Is Roofing Felt Needed For Metal Roof

Synthetic underlayment is a newer innovation that is taking over the metal roofing industry as a better more advanced replacement for felt underlayment.

Is roofing felt needed for metal roof.

With metal roofing its also a good idea to put a layer of red rosin paper between the felt or ice water shield and the metal that way it wont potentialy stick to it and cause oil canning and would allow for expansion. By andrew hazleton updated august 20 2018 roofing felt commonly called tar paper is an important component of any roofing system. Start the roof felt at one bottom corner of the roof. Conversely felt underlayment is appropriate in conjunction with ice dam protection at eaves and other critical transitions in cold climates.

Roofing felt may be necessary for use with your shingles to meet a class a fire rating when shingles are evaluated for their fire ratings it is done on a small test deck with the roofing felt underlayment in place without this underlayment the shingles alone may not meet the class a fire requirements. Roofing felt is a layer of tar paper installed beneath the shingles to provide a backup waterproof membrane in case of leakage. Architectural metal roofs with felt underlayment are best suited for buildings with proper slope and low moisture loads in dry or arid climates. The steeper the pitch the less likely moisture is to sit and seep into gaps and cracks in the shingles.

Most synthetic underlayments are mechanically attached with roofing caps and staples while others have a glue backing. This link will take you to section 1507 requirements for roof coverings to jump to the subsection for your type of material click the name of the material in the code index on the left side of the page you may have to click on the. Roofing felt is always recommended but is not actually required by all shingle manufacturers. Extremely dry environments are also one area where felt may not be necessary.

Felt otherwise known as underpayment is required when. 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. Most codes and good roofing practice would require felt.