I just got a roofing estimate and the roofer said he doesn't use felt paper. I thought it was just a short cut, then he explained that he would end up putting a million nails through the felt when he puts the shingles on and that certainly wouldn't be a waterproof barrier . He said felt paper is just a tradition that has been used when the roof is too large to be finished in a few days, but my roof is small enough to be done in one day. Does this make any sense?

Thanks

 

I never heard of it not being used either, but I was told by several folks here that in some areas, its NEVER used. Of course if you have any valleys they need to be properly flashed somehow.

 

He may well drive a kazillion holes in it, but they, for the most part, self seal to a point. Not sure who the contractor is, but some form of underlayment is necessary on a new install, whether it be roofing felt or the newer tyvek type underlayment.
What part of the largest state of the Mississippi are you located in?

 

I would compare it to driving without a spare tire. You could... but when you have a flat, it's really nice to have that spare in the trunk.

Some argue that #15 and #30 felt are not waterproof since they can eventually absorb moisture. Hmm, isn't that one of the qualities we like about paper towels? Felt does provide some measure of protection when there is a roof leak that goes unnoticed for a while... say if a shingle blows off or something. I.E. it's better than nothing at all. Besides felt, other superior roof underlayments are available.

It's quite similar in my mind to the IRC codes requiring a WRB on a wall. A roof is really not that much different. And even if local codes and manufacturers do not require it, at some point common sense should dictate the proper course.

However not all agree with this, and for various reasons- either they believe felt and/or other superior roof underlayments are of no value (they must imagine shingles never crack or blow off, or that roof leaks never occur), or they are more concerned about their bottom line and think of them being unnecessary, time consuming and therefore unprofitable to apply.

 

Just to be clear...I think it was one of our Canadian members who said they almost never used paper under shingles. I wasn't advocating it....

 

yeah I forget who it was who was strongly advocating that felt paper was worthless, but I remember the post you are referring to. Kind of surprising that some ppl skip the felt! But a lot of ppl still think a WRB is not needed behind siding either. Different mentality I guess!

 

most, if not all, shingle manufacturers require roofing felt (min.#15) to be installed. Otherwise the shingle warranty is voided.