Yeah, I hear you on the felt breaking down fast, especially the cheap stuff. Around here, we get a ton of wind-driven rain and wild temperature swings, and honestly, I’ve seen those basic felts just shred after a couple bad storms—even with decent ventilation. Synthetics aren’t perfect, but they do seem to shrug off the weather a bit better. Plus, they’re lighter to haul up a ladder, which my back appreciates more than I’ll admit.
I used to be old-school about felt, but after seeing it curl up and basically turn into paper mache on low slope roofs, I switched over. Still depends on the job though—some of those premium felts are solid if you’re not dealing with crazy weather. But yeah, with these flatter roofs especially, material choice makes a huge difference. Learned that the hard way after a “bargain” underlayment let water in during a nor’easter... never again.
We moved in last year and the roof was only five years old, but whoever did it used the cheapest felt they could find. First big storm, I found a water stain in the spare bedroom—felt had basically disintegrated right under a shallow pitch. Ended up having to tear up a section and went with synthetic this time. It’s only been through two storms so far but seems to be holding up way better. I get why people stick with felt for price, but after dealing with repairs, I’m not sure it’s worth it, at least not in places with wild weather swings like we get here.
I get why people stick with felt for price, but after dealing with repairs, I’m not sure it’s worth it, at least not in places with wild weather swings like we get here.
Had a similar situation on a low-slope section—cheap felt just didn’t cut it once the freeze-thaw cycles hit. Switched to a synthetic underlayment (RhinoRoof, I think) and it’s been solid so far. The install was a bit trickier, but the tear resistance is way better. I get the cost argument, but honestly, the labor to fix leaks later isn’t worth the savings upfront.
Felt’s like that one friend who’s great at parties but bails when you actually need help—fine until the weather gets weird, then suddenly you’re scrambling for buckets. I switched to synthetic on a couple of my rentals after a nasty spring storm, and haven’t looked back. It’s pricier up front, yeah, but not having to drag out the ladder every time it rains? Worth every penny. If only it could fix my tenants’ leaky faucets too…
Couldn’t agree more about the synthetic underlayment—felt just doesn’t cut it when the weather turns ugly. I used to patch up leaks every spring, and honestly, it got old fast. The upfront cost stings a bit, but not having to babysit the roof every time there’s a storm? That’s peace of mind you can’t put a price on. Wish the rest of home maintenance was that simple... but hey, one less headache is still a win.