Man, I hear you on the slip’n’slide comparison. The first time I tried walking across synthetic in the morning dew, I nearly invented a new dance move—pretty sure my neighbors are still laughing. I put down synthetic on my shed last year, mainly because it was so much lighter to haul up there compared to the classic felt rolls. But yeah, it does feel a bit... plasticky? Harder to get it to lay flat, especially when the wind picks up and you’re wrestling it like a giant tarp.
I’m in Ohio, and we get that same freeze-thaw nonsense. My old house had felt under the shingles and, honestly, I patched that thing more times than I care to admit. But at least with felt, you could slap on some extra and not worry about fancy tapes or special overlaps. The synthetic seems tougher but less forgiving if you mess up a spot.
I guess for me it comes down to what kind of roof I’m dealing with. For a quick job or something I might have to patch later, I’d still go felt. For anything bigger where lugging rolls isn’t fun, synthetic wins. Neither’s perfect, but both keep me off the couch and out of trouble... most days.
That plasticky feel on synthetic gets me too—almost feels like you’re laying out a pool liner up there. I do like how tough it is, though. I’ve had squirrels try to chew through both, and the synthetic held up way better (felt was toast). But yeah, if you miss a staple or get a weird wrinkle, it’s not as forgiving. For my old garage roof, I went with felt just because it was easier to patch and didn’t care if it looked a little rough. On the main house, though, synthetic’s lighter weight made the job way less of a backbreaker. Both have their headaches... guess it’s just picking which ones you want to deal with.
I totally get what you mean about that plasticky feel—synthetic is weird at first, but man, it does take a beating. I went through the same debate on my shed. Ended up with synthetic just because dragging those heavy felt rolls up a ladder was brutal. It’s not perfect, but it sure is tough. You made the right call going lighter for the main house.
It’s not perfect, but it sure is tough. You made the right call going lighter for the main house.
I get the appeal of synthetic—lighter and easier to handle, sure. But honestly, I stuck with felt for my main roof because it’s way cheaper and still does the job if you install it right. That plasticky stuff might last longer, but when you’re watching every dollar, felt’s hard to beat. If you’re not dealing with crazy storms or super steep slopes, I don’t see synthetic as a must.
Felt’s definitely got its place, especially if you’re keeping an eye on costs. I used it on my old bungalow and it held up fine for years—no leaks, even with our rainy springs. As long as you’re careful with the install and don’t have wild weather, it’s a solid choice.
That said, I do like that synthetic underlayment is lighter and doesn’t wrinkle up as much if it gets wet before the shingles go on. But yeah, the price difference is real. For folks who aren’t in hurricane zones or dealing with crazy temperature swings, felt can be a smart move.
I’m always rooting for greener options, though—if you ever spot recycled-content synthetics or felts, those are worth a look. Either way, sounds like you made a practical call for your situation. Sometimes “good enough” really is good enough.
