Wood Shed Roof, Paint or shingle??

As you can see in the pic the tarp that was the roof for my wood shed has succumbed to the ravages of the weather.

I was able to scrounge a bunch of 4' X 3' X 1/2" sheets of plywood ( we get these skids form China at work and throw tons away). I figured the would be fine for a wood shed roof.

I painted the plywood with a oil base exterior primer to seal it as I am sure it not exterior grade.

What do you all think would be the best covering, would just a coat of exterior paint hold up OK, or should I cover it with roofing felt and shingles. ( I have never done a shingle roof but I figure I could do a reasonable job with some advice) . Is there some other type of coating that would work well?

What do you guys think?

If you can cost wise, shingles all the way. Those shingle will last way longer than their rating (and paint) because there is not attic heat to cook them. Buy some cheap 3 tab shingles or you could raid all your friends garages and make it moziac. If you use 3 tab be sure to cut the tabs off some to make a starter for the first row so you won't see wood between the tabs. On a typical roof you will start with a full one, the next course going up take 7in off a full one, then 7in off again for the third course, rinse and repeat. The cut edge goes to the gable end. doesn't matter working left to rt or vise versa.

Good point, I was thinking 3tabs could be a free score from a garage or a friend. I know I have a square in mine right now left over from the house roof. With no heat in the building ice shouldn't be an issue. The only other issue I could see would be the rolled couldn't "melt" to the wood because of the paint. Maybe blow off?? Ok I'm grasping at straws now.

Rolled would be a great choice I agree.

roll roofing white + paint it 5 yrs later & as needed thereafter

I'd surely agree with the rolled roofing.

any white asphalt roof will outlast a black roof because it wont get as hot & deteriorate in the sun. black absorbs heat better but also radiates heat better so overnight the heatloss is also accelerated. read a can of latex roof coating for application instructions as to when to paint the roof, whichever color. the paint will preserve the asphalt & if reapplied every 10 yrs or so , the roof will last 4ever.
if doubts exist as to black radiating the heat better, go look at the back of a dorm refrigerator & see that the heat dissipating coil is always painted black!

depending on finances, I'd put metal on there. If you are surely going to nail that plywood on then I'd shingle it. Paint won't last too long. I like roll roofing too. I put plywood on top my stacks and then rubber roofing over it, no shed at my place.

I'll agree that metal is the way to go, but since you have the chinese plywood free, metal is still the way to go. If you insist on using the plywood, scrounge left over shingles and do the mosaic.

Around here cheapo 3 tabs are still $60 a square and you can get new (cheapo) steel for less. Steel will go up faster, easier, and cheaper. Plus you can overhang the steel a foot or so to give yourself some more cover from the same structure.

I'd go with peel and seal for a cheap and easy roof. It's like rolled roofing but stcks down without nails. 10 year warranty and comes in different colors.

the wall above the roof is white so consider the scenario when the time comes to paint that wall as to what the shed roof will provide=
1-metal roof to stand on, hold the paint can, & avoid spilling paint on the roof.
2-white roll roofing with traction which can be repainted with same paint as house & thus preserve the roof . white spill on white roof wont show as well as any other color roof. A white roof stays cooler & lasts longer so when u are putting wood into the shed it wont be as hot in the work area.
a shed full of wood will minimize airflow above the wood so the radiational factor of the color of the roof will make more of a difference especially if the wind is static.
the white roof for a woodshed specification came from a Popular Science article 30 yrs ago. the concept gets lotta argumentations mostly because defies the conventional thinking of wanting a kiln effect from the black roof on the shed which fails to consider the radiational aspect when the sun aint shining on it

Make sure you paint a NY on there for the New York Yankees! It is nice to see BIG Poppy driving the baseball again.


Babe
Sparky

A couple more lathe strips and corrugated would go on there easy and quick.

I've used corrugated metal and plastic and the metal lasts longer.

The last roof I did was originally whole sheets of 4x8 plywood and roll roofing and had rotted so the 8 foot panels popped on with no cutting.

Having a bit of deja vu with the whole what color should the roof be comments . . . haven't we already beaten this horse to death?

Per the OP's question . . . You could leave the wood uncovered . . . but in a few years you'll be back to where you are today . . . in my own opinion if I had the money I would put a metal roof on . . . goes up fast, looks sharp and the snow comes off it easier than asphalt . . . if, on the otherhand, I was looking for the cheap and easy route I would go with rolled roofing . . . rolls out quickly enough and pretty cheap . . . but not always the prettiest . . . then again . . . it's not the Taj Mah Woodshed . . . it's simply a place to keep your seasoned wood dry.

Me, I went with three-tab shingles (although I simply rotated the shingles around for the first course and then shingled the normal way . . . it's a pretty easy process. Tar paper went down first and then you just start laying out the shingles and nailing them down. The reason I went with the conventional shingles is that I had some left over from my other sheds . . . and I had some that I was able to get off my camp (used for siding believe it or not) . . . then I only had to buy a few extra bundles so it made it worth the expense.

I did metal on a shed roof and it took no time, and I was surprised that it was not that expensive (IMO). I aint baking in the sun, so I'll go with metal for the next roof I do (I have 2 other sheds that need roofing soon).

the horse u try to kill simply for the thrill of the hunt is an endangered species, besides uy'all aint aiming right.
metal roof will expand/contract with temperature changes & eventually loosen the fasteners. My 40 yr. old aluminum roof is proof

LOL- well, a 40 yr old wood shed has lived a good long life, and a bit of a leak wouldn't make any difference to the wood

Every new farm building for the last 30 years is metal here in Iowa and most of the midwest so cant be all bad.

wood in the shed or wood of the roof structure?lololo...

aint saying its bad, just stating scientific factors. OP has free plywood & i'd bet your barns have a steep roof built on a skeleton frame of boards= economic + good for the snow to slide off.

You would have replaced those shingles in the 40 years so I think you are ahead of the game.

not if painted with outdoor latex every 10 yrs.

I dont know about that, would not hold up here I dont believe, nobody and I mean nobody does that. Besides the fact you have to paint it every 10 years.

I have no idea, but outddor latex seems to need renewal on the SIDES of a house at least that often, so if it works, then I would guess it would need attention more often that that on the top to be sure. I have enough to do around my yard