I’m in the same boat with patch jobs—did a couple myself last year after a windstorm, and honestly, it felt like rolling the dice. I’ve got asphalt shingles and was told synthetic underlayment would be “peace of mind,” but the price tag made me hesitate. Is it really that much better for our kind of weather? I ended up sticking with felt since my neighbor swears by it and his roof’s held up fine. Curious if anyone’s actually had leaks fixed just by swapping underlayment, or is it usually something else like flashing?
Had a similar debate with myself a few years back—synthetic sounded great, but the cost made me wince. Ended up with felt too, and honestly, most leaks I’ve seen were from bad flashing or old vents, not the underlayment itself. Anyone ever actually had underlayment alone save the day? Or is it usually just a backup if something else fails?
I’ve been called out to a bunch of storm jobs over the years, and honestly, I can count on one hand the times underlayment alone actually prevented a leak from turning into a disaster. Most of the time, if water’s getting past the shingles, it’s because something else failed—bad flashing, cracked vent boots, or wind-driven rain sneaking under loose tabs. Underlayment’s more like a seatbelt than an airbag: you hope you never need it, but it’s there if things go sideways.
I remember one hailstorm where the shingles got shredded but the felt held up just enough to keep the ceiling dry until we could tarp it. But that’s rare. Usually by the time underlayment’s doing all the work, you’re already in trouble. Around here (Midwest), I see more issues from poor installs than from the material itself. Good flashing and regular checks do way more for peace of mind than splurging on fancy underlayment, at least in my book.
- Gotta push back a bit—underlayment’s saved my butt more than once, especially with ice dams up north.
- Not saying flashing isn’t key, but when water backs up under shingles, that waterproof layer matters.
- Seen some of the newer synthetic stuff hold up way better than old felt after big storms.
- Still agree: bad installs are the real killer... but I wouldn’t skimp on underlayment either.
Had a roofer try to talk me out of upgraded underlayment when I replaced my shingles last year—said it was “extra.” I stuck to my guns since we get those nasty freeze-thaw cycles here. Sure enough, two months later, ice dam backed water up under the shingles. The only thing that stopped it from dripping into my living room was that synthetic layer. Not cheap, but way less than fixing drywall and insulation. I get wanting to save money, but some corners just aren’t worth cutting... learned that the hard way with a leaky garage roof years ago.