- I’ve actually seen felt last longer than expected in some cases, especially on older homes with good attic ventilation. Not every felt job fails early—sometimes it’s the install, not the material.
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That lines up with what I’ve seen, but only if the synthetic is installed right. I’ve inspected a few roofs where cheap synthetics tore at fasteners or degraded from UV before shingles went on.“My experience is that synthetics cut down on emergency repairs, but you’re paying more up front and maybe not seeing the savings until year 7 or 8.”
- Warranties are a headache. Some shingle brands are super strict about underlayment type, but others don’t care as long as it’s code-compliant. Always worth double-checking before you buy.
- For short-term holds or flips, I still see felt as a reasonable choice. If you’re planning to keep the building long-term, synthetic probably makes more sense—but only if you trust the installer to do it right.
I’ve always wondered if the “felt vs. synthetic” debate is a bit like the Coke vs. Pepsi thing—everyone’s got a story. My house is in a pretty humid spot, and years back I went with felt since it was what everyone around here used. Thing is, it held up way longer than I expected, but only because the attic venting was dialed in. Neighbor across the street? Same felt, but his roofer rushed it and skipped some overlaps. His started bubbling and leaking after just a couple years.
I hear you on synthetics being a gamble if the crew doesn’t know what they’re doing. Saw one job where the underlayment was left exposed for weeks and turned brittle before the shingles even showed up. That can’t be good for the long haul.
Warranties are such a gray area, too. I tried reading the fine print on mine and gave up halfway through... It’s like they want you to mess up so they don’t have to pay out.
If I ever redo my roof, I’m tempted to try one of those recycled-content synthetics—maybe less landfill waste, maybe more peace of mind? But only if I can trust the installer to follow the rules, not just slap it down and call it a day.
Warranties are such a gray area, too. I tried reading the fine print on mine and gave up halfway through... It’s like they want you to mess up so they don’t have to pay out.
That’s the part that gets me every time. I went with synthetic last time because the roofer swore by it, but when I actually needed to make a claim, it turned into a circus—installer blamed the product, manufacturer blamed the install. In hindsight, I’d almost rather have something basic but installed right than the fanciest stuff with a questionable crew. The recycled synthetics sound promising, but yeah, only if you trust who’s putting it down.
In hindsight, I’d almost rather have something basic but installed right than the fanciest stuff with a questionable crew.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve seen more “premium” underlayments go sideways just because some guy rushed through the install. Once had a crew put down synthetic backwards—like, logo facing up, but upside down. Looked like a ransom note up there. At this point, give me old-school felt and someone who actually reads the directions. All the fancy warranties in the world won’t patch a leak if nobody wants to own the mess.
Had a similar headache last year—brand new TPO underlayment, supposedly “top tier,” but the crew left seams gapped and didn’t overlap right. Ended up with leaks during the first storm, and of course, everyone pointed fingers. I keep wondering if we’re overcomplicating things with all these new materials. Is it really progress if nobody installs them properly? Sometimes I think the old felt was more forgiving, even if it didn’t have all the bells and whistles.