The hidden hero of home protection

By Emma Peterson.

Doing your research before a reroof can help you work with your contractor to choose the right protection for your home.

When it comes to roofing, most homeowners these days are pretty knowledgeable about the top layer – the shingles, metal, tile or other product that you can see on the roof once it’s complete. But what you don’t see when looking at that finished roof is the layers of protection that roofers built underneath the final product. And those layers are one of the key things protecting your home. There are actually a lot of different elements that make a roof, far more than just the shingles or tile on top. A roof starts in your attic, with the rafters. These are the structural core of your roof and everything on top of it is designed to protect the rafters. From the rafters, roofers
will add solid decking. This not only gives them something to attach the rest of the
roofing to; it also gives your home a layer of protection against impacts (think hail).

On top of the decking, roofers will add an underlayment. This is a key part of the roofing process that most homeowners don’t know about. The underlayment sits between that solid decking and the final product (whether that’s shingles, tile, metal or something else). Underlayment does a lot for your roof, as one of our AskARoofer Experts, John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group, put it in an AskARoofer minisode:

Look at underlayment as a secondary defense. It protects the home if wind-driven rain and ice gets in past the shingles [or whatever product you have on top]...My biggest piece of advice for homeowners when it comes to underlayment is to do some research before your reroofing project begins. Most manufacturers offer multiple different types of underlayment and, on their sites, they’ll tell you what's best for what your situation is. So, go look at that, so when you meet with your contractor you are prepared with questions for them so that you can work together to make the best choice for your roof.

A great place to start the research John recommends is on TopShield®’s website. TopShield is a premium roofing brand produced by SRS Distribution and produces some of the strongest underlayment in the industry that offer incredible protection against everything from water and ice to mold and fire.

Learn more about TopShield’s underlayments and how they protect your home online!