When it comes to replacing the roof on your home, your roofer is going to use various different materials to get the job done. Your roof’s underlayment is an essential part of your overall roofing structure and serves as a secondary layer of protection from the outdoor elements. We’ll go into detail about what underlayment is and whether or not synthetic or felt underlayment is ideal for your home.
What Is Roofing Underlayment?
Simply defined, roof underlayment is the layer of your roofing system that is situated between the sheathing and the outermost layer of your roof. When you look at your roof, you won’t be able to see your underlayment level because it’ll be covered by your shingles or other roofing material. It’s important to note that roof underlayment provides a secondary moisture barrier to help keep your home dry from the elements. It goes a long way in preserving your overall roof’s lifespan and enhancing its performance.
Why Is Roofing Underlayment Important?
Other than helping to keep moisture out of your home, it may seem like underlayment isn’t overly important. However, that can’t be further from the truth. Underlayment goes a long way in assisting your HVAC system by acting as an added insulating layer. It helps to prevent heat from penetrating into your attic and down into your home during the summertime, which goes a long way in reducing your cooling bills.
Your roofing underlayment is a necessity in order to enact the warranty coverage that comes along with your outermost roofing material, such as your shingles or metal roofing. Underlayment also works to help smooth out the sheathing or decking layer of your roof to ensure a uniform installation of your final roofing product. Because synthetic is made of plastic, it’s completely resistant to mold growth.
During rainstorms, this underlayment layer acts as a noise barrier to help reduce the sounds that you hear. It also goes a long way in temporarily protecting your home if your outer roofing layer gets damaged or goes missing. Now, since you understand the importance of having underlayment as part of your home’s overall roofing system, it’s time to learn about the different types of underlayment available.
Felt Underlayment
Felt is considered one of the most traditional underlayment roofing materials. It’s typically constructed of a compound of organic materials or fiberglass mixed with asphalt. While felt underlayment is not completely waterproof, it’s highly resistant to water infiltration. It’s a very durable material that has been shown to last up to 30 years when installed properly.
Most felt underlayment is available in different thicknesses ranging from 15 to 30 pounds. If your roof has a very steep pitch, you’ll want to go with the 30-pound felt as it’s more resistant to damage. However, if your roof doesn’t have a very steep pitch, you can get away with the 15-pound felt. All felt underlayment is attached with either staples or plastic caps. The latter has been shown to be more resistant to strong wind gusts and water leakage.
One of the biggest advantages of using felt underlayment is its extreme affordability. It does meet all building codes and has been proven to be effective for literal decades. However, felt underlayment does come along with some drawbacks. It’s more dangerous to work on for installation purposes and is more prone to ripping or tearing during installation. It’s a very heavy material to carry around, and it will wrinkle up when it’s exposed to moisture. You may find that it will cost more for labor to have felt underlayment installed on your roof as compared to installing a synthetic underlayment.
Synthetic Underlayment
Synthetic underlayment is considered a newer material that’s gained a lot of popularity in recent decades. It’s constructed of long-lasting polymers, like polyethylene and polypropylene. Synthetic underlayment is extremely difficult to tear and can withstand exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. It’s very moisture-resistant and is much thinner than felt. It’s a very lightweight material that’s easier to carry around as well as easier to install. It also will put less weight on your roof, which is ideal for older homes with a less rigid roofing structure.
While synthetic underlayment has a lot of benefits over traditional felt underlayment, it does have some drawbacks that go along with it. Some building codes have not yet caught up to using synthetic underlayment and still require the use of felt underlayment. Synthetic underlayment tends to be more expensive to purchase than felt.
It’s important to note that synthetic underlayment acts as a vapor barrier for your roof. If your rooftop doesn’t get adequate ventilation, then synthetic may not be the best underlayment option. You should also be aware of the fact that there’s no manufacturing standard for the components that must be put in synthetic underlayment. So, you’ll want to consult one of our experienced roofers to determine synthetic underlayment products that are of good quality.
Some Factors to Consider
When deciding between felt and synthetic underlayment, there are a few different key factors you’ll want to take into consideration. First and most obvious, you’ll need to determine the building codes in your area to ensure that you’re not required to install only felt underlayment. Second, you want to look at the warranty information for the type of roofing material that you’re going to have installed.
For example, some shingle manufacturers may require that you have synthetic underlayment under their shingles in order to maintain warranty coverage. If you were to use felt instead, they could actually void the warranty coverage and leave you paying out of pocket for any defects.
Another factor you’ll need to consider is the roofing contractor that you hire. It’s well-known that synthetic underlayment is lighter to carry, safer to walk on, and less prone to damage during installation. For these reasons, particular roofing contractors may only offer the installation of synthetic underlayment. You should check with your roofing provider to see if they have any restrictions as far as what they’re willing to install.
One factor that you simply can’t overlook is the overall budget you have for the project. There’s no doubt that going with felt underlayment will be much cheaper than using a synthetic underlayment. However, it’s important to keep in mind that felt underlayment will not stand up as well to moisture and mold.
In the event that your roof ends up missing some of its shingles due to a nasty storm, synthetic underlayment will be more effective at protecting your home than felt underlayment. Felt will simply wrinkle when it comes into contact with moisture, which will reduce its overall effectiveness at protecting your home.
Quality Roof Installation Service
KPost Company provides quality roof installation service for community members throughout the entire Dallas, TX area. We can also help with all your solar, emergency repair, roof inspection, gutter installation, storm damage, roof replacement, and roof maintenance needs. Give us a call today to schedule a consultation with one of our highly experienced roofers.
