Why Your Roof Needs Roofing Felt

Your roof does a lot of work for your home. Along with the siding, your roof is your home’s first line of defense against the elements. If you’re building a new home or doing major renovations, you may be looking for the right roofing material and looking at other roofing options. Choosing the right roofing type is a big decision in itself, but you have one more important choice to make: including roofing felt.

Roofing felt is a key part of your roof that you might not know about at all. Below, we’ll talk about what exactly roofing felt is and why it’s so important to install it along with your new roof.

What Is Roofing Felt and Why Do Professionals Use It?

Roofing felt is also known by other names, including “felt paper,” “tar paper” and “roofing felt underlayment.” It has been used in some variation for more than a hundred years.

Modern roofing felt is made of two layers:

It has a base, made from either a natural or synthetic material. A natural base can be made from wood cellulose and a synthetic base can be made from polyester.

The second layer is a water-resistant coating such as asphalt. The roofing felt is installed between the decking and the shingles of the roof, acting as a thin membrane between those two layers of your roofing system.

So why do professional roofing contractors use it? The roofing felt adds a layer of protection to your roof. Since you depend on your roof so much to keep out rain, cold and other elements, any extra protection should be welcome. Roofing felt gives your roof many important benefits, which we’ll discuss more in-depth below.

What Benefits Does Roofing Felt Provide for a Home?

When you see what roofing felt adds to your roofing system, you won’t be surprised why so many professionals recommend installing it. Here are the benefits of having roofing felt as a part of your home’s roofing system:

• Water Resistance: Roofing felt is not waterproof, but it offers another level of protection against moisture from seeping into your roofing system. When water penetrates the inner layers of your home’s structure, it can cause a great deal of damage. Roofing felt helps rain and other moisture drain properly off your roof.

• Back-Up Protection: If some moisture does manage to seep underneath the shingles on your roof, the roofing felt can act as last-resort protection. It acts as a sort of sealant, helping to keep the moisture from affecting insulation, ceilings, walls and other parts of your home’s interior.

• Conform to Laws: Depending on where you live, it may be against the law to exclude roofing felt from your roofing system. If your home needs to include roofing felt, there’s probably a good reason why. You may live in an area that sees a lot of snow or rain throughout the year.

• Protection During Work: If you need to replace the shingles on your home, the roofing felt can help protect your home while the project is being done. Without roofing felt, when the old shingles would be stripped off the roof, the interior of your home would be exposed. With the roofing felt, your home has some protection until the job is done.

• Looks: If the surface of the roof is even a little uneven before the shingles are installed, it can give the finished product a less than perfect look. If aesthetics are important to you, then you should install roofing felt. The roofing felt will give your roof a more uniform look.

• Protection From Wood Stain: Without roofing felt, wood stains used on interior parts of the roofing system can damage shingles. Damaged shingles can be a huge problem, even if it’s just one. Moisture and other outdoor elements can come in, creating more damage to the inside of your home.

With so many benefits, the answer to this next question probably seems obvious.

Should I Use Roofing Felt?

As we mentioned above, roofing felt is required in some areas, but it may not necessarily be a requirement in all of them. However, we recommend including it because it adds a great deal to your roofing system. And we’re not alone. Many roofing organizations also recommend installing roofing felt, like the National Roofing Contractors Association.

If you’re installing a new roof, whether it’s on your existing home or a new build, consult with your roofing contractor. You can even ask for opinions from more than one contractor to find the right solution for your home. There are some situations where the roofing felt isn’t exactly necessary, but you miss out on all of its benefits when you exclude it from your roofing system.

Choose Sunshine Contracting Corp

If your home needs a roof replacement, you need to find a contractor you can trust to get the job done and to do it right. Sunshine Contracting Corp is the name you can trust for expert services on your home. We are family-owned and family-operated. We’re located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and serve the surrounding areas.

When you choose Sunshine Contracting Corp for your roof replacement or maintenance, you have access to experts from our team of in-house installers. Every one of our professionals is trained in their field, so their expertise and experience are guaranteed.

Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule a free in-home consultation to get started.