- Totally agree, underlayment’s just one layer in the whole system.
- I’ve had the same thing happen with sealant—works for a bit, then peels or cracks, especially in the sun.
- Flashing and tile fit are what really keep water out in my experience.
- Double-felt might look old-school, but it’s reliable. Sometimes the tried-and-true stuff just holds up better than the fancy new products.
- I get why folks like synthetic, but man, it’s brutal on a hot day... and I’m not convinced it lasts longer in real-world conditions.
- You’re spot on about fixing what’s actually broken instead of slapping on more sealant. Saves money and headaches down the line.
Sealant’s a band-aid at best, especially under tiles. I’ve seen it fail after a couple summers—cracking, peeling, and then you’re back to square one. Underlayment’s your real backup if water sneaks past the tile. Flashing matters more than people think too. If I had to pick, I’d trust a solid underlayment and good flashing over any sealant job, every time.
Underlayment’s your real backup if water sneaks past the tile.
- Totally get what you mean about sealant being a "band-aid at best." Tried it myself, and yeah, it looked good for about a year... then the summer sun turned it into roof confetti.
- Underlayment’s been my lifesaver. Not pretty, but it’s hidden anyway, right?
- Flashing—never thought much about it till water started showing up in my attic. Lesson learned (the hard way).
- If you’re on a budget like me, doing underlayment and flashing right the first time saves you from buying buckets for leaks later. Sealant just feels like wishful thinking most days.
Sealant just feels like wishful thinking most days.
That about sums it up. I used to swear by sealants—my neighbor convinced me to try one of those “miracle” roof coatings a few years back. Looked great for a while, then after our first real heat wave, it started peeling like old paint. Ended up spending more time scraping gunk off the tiles than if I’d just fixed the underlayment to begin with.
Underlayment’s not flashy, but honestly, it’s what’s saved my bacon during monsoon season. I live out in Arizona where the sun cooks everything and the rain comes down in buckets when it finally does show up. The tiles themselves look great, but I’ve seen water sneak through the tiniest cracks—without that underlayment, I’d be in trouble. It’s one of those things you don’t see, but you know it’s there doing its job.
Flashing is another thing folks overlook. I learned the hard way after a windstorm ripped a chunk of flashing off around my chimney. Thought it was no big deal… until I found a puddle in my attic. Spent a Saturday up there patching things up and cursing myself for not paying attention.
I get the budget thing, too. When we first bought this place, I tried to cut corners with cheap felt underlayment. Regretted it after three years—had to redo the whole thing with synthetic. Cost more up front, but at least I’m not worrying every time clouds roll in.
Curious—has anyone here actually had a good experience with long-term sealant use? Or is it just me who keeps getting burned by it? Maybe there’s some magic product out there I haven’t heard of, but from what I’ve seen, underlayment and good flashing are where it’s at if you want peace of mind.
- Totally get what you mean about sealants. I tried one of those “guaranteed” roof sealers on a small leak last year—looked fine for a couple months, then just cracked and flaked off after our first freeze.
- Underlayment seems like the real MVP. I went with synthetic too, mostly because the guy at the supply store said it’d last longer in our crazy Midwest weather. So far, no regrets.
- Flashing is something I barely thought about until I saw water stains on my ceiling... turns out the flashing around my vent pipe was toast.
- Sealants might work for tiny touch-ups, but I wouldn’t trust them for anything major or long-term. Maybe there’s some pro-grade stuff out there, but nothing I’ve tried has lasted through a full season.