Q&A – Should Roof Hips Have a Paper Underlayment?

Seeing shingles come off his roof from over driven nails, this homeowner wondered if there needed to be an underlayment beneath the shingles. 

Albert, a homeowner from North Carolina, asked the following question about their roof underlayment:  

I have had a lot of shingles come off a new roof from over driven nail. My question is on the hip portion – some came off and I saw there was no paper on the hip. The contractor said paper does not go on hips of the roof, but that doesn't seem correct. Can you clarify? This is in North Carolina. 

Our resident roofing expert, John Kenney from Cotney Consulting Group had this to say in response:  

On a typical hip detail on a shingled home, the underlayment should be continuous under the shingles. Sometimes, a self-adhering membrane is used at the hips. On the ridge, this would also be true unless it is vented. If it is a vented ridge detail, the underlayment would not continue over the gap so that proper venting could occur. 

Additionally, John Stout from Go Roof Tune Up shared: 

Albert from North Carolina,  

Sorry that you are having trouble with your roof. Your letter states that there is no felt paper under the shingles at the hips. The question came up that it was not necessary to have felt under shingles at the hips.  

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) recommends No. 15 Asphalt Saturated Non-Perforated ASTM D226 or ASTM D4869 installed under asphalt shingles. This would include the areas at the hips and ridges. We hope that this information is helpful. 

Thank you for your question. Your Friends at AskARoofer. 

Continue the conversation in our forum!