Underlayment: The Most Important Thing Under the Shingles

By Stacy Mellete

The roof makes up a huge part of what you see from the curb: the roof shingles, the gutter system, and the flashing strips are all highly visible. But there’s more to the roof than what’s on the surface. While there are different components found directly under the shingles, one stands out as the most important – the underlayment.

Affordable Roofing Systems, your local roofing contractor in Tampa FL, discusses what the roofing underlayment does and why it’s so important.

What Is the Underlayment?

The underlayment is the very bottom part of the roof, and it’s installed under the major roofing material (asphalt roofing shingles). It’s a water-resistant barrier that acts as the last line of defense against leaks and other forms of water damage. This is what protects your home from the weather during the installation of new shingles

The underlayment comes in three types: saturated asphalt, non-bitumen synthetic underlayment and rubberized asphalt. All three are fairly common nowadays but saturated asphalt remains the most commonly used. As the area’s premier local roofing company in Tampa, we’re highly experienced in working with these three underlayment types.

How It Protects the Home

The underlayment does more than just serve as the final waterproof barrier for your home. It also protects the wooden portions from chemicals in the shingles. During hot days, the sun’s rays can cause the shingles to melt into the wood, which in turn will necessitate very expensive repairs.

The underlayment also protects the house from exposure. During the rare cases when a storm is strong enough to tear off the roof shingles, the underlayment will remain intact so that the roof deck isn’t immediately exposed.

Which Underlayment to Install?

All three underlayment types have their own strengths and areas they excel in, and some may be a better fit for your home than the others. Affordable Roofing Systems will help you pick the best underlayment for your roof. We also offer roof repairs and replacement services.

Call us now at (813) 542-8462 or contact us here to learn more about our services. We are a local roofing contractor in Tampa and Clearwater FL.

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