How To Finish Off the Underside of an Oak Porch
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Joanne
"Oak Porch - Underneath Roofing Options"

How To Finish Off the Underside of an Oak Porch

You’ve had your oak porch installed, and you’re now sat on the porch seat (if you have one), or you’re stood underneath it, and you look up to the underside of the roof. What do you want to see?

There is no ‘correct’ way to finish off the underside part of an oak porch roof, it really is down to personal preference.

Porch Roofing Battens

When the porch is being installed, and roof is going on, the rafters are fit to the ridge (the very top part of the porch that runs from front to back) from the horizontal timbers that run from the top of the front posts to the top of the back posts.

These can be seen when looking up, and are rather lovely!

The roofer will then fit battens across the rafters. They will then attach the slates, or tiles, or whatever the roofing material is, to the battens and when they get to the top they’ll fit ridge tiles along the top of the ridge.

Many people choose to not have anything on the underside and this is option 1.

When choosing this option, oak battens can be supplied, if required.

If you don’t want to look up and see the back of the roof tiles and battens, you have a couple more options.

Before the battens are fit to the rafters, fully finished (usually with 2 coats of Osmo Polyx UV Oil) oak tongue and groove boards can be fit horizontally, on the top of the rafters. These are supplied in both full lengths, and shorter lengths. If they are in smaller lengths, they are cut so that they join up to the next one above a rafter. The battens and slates, or tiles, will then fit on top of them.

Then, when looking at the underside of the roof, oak boards can be seen between the rafters, like the photo’s above.

Porch Roof Alternatives

If you’d like a painted finish, a weather-proof board can be fit on top of the rafters, in the same way the oak boards are. This can be painted prior to installation. However, it can also be repainted in years to come relatively easily.

There are many other options of the type of board. Plywood would be an option, or painted softwood boards.

Whatever you decide to have, it’s best to know BEFORE the roofing is done.

The oak boards and weatherboard could, technically be fit after the roof has been installed, but they would need to be installed between the rafters. The finish wouldn’t be as cohesive though.

If you’re thinking of having lighting installed in the porch, either a pendant light, or down lighters, the wiring etc can be hidden whilst installing the roof.

25 September 2023
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