I used 30lb. felt and never have had a problem. I used cap nails and it has performed excellently. In our area synthetics have run 3 times the cost of 30lb. tar paper. That is the biggest reason why I stuck with tar paper. A 30lb. tar paper does not tear that easy.
Something not mentioned in regards to felt is that supposedly, it adds to rof longevity by shedding its oils which keep the shingles from getting dried out and in turn, extending roof life.. now, im still going with synthetic, and im Not a roofer, but ive heard that theory from roofer on youtube and it makes sense... there are pro's and con's for each.
I had peel and stick on my roof. It survived two hurricanes and a tornado with only 14 shingles needing replaced. Never had any leaks during the storms either.
Years ago, we tore off several roofs in a neighborhood and they didn’t have any felt or nothing for underlayment. They did Have some metal in valleys and some had old school roll roofing. But no real underlayment anywhere! People said Didn’t have any leaks either! Builders saving $$ I reckon !?!?
Underlayment will not stop leaks unless it is specifically designed to seal around nails like Ice and Water Seal. Otherwise, it does not seal nail holes. There will be thousands of nail holes once the shingles are on, and every one can leak if the shingles leak.
There are unique applications where it is necessary to have a water permeable underlayment vs a waterproof underlayment besides being cheaper. As far as I can remember, there are very few options for water permeable synthetic underlayment. Some manufacturers don't produce such underlayment, and their warranties require underlayment from their product lines so you cant just use another brand thus resorting to felt. Obviously this is something to consider before purchasing shingles. If you have something considered to be vapor barrier on both the interior and exterior of the roof decking/ceiling, this would in theory cause water stuck there for a long time in humid climates if it managed to get in, causing rot and mold. Poorly ventilated roof application. Something I don't see too many people talking about. Alot more variables than people think when designing a roof system.
A local roofing contractor, and at least one RU-vid video, nails felt to the plywood. And then covers the entire roof in a peel and stick. What are the pros and cons of doing this in hurricane-prone area with no chance of freezing?
To everybody saying their felt tar paper looks new because it is recently installed. My felt from 1960’s was so brittle that it broke into thousands of pieces like find dust when removed and flew everywhere
A good job of doing felt underlayment will result in a roof that will not leak. You can leave a roof for at least 6 months with it only protected by 15 # asphalt impregnated felt paper, if you do a good job of installation.
I see a lot of never change anything people on here it seems yeah you know what tar paper was ok back in the day because it was made better back then and it was basically the only choice we had now we have much better products trying to say today's tar paper is better than the synthetic is like saying riding a horse to work is better than driving your car or saying conventional motor oil is better than synthetic just let it go the world has moved on and given us better products I just removed the tar paper from my roof 21 years old and it was shit not in very good shape I put synthetic down with the Ice shield and class 3 shingles I have a 50 year warranty unlike the 25 year from before and no hail rating the stuff from 20 plus years ago is not as good as now I'm speaking of asphalt shingles.
Just had my roof redone. Dudes been roofin houses for 50 years (he’s 70 and gets around pretty damn good!) The used tiger paw, looks great. They did a hell of a job.
1. I heard that Synthetic is not self-sealing so the plastic nails could result in a source of a leak. True? 2. Assuming it is true, why would one not install synthetic on the existing 15 or 30 pounder felt instead of removing the felt?
True, synthetic underlayment typically does not seal around nails. Some of the hybrid underpayments do claim to seal around nail. When a re-roof is done, everything is removed down to the decking, including any old felt.
The tar paper of today is not what we had when I was a kid. What we used was saturated with tar, and it got on everything as you handled it. We held it down with slats and left it exposed to the elements for years. Can't do that with the stuff you get today. They don't use as much tar because there isn't as much produced during the improved, more efficient, fuel refining process. This is also having an impact on the manufacturing of shingles that require tar.
@slydog7131 well, "got on everything" might be an exaggeration. The paper wasn't covered with a goo. But it was saturated and our hands showed it and so did our clothes. This stuff you buy today doesn't compare. It's dry, sucks up water and buckles in a short time.
@@calmistheway Felt paper is better? I'm replacing my roof for the first time and I've been debating between old style felt paper or synthetic underlayment.
@@chrisginoc I'm not saying it's not a good thing for the shingles to lay on for 30 years. I'm saying you cant use it to "dry in" an area of the roof like you can with tar paper.
@@chrisginoc synthetic is better. If you can afford the GAF Tiger Paw is the best. 2 or 3 times thicker and stronger than the cheaper one everybody uses. I am also replacing my roof and doing lots of research.
What a BS comparison. My house was built in the 30’s and the paper under seemed new when we had to take the wall apart. My 10 year old shed with tyvek was brittle and crumbling.
I know felt paper nowdays isnt made like it was back then. Smells more like manure than tar. But I do notice when pulling it off roofs from 20, 30+ years ago, it still looks brand new. Has the synthetic underlayment been tested for time? How long will it last before it starts to deteriorate?
