Because it s thicker and stronger.
Roof felt 15 lb vs 30 lb.
Twice as much work carrying paper with 30 too.
The difference is obvious once you see them together.
The best weight for roofing felt is the 30 pound product because it provides thicker and stronger footing for roofers that does not tear out especially on steep roofs where footing is critical.
30 felt is typically thicker stronger and may be less prone to tearing or ripping off during installation or weather events.
Felt roofing underlayment is typically available in two types.
15 felt or 30.
Plywood or osb roof deck so 15 20 or 30 will work for any shingle roof the type i recommend depends on roof slope.
Felt description united 15 lb.
Fifteen pound felt has a perm rating of about 5 although this number can rise in high humidity conditions.
30 was used as a base sheet for built up roofing and underlayment under slate tile and shingles.
15 came perforated for use as a ply sheet for built up roofing use and non perforated.
15 pounds with enough tacks or boards is plenty good enough.
Felt is an asphalt saturated organic felts designed for use as an underlayment with asphalt shingles in commercial and residential applications.
In the old days common felt was 15 lb felt and 30 lb felt and a roll of the first held 4 squares and weighed 60 lbs while a roll of the second held 2 squares and weighed 60 lbs.
30 pound gets to oily in the summer and smears to easily.
30 pound roofing felt it is not paper it s made from either fiberglass or polyester that s been bound together with asphalt costs the same per roll as 15 pound felt but there are 216 square.
In my opinion felt paper is a vapor barrier plus keeps the oils in the shingles from leaching out and into the wood substrate i e.
Thirty pound felt is more resistant to damage during installation of the roof covering material and will protect the roof longer if it should somehow become exposed to weather.
Preparation sweep roof deck to remove.
A shingle underlayment is used to protect roof structures and the interior from water penetration.
Roofing felt comes in large rolls and installs in horizontal rows starting at the lower edge of the roof with each subsequent row overlapping the previous one.