Are felt shingles good for a shed roof?

Felt shingles, sometimes sold as bitumen shingles, are small tab-shaped pieces of felt coated with a mineral surface. They are nailed to a boarded deck in overlapping rows, rather like miniature tiles, which gives a shed or playhouse a tiled look without the weight. In British usage the word shingle on a house roof would mean cedar, so this page is only about the felt kind used on sheds, summerhouses and garden rooms.

They suit a roof that is pitched. A continuous deck of boards or plywood is essential, because the shingles need something solid to nail into and a flat surface to lie on. Roofs with several small faces, such as a hipped summerhouse, are easier to cover with shingles than with a single rolled sheet, since the pieces follow the shape.

We cover the wider range of covering choices on shed and outbuilding roofs. This page weighs only the shingle option.

We have not found a published life figure for felt shingles as such, so we will not present one as fact. The nearest published guidance is for felt generally: the flat roof firm Less says a built-up felt roof can last 10 to 20 years, with a careful job reaching 20 years and a poor one failing in under 10. Shingles are a different product, but they are bitumen based and sit in the same family, so a similar order of life is a reasonable expectation, not a promise.

Several things push a shingle roof towards the shorter end. Shade and damp from trees allow moss to build up. Poor ventilation under the roof can trap condensation against the boards. Shingles laid on a roof that is too shallow can let water in at the laps. Heat and sun also age bitumen over time, so a south-facing slope may show wear first.

Looks matter on a garden building, and this is where shingles earn their place. They come in several colours, and the textured surface hides small marks and weathering better than a smooth sheet of felt. A shed seen from the house windows often benefits from the extra care. Moss can still take hold on a shaded slope, and a gentle brush now and then does less harm than a pressure jet, which can strip the granules.

A manufacturer's guarantee is not a lifespan. If a pack quotes a long guarantee, read what it covers and whether it depends on fixing in a stated way.

The deck and underlay

The boards should be dry, sound and flat. Any loose board is refixed and rotten ones are replaced before anything goes on. A felt underlay laid first gives a second line of defence and stops nail heads from showing through underneath.

Pitch and laps

Each maker gives a minimum pitch and a required overlap, and these differ by product, so we work from the data sheet for the one being fitted. A shallow slope below the stated minimum is a reason to choose another covering, not to take a chance.

Edges, ridge and fixings

Starter rows at the eaves, special ridge pieces and neat verges (the edges at the gable ends) are what stop the wind lifting a roof, and each needs the right nails, correctly placed. Lead or a flashing strip is used where the shed meets a wall. Overhangs should be wide enough that water drips clear of the walls, which links to whether an outbuilding roof needs guttering.

A flat or nearly flat shed roof is better served by a continuous membrane. Rolled felt is the familiar choice; EPDM, a rubber membrane that comes in a single sheet, is quoted at 20 to 30 years or more by GreenSpec, though other sources give wider ranges. Those figures belong to flat roof systems and are not a comparison with shingles.

Roofs with a lot of detail, or those that carry a rooflight, need care. If you plan to let light in, read adding a rooflight to a garage roof, because the opening changes the detailing around it.

If the roof is badly rotten or the building is leaning, a new roof will not fix that. Sometimes the answer is a new deck first, and sometimes it is a new shed.

Costs for small outbuildings are not tracked separately. For orientation, MyBuilder's 2026 roof repair guide gives minor roof repairs at £100 to £300, and its flat roof guide gives bitumen felt at £70 to £100 per m² and EPDM at £90 to £130 per m². These are national guides to roofing in general, not a shingle price, and a small roof carries the same minimum set-up as a larger one.

For a quote, we want to see the roof from several angles, the underside of the boards if you can reach them, and the surrounding trees. We survey, photograph and quote for the whole job, including old covering removal. Our workmanship is guaranteed for 10 years in writing. Call 01453 933613, send a WhatsApp or fill in the form on the site. The main page on garage and outbuilding roofs sets out the rest of the work.