Roofing Clarification

In a Nov. 28 letter headlined “Hitting the Roof,” a reader was confused about roofers’ practice of cutting the felt paper. An editor’s note asked readers for help in clearing up the confusion.

I am a licensed California contractor and a home inspector with 13 years’ experience. I hold more than a dozen California certifications related to real estate and construction. I also was a public works inspector for almost 10 years.

A roof’s main duty is to keep moisture out. The felt paper is used under the shingles to level the roof and to create a flexible membrane to keep the shingles tight, as they will contract and expand with cold and heat.

The paper also contains tar to create a bond around the roofing nails to keep water from penetrating.

It is standard practice to cut roofing paper to level it out. This keeps shingles flat and even.

Although cutting the paper may lessen its water penetration rating for that small portion of the roof, this is a necessary evil. This practice also does not violate any state or local building codes.

KENNETH J. MULLINIX

President

KMA Real Estate Inspection

Services

Laguna Beach

*

As a roofing contractor with 41 years in the business, I am responding to the request for help on the question of roofing felt.

Felt is both a backup membrane and a slip sheet between the sheathing and the composition roofing material.

It is a standard practice to cut the felt if it buckles. However, the cuts should be parallel to the slope of the roof, and not parallel to the ground, since that is not the way the material buckles unless it is installed with improper fasteners or has been walked on too much.

To avoid the problem of buckling, a good roofing contractor avoids (as much as possible) laying the felt when it is damp, extremely hot weather or letting it cover the roof for a long period of time before applying the finish material. The flatter it lies, the better the job will be.

D.C. BENTLEY

Cooper Roofing Co.

Upland