Totally agree on synthetic—went that route myself after a ton of googling. My takeaway:
- Synthetic = way less hassle installing (no wrinkles!)
- UV rating matters more than I thought
- Warranty length usually hints at quality
My roof survived winter storms, so fingers crossed it stays solid...
"Warranty length usually hints at quality"
Yeah, warranty length can be a decent indicator, but honestly, I've seen some pretty mediocre products hiding behind impressive warranties. Some manufacturers bank on folks never actually claiming them. UV rating is definitely underrated though—good catch there. Curious if anyone's had experience with felt lately? I know synthetic's the trend, but I've inspected older roofs with traditional felt still holding strong after decades... makes me wonder if synthetic's always the better choice.
- Had felt on my previous roof—lasted about 25 yrs, surprisingly solid.
- Switched to synthetic recently, mainly due to installer recommendation.
- Felt's durability impressed me too, but synthetic was easier and quicker to install.
- Haven't had it long enough to judge longevity yet, but fingers crossed it'll hold up as well as the old stuff did...
Had synthetic put on mine about 8 yrs ago—installer swore by it too. Honestly, no complaints so far, but gotta admit, your 25-year felt story makes me wonder if I jumped ship too soon, haha. Synthetic was definitely quicker tho, crew was in and out in no time. Guess we'll both find out eventually if the new stuff lives up to the hype...
"Honestly, no complaints so far, but gotta admit, your 25-year felt story makes me wonder if I jumped ship too soon, haha."
Funny you mention that—I had a similar experience. Went with synthetic underlayment about 5 years ago, mostly because the roofing contractor was really pushing it. Like yours, my install was lightning fast and I've had zero issues since. But recently, I was chatting with another property manager who swears by traditional felt, claiming he's seen it hold up incredibly well over decades. Got me thinking if synthetic is genuinely superior or just more convenient for the crews...
Makes me curious if anyone's seen synthetic underlayment actually hit that 20-30 year mark yet. Guess time will tell if the convenience and speed are worth it in the long run.
