What Is Roofing Underlayment?

Your roof remains one of the most important aspects of your home. It can also improve the curb appeal of your home as well as make sure that you can keep the interior of your property warm and dry. Underneath the structure of your roofing components is a system that can make sure your roof remains extremely well insulated, secure, and more. Your roofing underlayment is an essential part of the architectural support and a great barrier to the elements that your home is subject to. If you are interested in choosing the best type of roofing underlayment materials for your roof it’s important to strategize with a local roofing contractor.

Underlayment is a necessary aspect of a roof and when it’s installed on your roofing system involves the process of not simply nailing the shingles into the wooden roof deck but rather nailing the shingles into a system that will hold the nails more readily and produce a barrier for the moisture. Rather than having to deal with conditions like rot, mold, or interior leaks, you can have a system that will not damage your roof structure and act as an additional aspect of safety for your home. 

If there’s any type of damage to your shingles, it will be easy for water to begin seeping into your property. Shingle underlayment acts as a barrier between the roofing frame and your home shingles and making the right choice on underlayment can minimize repairs and maintenance over time.

Felt Roofing Underlayment

If you decided to use a fairly cheap route for your underlayment and the system that you are using is made up of asphalt for water resistance, a felt underlayment may be the best option for you. Underlayment contains a large amount of asphalt and this improves its strength and durability as well as its cost. A proper felt underlayment is an excellent option to protect any roof that has a steep slope. This type of underlayment will make sure that water can continually run off the roofing structure quickly. A felt underlayment system can also be somewhat susceptible to sunlight damage so it’s very important to install a high-quality felt underlayment with a better quality architectural shingle. This ensures that the entire system can be extremely durable.

Rubberized Asphalt Membrane

This type of rubberized asphalt membrane is applied by roofing contractors in a hot application. The polymer can be applied with bitumen and a mixture of various hydrocarbons which ensures the entire system can have a plastic-type of property or rubberized results. It’s a highly flexible and elastic material and it fills in the spaces that are around nails or staples as well as bridges cracks along with the system of substrates. It’s easier to conform to various surface irregularities by using this type of material. 

This underlayment option is best suited to areas where there are high temperatures and roofs that are regularly exposed to a large amount of sunlight. This rubberized solution is a highly durable and long-lasting solution for your roof but it is definitely something that needs to be approached with professional installation. 

Synthetic Roofing

A synthetic roofing underlayment is designed to protect against ice, wind, and rain. It’s particularly important in preventing ice dams and water accumulation no matter what the slope of your roof may be. Synthetic is one of the longest-lasting and lightweight materials and this is a roofing material that can often receive a better safety rating than other products on the market today. The reason for its long-lasting capabilities is that it comes with a much better UV rating than its competitors and this is what delivers such a high safety rating over time. A synthetic roofing underlayment is produced using completely engineered materials whereas a felt underlayment is sometimes called an organic underlayment because it’s produced using some organic and recycled materials. 

Fire Resistance Ratings

The fire-resistance ratings on most underlayment are excellent and the different underlayment options that are available can change the cost of your roofing job by a few hundred dollars generally. Opting for a better quality underlayment that comes with superior fire protection is often the best choice for longevity, and preventing ongoing needs for repairs. 

A local contractor will be able to help you decide on the right type of roofing materials to suit the needs of your roof specifically. They can assist with helping you get an underlayment material that will provide you with the longest lifespan for your roofing materials over time. Contact us today to learn more about roofing underlayment and the options for your home.