How Roofing Felt Works

Roofing felt commonly called tar paper is an important component of any roofing system.

How roofing felt works.

A new roof can add a lot to your house s worth. Start rolling the first layer of felt out from the bottom of one side of the roof. Using a roll of felt coverage or several rolls provides the roof with additional waterproofing and protects the wood sheathing of a roof until the installation of shingles is finished. Residential and commercial roofing shingles slate roof ventilation roof underlayments asphaltic and tpo roof membranes.

The felt keeps the roof deck dry before shingles go on protects against wind driven rain as shingles fail and increases fire resistance. Most pros use this line to begin shingling working left and right toward the rakes. The best weight for roofing felt is the 30 pound product because it provides thicker and. Asphalt saturated heavy duty roofing felt is available in 15 and 30 pound weights.

Laying the felt the roofing felt should be applied in layers that overlap. How roofing materials work. Afterward roll the felt away from you lengthwise along the lower edge about 10 feet 120 in. Begin at the bottom right or bottom left of the roof.

As you work the paper can be tacked down in the center so it won t blow away. Start at the bottom of the roofline and work up so any water that gets through the roofing material will shed down the tar paper and will not go under it. Roofing felt also known as tar paper serves as both an extra layer of protection between the shingles and the plywood and as a temporary moisture barrier until all the shingles are in place. Today glass fiber or polyester fabric may be used instead of paper.

Roofing shingles and materials plus factory certified roofers including ratings from real homeowners from north america s largest roofing manufacturer. Later asphalt was used in the manufacture of roofing felt. Also known as tar paper roofing felt originated in finland in the 1870 s as a waterproofing underlayment for roofs. First paper was impregnated with coal tar.

Today s metal roofs however are a far cry from that image. Why use roofing felt paper. As you roll it out make sure that it remains flat. Roofing felt is comprised of a base made from natural materials such as wood cellulose or synthetic ones such as fiberglass or polyester and then coated or saturated with a protective coating such as bitumen asphalt which repels water but still allows the product to breathe.