The success of a roofing system depends on quality parts being installed and functioning correctly. By skipping over a step or using lower quality material, you are compromising the roof’s longevity.
Roofing underlayment is one of the key components to ensuring a long lifespan for your roof. While there are several different types to choose from, synthetic underlayment is currently the most popular and preferred choice for underlayment in the roofing industry for its superior performance and longevity.
At Western States Metal Roofing, we have been in the roofing industry for over 20 years manufacturing metal panels. We generally prefer the use of synthetic underlayment, as it is more durable and will last longer. However, that does not mean it does not come without issues.
In this article, we discuss the top 3 problems with synthetic roof underlayment and why it may not be the right fit for a project to help you decide if it’s right for you. First, let’s discuss why roof underlayment is necessary in the first place.
Underlayment is an important component to the overall roof system as it serves as an extra layer of protection for your roof.
Roof underlayment will:
Synthetic underlayment is a roofing accessory composed of laminated polypropylene or polyethylene plastic that goes over the roof deck and serves as an extra layer of protection from the elements for a roofing system. It has excellent durability as the material does not absorb moisture. This makes it the right material to choose when drying in a roof.
Within a certain timeframe, synthetic underlayment can be left exposed to the elements and not be damaged. The time frame depends on the specific manufacturer of the underlayment as each is different. We recommend, Sharkskin roofing underlayment which can be exposed for 6 months to 12 months.
Synthetic is a higher quality product but also comes with a higher cost.
While non adhesive synthetic underlayment costs more than twice as much, there is long term value with synthetic material that you do not get with felt underlayment. It just doesn’t make sense to install an expensive roofing system and a cheap underlayment that will not last for the lifetime of the roof. On an average size roof, the difference will only be a few hundred dollars. It’s not that much additional money when you look at the overall cost of the metal roof.
Felt vs. Synthetic Roof Underlayment
Non adhesive synthetic roofing underlayment isn't created equally. There are lots of high quality synthetic roof underlayment brands , but there are also some low quality brands. They try to trick you with a lousy product and fancy marketing.
The weight of the synthetic underlayment is a great indication of the quality of the underlayment. The membrane layer is where you get your water proofing and abrasion resistance. In an effort to save money, there are brands of synthetic underlayment that boast about their mil thickness. This can be misleading though as some of these underlayment have a fuzzy top layer for walkability that’s a false indicator of the materials thickness.
We suggest that you look at the weight of the underlayment instead of the mil thickness to ensure that you have the best synthetic roof underlayment.
Before making any decision regarding roof underlayment, make sure you or your roofing contractor refer to the building code. Building code will specify not only if underlayment is required, but also what underlayment should be used. It’s a rarity, but there are some instances where synthetic roof underlayment will be prohibited and felt underlayment will have to be used.
Synthetic roof underlayment is the most preferred form of underlayment material for its strength and tear resistance. Synthetic was actually created to be a product that solved the problems that felt underlayment, or roofing felt, has.
For years, felt was the go-to material to use for roofing underlayment. Only within the last two decades has synthetic underlayment hit the market as an improved product that would not have the problems with felt.
When you need a reliable underlayment that will last longer for your roof installation, you want to choose synthetic.
Synthetic underlayment is the right choice when you’re looking for:
If you’ve decided on synthetic, there are different options to choose from. Continue on to learn about the different types of synthetic underlayment.