When using ashphalt shingles on a residential roof, is tar/felt paper a must?
Yes, it is absolutely a must. The tar paper is what actually keeps the roof from leaking, the shingles are what keeps the tar paper from coming off in the wind or eroding in rain. The tar paper is also what the shingles stick too. The adhesive on the back of the shingles is designed to stick to tar paper and will not stick to wood decking. So if you don’t put tar paper under the shingles, the shingles will come off in the first stiff wind. Believe me, I’ve seen it happen when a knucklehead first year contractor did this to cut costs, and he ended up having to patch several square yards every spring for three years, until the homeowner ate the cost of the roof and put a whole new roof on after three years. If it were up to me, I would always use the best and heaviest tarpaper I could and nail it down with plenty of nails, and skimp on the shingles if I had to. Replacing ceilings and insulation is more expensive than replacing the roof several years early. Having a house fire because of
