Rooftops need underlayment for a variety of reasons—and choosing a high-quality synthetic underlayment is key to a roofing system that protects the home underneath, helps the roof last longer, all while saving homeowners money. So what are the advantages of using a high-quality synthetic underlayment? Let’s take a look!
Synthetic Underlayment Protects Contractors
It’s true! Even though you normally think of underlayment as something that protects the roofing system, a quality synthetic underlayment also offers protection for the contractors who are doing the job.
It does this in three different ways:
- Most synthetic roofing underlayments are much lighter than traditional felt underlayments, which makes it a lot easier to carry up ladders and to work with, thus preventing accidents.
- Most also feature a light-colored surface. Given that roofing is often done in the hottest part of summer, the light shade helps keep temperatures down as compared to the blistering heat that rises from asphalt felt.
- High-quality synthetic underlayments should also have an anti-skid surface. For instance, Epilay’s synthetic products feature GripWalk, which provides extra traction—another way that these underlayments help prevent accidents.
Synthetic Underlayment Protects Roofing Materials
If you’ve been in the roofing business for a while, you’ve probably worked with homeowners who have expressed frustration with past roofing jobs and the stained shingles that resulted from them. Sometimes these stains are caused by rust or algae—and sometimes, they’re caused either by the asphalt underlayment beneath the shingles, or natural compounds leaching up out of the wood beneath the shingles.
Either way, synthetic underlayment puts a stop to asphalt and wood stains. There are no compounds in synthetic underlayment that will break down and stain the shingles above, for one thing. As much as underlayment works hard to keep water out, it also keeps the compounds within the wood beneath it where they belong. That’s especially true of peel and stick underlayment, which offers a tight, impermeable seal.
Synthetic Underlayment Protects the Roof Deck and Home
You already know that synthetic underlayment offers a whole lot more water and UV resistance than traditional roofing felt—and it has a higher tear strength, too, which makes it harder to damage either by walking on it or in high winds.
What you may not know is that there are different ways to use various types of synthetic underlayments to offer the best possible protection to the roof deck and home beneath. Peel and stick underlayment offers by far the best protection since, when installed properly, it is impermeable and highly resistant to the wind—but it’s also among the most expensive options.
Rather than covering the whole roof with pricey peel and stick, you may want to save the peel and stick for the problem areas—like around the eaves, where ice dams build-up, in valleys, or around skylights, chimneys, vents, and other areas at much higher risk for leaks. Where heavy-duty protection isn’t needed, use a non-adhesive synthetic underlayment to provide adequate protection against moisture, the elements, and anything else that could damage your roof.
As you can see, choosing the right underlayment is important. Using a high-quality synthetic underlayment on your roofing projects will offer a lot more protection for everyone involved—and that will lead to happy homeowners who will happily recommend you to the rest of the neighborhood!
Browse the Epilay site to learn more about what we have to offer and find a distributor in your area!
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