good shingle roof. Although, for a shed, it might be reasonable.

[Stephen Tashiro]

The material I will use is called Palisade. It's designed for roofs. The directions say not to use staples. This material is designed to go under metal roofs or other traditional roofing.

[Chris Damm]

A google search says to use cap nails. It also says to use over vented space because it is a vapor barrier.
http://www.sdp-products.com/HTML/install.html

[Stephen Tashiro]

I'm familiar with the installation directions. My question is about a future roof replacement. How easy is it to remove the nails?

[Don Alexander]

i realise this is a bit against normal accepted procedures but if you do a good job installing quality shingles you can very sucessfully put them right over the plywood roof decking and tar paper or anything else under it is not needed

the underlayment is purely insurance for poorly installed shingles
my shed has been there fro 15+ years shingles installed as described and zero water intrusion under the shingles

you want shingles with a good tar strip on them for sealing

[Stephen Tashiro]

That's an interesting outlook since I've heard other people say that the shingles aren't what stops the water.

I myself am trying to avoid everything associated with tar on this roof. No roofing cement, no tar paper, no shingles (the roof's too flat for them, anyway). The time for tar on roofs is just before you plan to buy new clothes and shoes.

[Gene Howe]

I'd pull the nails that you can easily pull and pound the rest flat. Depending on the nails used and the substrate, they could be easy or difficult to remove.

Can't see how to avoid some tar.

[Bruce King]

I would not worry about how to pull the nails out later, just put whatever you want but be sure to use some type of underlayment since that is what prevents the shingles from cracking during expansion and contraction of the house. Put on 40 year shingles and be done with it.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm in my 60s. I'm getting ready to have a new roof put on my house. I have always been scared of heights even when I worked on oil rigs and had to go into the derrick on occasion. However, since breaking my back, I am now petrified and don't go on my roof. I will have a 30 year roof installed and I don't care who removes the nails or how they have to do it.