The Importance of the Roof Underlayment

The roof is more than just the shingles on its surface. It’s made up of an assortment of parts that all play individual roles, and some are hidden from sight. One of these hidden parts is the underlayment. Despite it not being visible from the curb, it plays a vital role in keeping the entire structure healthy and stable.

What’s the Underlayment?

As its name suggests, the underlayment is the layer underneath all the roofing materials – meaning it’s installed under the shingles and all the other parts. It’s essentially a waterproof barrier that serves as an additional layer of protection from water damage. When all else fails, the underlayment is the roof’s last line of defense from weather intrusion.

Types of Underlayment

When it’s time to schedule roof replacement on your old roof, you’ll also need to replace the underlayment. You have three options for underlayment: asphalt saturated, synthetic and rubberized asphalt underlayment.

Asphalt saturated is the oldest of the underlayment types and was the quintessential type until the appearance of synthetic materials. Despite its loss of popularity, it’s still a reliable and strong underlayment with innate strength and water resistance. It’s also readily available, making it the most affordable of the three.

Non-bitumen synthetic underlayments replaced the previous underlayment style and is now the most commonly used type for both residential and commercial roofs. You can think of it as the direct upgrade from asphalt saturated, thanks to its higher water resistance and durability. It’s also manufactured so that it can be fully applied to the entire roof.

Finally, there’s rubberized asphalt which is widely considered a premium underlayment material. It has all the benefits of asphalt-saturated and non-bitumen synthetic, but is also completely waterproof since it has more asphalt and rubber polymer content.

At Scro’s Roofing Company, we offer complete roofing services. We’ll help you pick the right roofing underlayment for your home so that your new roof is completely protected from the water intrusion and the elements. Call us today at (919) 461-0937 to learn more.

We had significant hail damage due to the May 2016 hail storm in Cary, and warded off all the storm chasers that came through our area for 2 months after. I called Scro’s Roofing after the insurance adjusted had written off the roof, and they worked us into their busy schedule. Amazing job done by an amazing and hard-working crew. I was impressed by the way they used tarps to protect the landscaping around the house, and Patricia was pretty particular about cleaning up after the crew. Danny was a pleasure to work with, and he provided several improvements to our roof like a installing a chimney cricket and ridge vents. We used Moire black shingles and the roof looks...

Larry O. | Cary, NC

In life you get what you pay for and this is certainly true with Scro’s Roofing. There are so many “fly be night” roofing companies out there who do not have the long standing customer service and support that a local roofing company can offer. Everyone should take the time to educate themselves about the roofing process and the track record of the company, as this is a very larger investment and an area where you don’t want to cut corners. The team at Scro’s Roofing provided me with many educational links and never pressured me into a sale. They wanted to ensure that I fully understood the process and trusted that I would make an intelligent decision. This sharing...

Kevin A. | Wake Forest, NC

Scro’s Roofing installed a new roof on our home and everything went exactly as planned and scheduled. The installation crew covered all our plants and deck when removing the roof and then cleaned up perfectly when the job was done. We were kept informed all along the job from start to finish so we knew how and when everything would be done. I’ve never experienced a contractor, a company or an owner like Danny who worked with us on every detail. Further, we had gotten several other quotes with Scro’s being the best. This project couldn’t have been done more smoothly… We greatly appreciate Danny the owner and Sarah our scheduling contact. They both were there for all and every...

Joe V. | Cary, NC

We just had our roof done by Scro’s Roofing, and we are very happy with the results. Danny and his office were very helpful in answering all of my questions. I did a good bit of research beforehand, and after talking with Danny, I had a lot of confidence that they are up to date on best practices and latest materials. In particular, I liked that they hand nail the shingles, use a synthetic underlayment instead of tar paper, install a drip edge, and provide a 10-year labor warranty. The thing about getting a new roof is that most people may not find out whether the installer did a bad job or used inferior materials for 5-10 years when they...

Matt B. | Cary, NC

The big hail storm of May 2, 2016 did extensive damage to our roof (and Leaf-Guard gutters as well). Our insurance company appraised the roof and said it all needed to be replaced. My first choice was again Scro’s Roofing. I was not about to use one of the “storm chasers” that descended on our neighborhood like carpetbaggers from who knows where. Danny, the owner of Scro’s Roofing looked up my record from seven years ago and was able to give me an estimate almost immediately from the information he already had on file. Their estimate was within a couple percent of what our insurance had already written a check which made the decision to go with Scro’s Roofing again...

David C. | Cary, NC

I had a great experience working with Danny and his team. Danny even recommended a less expensive roofing product based on our needs. Sarah was so helpful and accommodating throughout the process. I wish all home repairs/renovations were this easy and professional. A wonderful company to work with!

Kate L. | Cary, NC

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