Roofing Felt Vs Ice And Water Shield

It s an asphalt saturated paper that increases the water resistance of your roof from wind driven rains or blow offs.
Roofing felt vs ice and water shield. Ice and water shield. The ice and water barrier is much slipper than roofing felt. Does the drip edge metal go under the tarpaper ice and water shield or underlayment on the eave. If you see ice and water shield being installed you might think it is felt paper.
What does felt paper do. It can be very dangerous when the new roofer is tearing off the old shingles and looses his or her footing on the ice and water barrier. An ice and water shield is a totally impermeable membrane that prevents leakage through the roof in the event of an ice dam. If an ice dam occurs on your roof and water backs up under the shingles it will seep down into your home through the nail holes holding the shingles on and into your attic.
A roofing material can be vapor permeable or the roofing assembly can be vapor open such as any type of shingled roofing which leaves gaps between layers. Many local building codes require ice and water shield and national building code states ice and water shield must start at the roofs eave edge and extend 2 ft inside heated wall space of a structure. Ice water shield is a thick sticky back underlayment also known as felt paper that will adhere to your roof deck and prevent water from seeping into your home if it gets under your shingles. Ice and water protector is part of a system working together to protect your roof including the shingles and other underlayments.
Ice and water protector membrane is a superior choice over roof felt for leak protection when properly installed and paired with the right products. Traditional felt paper does a very good job at stopping most leaks where water gets. Ice and water shield is a far superior product compared to basic roofing felt paper. Depending on the slope of the roof this product could be installed to cover the bottom 6 feet of the roof or with a very low slope cover the entire roof.
From hud path best practices guide. Roofing ice and water shield may look like traditional felt paper but it s vastly different in performance. Traditional felt paper does a decent job at stopping most leaks where water gets under shingles tiles metal or slate. Underlayment typical 15 tarred felt underlayment provides back up protection against water intrusion only as long as the primary roofing material remains intact.
As seen in m. Felt paper or tar paper is also a rolled material you see roofers nailing down under shingles. Get the real story about drip edge placement.