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Roofing underlayment

getbent4x4

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Oct 7, 2012
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3,722
Just do it like how they do the new homes. Nothing really special. Still lasts 30+ yrs.
 
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Pack Rat

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Oct 7, 2014
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When I lived up in Midland, Mi. I had terrible ice dam problems. I had ventilated soffits installed and that pretty much stopped the ice dam problems.
 

speed bump

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May 28, 2008
Messages
6,317
Location
Butte Montana
Out of every underlayement I have used my favorite is Titanium but it it also costs more.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Titanium-1-000-sq-ft-Roof-Underlayment/3551166

I wouldn't buy it at Lowes, my local DoitBest lumber yard is a $130 a roll.

If you are covering it right up I would go with something cheaper. On the shed roof I just did I used FT synthetics Silver which is $60 a roll at Menards and while better than 15 lb felt isn't as tough as the Titanium. If you do go with a synthetic rent or buy a plastic cap stapler unless you have a ton of time. I hand nailed my shed and underlayment took longer than the metal roof did.
 
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-Brent-

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Dec 23, 2009
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4,709
Location
Utah
Bill, you likely know this but ice dams are an insulation/heat escape issue. A great short-term solution is to fill a couple of tube socks with ice melt and toss them onto the problem roof areas. That's cheaper (for now) than solving the heat loss issue.
 

maxpower_hd

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Apr 17, 2015
Messages
2,230
Location
Massachusetts
I disagree and here is why: 99.9% of the houses around me have gutters, even many of them historic agricultural barns....and they aren't ripped off by ice dams....if you have that issue you have a serious heat loss issue! Keep the roof cold and the heat inside as well as possible. As my Dad told me as a young boy, if a house has icicles hanging off it its bleeding heated air like mad.

Ventilation is a key factor. However, if you have above average snow fall several times in a row all of a sudden you find yourself with several feet of insulation on top of your roof in the form of wet heavy snow and it will cause ice dams on ANY roof. That is what happened around hear two years ago. Roofers were busy all over and coming from other states just to shovel roofs and chop ice.

I'm glad you found an alternative that will work for you. I have used several products and know several roofers I get advice from. I am going to use Grace on mine when I do it and did use it on my mother's roof. Grace is the best in my opinion but the others will work.

But please make sure you are installing soffit vents if you are installing a ridge vent to ensure proper flow. Gable vents do not work well with ridge vents. They have several different types. And also make sure you pull the insulation in the attic back beyond the vent area so the air can flow past it.
 
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