Purpose Of Felt On Roof

Roofing felt is a layer of tar paper installed beneath the shingles to provide a backup waterproof membrane in case of leakage.

Purpose of felt on roof.

An adhesive side sticks to the roof deck or a waterproof membrane on top of the deck. Roofing felt protects the roof which means it ultimately protects your home. Shingles or shake can be nailed directly on top of the felt. Roof felt products are sold in rolls.

Commonly referred to as felt paper or tar paper common roofing felt is made of varying blends of cellulose natural plant fibers polyester bitumen or asphalt. In addition to this it has been proven that roofing felt can actually prolong the life of your roof and help it endure the brutality of mother nature. It provides a barrier between the wood sheathing on the roof and the final roofing material. The outer surface of the roof felt is like a sandpaper or carpet like surface.

In fact roofing felt is known to repel water which means that your home becomes incredibly leak proof preventing moisture related damage like rot and mould from occurring as a result. Architectural metal roofs with felt underlayment are best suited for buildings with proper slope and low moisture loads in dry or arid climates. Conversely felt underlayment is appropriate in conjunction with ice dam protection at eaves and other critical transitions in cold climates. Should water or snow be driven between shingles by high winds this under layer will provide valuable protection.

A layer of gravel or small stones is applied on top of the final coating of asphalt to protect the roof from the elements including ultraviolet uv rays and hail. Well the original purpose for using roofing felt was to be a temporary waterproof roof whilst homeowners would have to build their own roofs. When homeowners would remove the shingles off their roof on a weekend the roofing felt would serve as a waterproof cover. Felt otherwise known as underpayment is required when.

This method has been used for over one hundred years. Asphalt saturated felt was the go to roofing underlayment until about 15 years ago. There are many reasons to use roofing felt. Gaf shingle mate 36 in x 144 ft 400 sq ft felt roof underlayment.

Here alternating layers of roofing felt usually fiberglass and hot applied asphalt are combined to create a long lasting roof system.