Large Scale Central

Roofing felt on wood roadbed

Track and Trestles
#1

I’m thinking of using roofing felt to cover the PT and cedar roadbed on the new layout, to give the wood some protection from the weather. Got a fair-sized roll of the stuff left over from the garden shed I built last year.

Anyone done this? Pros/cons?

An alternative is solid colour stain: a nice grotty grey for preference.

#2

Is that 15# won’t hold up, 30# would be better, 90# should hold up wuth out a problem and not hurt the wood

#3

I would probably opt for the latter for several reasons and drainage being one. If you did this I certainly would not staple it to the boards. If you get a board that decides to warp,cup,split etc replacing it would be troublesome to replace with the felt stapled to it and defeat it’s intended purpose IMO. Not to mention the possibility of trapping moisture between the felt and the boards. Being that it’s cedar and PT I personally would let it open to the elements.

#4

Chris,

I concur with David R. for the same reasons. It is usually better to give a wet surface every opportunity to dry off by leaving it free to air and ventilation than to trap moisture between two surfaces.

#5
Richard Smith said:
Chris,

I concur with David R. for the same reasons. It is usually better to give a wet surface every opportunity to dry off by leaving it free to air and ventilation than to trap moisture between two surfaces.


Yup. I have had raw wood stored outdoors as individual pieces last for years, but when I stacked a bunch of flat boards outside they had serious rot within a year. PT would tolerate the moisture better, but still giving it the ability to dry is good.

On the other hand, PT that is constantly wet, buried or is direct contact with the ground, does very well.

#6
David Russell said:
I would probably opt for the latter for several reasons and drainage being one. If you did this I certainly would not staple it to the boards. If you get a board that decides to warp,cup,split etc replacing it would be troublesome to replace with the felt stapled to it and defeat it's intended purpose IMO. Not to mention the possibility of trapping moisture between the felt and the boards. Being that it's cedar and PT I personally would let it open to the elements.
Yup, I rather thought that trapped moisture might be a problem. Stain it will likely be. Probably a spring project, what with temperatures falling now and rain in the forecast again. Anyhoo, I reckon the wood will last as long as I do. :P
#7

On pressure treated lumber I tried Kevin Strong’s liquid rust as a stain. It came out quite nice, but faded after a few years. Is still much better than the green.

Liquid Rust, for those who do not remember, is made by soaking steel wool pads in white vinegar.