Can anyone recommend any shed roofing material that will last a long time and also be cost effective?

I have used felt and it has only lasted about 5 years.

Public Comments

1. The storm of '87 ripped the roof right off my shed ! I went to "Wickes", bought a couple of sheets of pre-bitumened chipboard, trowelled some black bitumasic on and stuck green mineral felt to it, all purchased from Wickes. Twenty years later, it`s still solid as a rock, and as good as the day it was put on. Highly recommended !
2. You can go with regular asphalt shingles which depending on their construction can last for a while. You can also use rolled roofing which has a similar life span as shingles. There is also galvinized metal roofing which is cheap and will last quite a while depending on its level galvenization. There are then stainless and aluminum metal which cost more but last just about forever unless damaged.
3. Aluminum is the best and lasts forever. If it is a small enough amount you might be able to find scraps or ends from a local builder or supplier. The cheapest, quickest and durable i found is rolled asphalt. 1 layer asphalt paper and 1 layer asphalt roofing, overlapped of course.
4. Roofing Felt would suit a shed.
5. mineral roofing ,shingle or roll, will last forever if u keep it painted with latex untill the latex wears off from sun. wears off the latex instead of the asphalt. wait a year or 2 before you do the latex painttry keep it WHITE.
6. Fibre glass can be a winner. Specialist installers are out there if your budget will stretch to it. If not do it yourself.
7. Asphalt Shingles are fairly inexpensive and will last 25 - 35 years. Inexpensive is the tough part, do you mean inexpensive now or over all? Now use felt again, in the long run use shingles.
8. Use plastic coated box section roofing sheets. Mineral felt is very iffy for durability. I re-roofed my workshop with box section. much, MUCH better than felt, still fine, fifteen years later.
9. Like geoff, I fancy the black bitumen chipboard (Wickes) But, in an ideal world, you need an undercoat felt (nailed on to give flexibility in the sun) then a top layer, glued on. Looking around, B& Q do a 'town & country' top felt..... so heavy..... would last for years. Tip...the adhesive can be difficult to spread when it is stone cold, warm up in bucket of hot water.
10. shingles are not that expensive. there is also corrugated sheet metal roofing often used on barns.
11. I've used metal roofing. It comes in sheets with several different sizes. It's easy to install the joints come together and are not seen and lasts a long time.