Tar paper or felt as it is called in the industry was one of the last products we would have thought would have an environmental impact. On the recommendation given by Permanent Roofing Systems in the application of aluminum shingles we purchased and used a product called Tri-Flex 30. They indicated to us that their research had found this roofing underlayment far superior to traditional tar paper for two reasons. The first was that the product was much more durable. It could withstand long periods of exposure, even to high winds, without tearing. This was critical for us since the winds in the mountains is often in excess of 70 mph. I have watched tar paper be ripped entirely off a roof in a matter of hours. The second was related to IAQ (Indoor Air Quality). I discovered that tar paper will actually hold moisture for long periods of time creating a bed for mold and mildew. Tri-Flex 30 is impervious to moisture so it dries quickly and sheds water. This substantially reduces the environment for mold and mildew.
As a testimonial to this product, I can tell you that we were extremely pleased with its performance. We ended up have our roof exposed before shingling from about May through September of 2003, one of the wettest and windiest summers in the last ten. We had to renail about four sections after two extremely violent storms, but did not have replace any of the product. Winds during those two storms exceeded 90 mph. There is no way that traditional felt would have stood up to the forces. The product was easier to install than felt. It rolled out flat and smooth and was easily nailed. Also, its no-slip coating made it safe to walk on even with our 6:12 slope roof. I am positive that if we had used traditional tar paper we would have had to recover the roof at least twice and would have exposed our interior to a substantial amount of excess water.
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