How Important Is Roofing Felt

It is installed directly onto the roof deck underneath all of the other roofing materials.

How important is roofing felt.

Roofing felt is comprised of a base made from natural materials such as wood cellulose or synthetic ones such as fiberglass or polyester and then coated or saturated with a protective coating such as bitumen asphalt which repels water but still allows the product to breathe. In addition to this a roof without a felt underlay is said to have a shorter lifespan and will therefore need replacing sooner at the expense of the homeowner. But first let s discuss why roofing underlayment is so important. Is felt really that important and what is roofing felt anyway.

For decades roofers have fitted a layer of felt over a roof s sheathing or roof deck before installing shingles. Roofing felt offers an additional layer. There is also another form of underlayment on the market that is particularly important in the toronto region where ice snow and severe rainstorms are common. Before applying roofing you ll need to cover the sheathing with roofing felt also often called tar paper most local codes call for using 30 pound felt.

What you need to remember is that once the roof construction process is complete the roof felt has loads of holes in from nails where the roof tiles have had to be secured to the roof. Weight matters asphalt saturated heavy duty roofing. When most people think of roofs they typically think of shingles or metal roofing. Roofing underlayment is a water resistant barrier that serves as an extra layer of protection from the elements.

Roofing felt that provides the best shielding and allows the roofer to walk on it without ripping it is the option roofers most often choose. 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. These synthetic membranes can have a much higher performance than the felt variety in severe weather conditions or can be matched to work better with specific roofing materials. Roofing felt is a layer of tar paper installed beneath the shingles to provide a backup waterproof membrane in case of leakage.