Roofing Felt Paper Vs Synthetic

Synthetic or felt roofing underlayment which is better.

Roofing felt paper vs synthetic.

Roofing felt offers an additional layer. Felt paper also referred to as tar paper was the standard underlayment material in roofing for decades. Asphalt felt and synthetic underlayments are products installed under all the roofing materials and directly on a roof deck. It will keep your roof dry even when water flows backward and in driving rain.

Synthetic roof underlayment vs. Felt paper and synthetic. In our industry there are two main varieties of underlayment. When most people think of roofs they typically think of shingles or metal roofing.

The shingles are the primary weather barrier. While felt is weighed by pounds per roofing square 100 square feet synthetics are rated by grams per square meter gsm. The underlayment provides a secondary weather barrier against wind driven rain and snow. It was easy to use durable and even had alignment lines to help with the shingle installation.

For these reasons nj roofing contractors increasingly use these synthetic materials instead of traditional felt. For decades roofers have fitted a layer of felt over a roof s sheathing or roof deck before installing shingles. Anywhere from 40 100 grams per square meter. In contrast to regular roof felt synthetic underlayment is typically fabricated from man made polypropylene and polymer substances that are lightweight highly water resistant and very durable.

Felt underlayment 15 felt. Of course it is a bit more technical than that but this is the basic idea behind how felt works. Fast forward 170 years and roofing felt is still the most popular roofing material now used as an underlayment being installed today. Weighs 7 5 to 12 5 pounds per roofing square 30 felt.

But what some may not know is there s another layer of protection directly on top of the roof deck and under the roof covering that performs a critical role in protecting your home from moisture damage. Generally speaking roofing felt is a felt paper that is soaked in asphalt and other water resistant compounds to produce a membrane. Additionally synthetic materials can withstand uv exposure much longer than felt paper so if progress needed to halt on a roof before the shingles were laid the material will not be damaged. Prospectors during the california gold rush covered the roofs of their temporary shacks with roofing felt also known as felt paper or tar paper.

What is roofing felt. For example interwrap s rhinoroof can be exposed to uv rays for up to 60 days without any potential damage.