Your roof protects your home from the outside environment. However, the roof is not just the roof, but it has many other parts present which play an equal role in the protection of it. There is one such part with the name, roofing underlayment and that part is doing a lot of work daily.
What is Roofing Underlayment?
Roofing underlayment is a water-resistant or waterproof barrier material that is installed directly onto the roof deck. It is applied under all other roofing materials and offers an extra protection layer that can protect people from severe weather conditions.
Why do you need roofing underlayment?
Roofing underlayment may not always be necessary, but many areas require synthetic underlayment. The underlayment is important for the roof and home as it acts as a barrier for moisture and protects the roof from rain and other inclement weather.
Roofing underlayment is an important factor that plays the role in protecting the deck of the roof and prevents water from seeping through the roof. As shingles are the first in the line of defense, roofing underlayment comes right after it plays the role of defense for the deck. Moreover, shingles are great at withstanding the wind, blocking precipitation and reflecting the sun rays.
Roofing underlayment is sealed at all the corners and fixed at one place, it is not like shingles that are not sealed and are placed openly and come in direct contact with the wind and weather.
Types of Roofing Underlayment
There are three main types of roof underlayment used in the roofing system.
Asphalt-Saturated Felt
Asphalt-saturated felt is the go-to underlayment until about 15 years ago. It is a great shingle underlayment and this is why now synthetic products are more popular in the market. This underlayment is made from blends of cellulose and is commonly referred to as felt paper or tar paper.
So this underlayment has a basement and it comes with water resistance characteristics. This underlayment is applied all across the roof deck and the material of the roof is decided according to the temperature of the environment.
Moreover, one of the advantages of this underlayment is that it comes in different thicknesses and can withstand hail, wind and rain. The disadvantage of this underlayment is its weight which is quite high.
Synthetic Underlayment
Synthetic underlayment is the most used underlayment currently in the market. This underlayment basement is saturated in asphalt. And the addition of the fiberglass gives it superior tear resistance and stability. The underlayment comes with the added benefit of scrim reinforcement for added slip resistance even when it is wet. This underlayment is applied throughout the roof deck and it is also used as waterproof products.
One disadvantage of this underlayment is that it is more expensive than other underlayment materials However. The advantage is quite beneficial as it is light, effective, and does not add a lot of weight to the roof.
Rubberized Asphalt
This is the most expensive underlayment material present in the market. This material contains higher percentages of asphalt and rubber polymers which make it extremely waterproof.
This underlayment comes with a sticky back and has a protective membrane that is removed before installation. This extra item on the back helps in providing an excellent sealing function and provides a clean roof deck.
Moreover, this underlayment provides excellent protection from water on the roof deck. This kind of roofing underlayment is used around the valleys where there is a high chance of leakage.
Water-Resistant Roofing Underlayment
Water-resistant underlayment is enough for the surfaces of most roofs. This kind of underlayment does not let the water pass through it and offers protection to the deck of the roof. Moreover, if your place this water-resistant underlayment. It will protect your roof from all kinds of severe weather even if there is no shingle present on it. Call Ridge Valley today in Kennesaw, GA, Raleigh NC, Tampa, and Marco Island.
