Roofing comparison

Synthetic underlayment vs. roofing felt

Compare the two options against the same roof, base construction, installer responsibilities, warranty path, and total proposal.

Compare against a real roof

Side-by-side evidence

Actual differences on the same criteria

Criterion	GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection	GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection	Why it matters
Approved covering	Named synthetic product with covering compatibility controlled by its current instructions	Expressly limited to asphalt shingles and prohibited under tile or wood shakes	Compatibility can eliminate an option before price matters.
Low-slope application	At 2:12 to under 4:12, uses its named double-coverage pattern and cap-fastener schedule	Uses a double layer with 19-inch side laps and 6-inch end laps	The products do not share one generic underlayment installation.
Fastening	Plastic-cap corrosion-resistant nails or cap staples at specified lap and field spacing	Only enough nails to hold it in place under the covering, following its instructions	Fastener type and quantity affect handling and temporary dry-in behavior.
Exposure boundary	Defines a UV-resistance boundary but remains water-resistant, not waterproof or a temporary roof	Must not remain exposed to moisture or precipitation as an unprotected weathering surface	A delayed covering schedule materially changes the choice.
Deck and handling	Product-specific walking, wrinkle, tear, and repair guidance	Requires a clean, dry wood deck and wrinkle-free, undamaged material	Wrinkles, damage, and unsafe walking conditions can affect the finished roof and installation.
Leak-barrier role	Tiger Paw still requires separately specified self-adhered protection	Shingle-Mate still requires separately specified self-adhered protection	Field underlayment and leak barrier are different scope items.

Criterion

Approved covering

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: Named synthetic product with covering compatibility controlled by its current instructions
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Expressly limited to asphalt shingles and prohibited under tile or wood shakes
Why it matters: Compatibility can eliminate an option before price matters.

Criterion

Low-slope application

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: At 2:12 to under 4:12, uses its named double-coverage pattern and cap-fastener schedule
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Uses a double layer with 19-inch side laps and 6-inch end laps
Why it matters: The products do not share one generic underlayment installation.

Criterion

Fastening

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: Plastic-cap corrosion-resistant nails or cap staples at specified lap and field spacing
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Only enough nails to hold it in place under the covering, following its instructions
Why it matters: Fastener type and quantity affect handling and temporary dry-in behavior.

Criterion

Exposure boundary

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: Defines a UV-resistance boundary but remains water-resistant, not waterproof or a temporary roof
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Must not remain exposed to moisture or precipitation as an unprotected weathering surface
Why it matters: A delayed covering schedule materially changes the choice.

Criterion

Deck and handling

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: Product-specific walking, wrinkle, tear, and repair guidance
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Requires a clean, dry wood deck and wrinkle-free, undamaged material
Why it matters: Wrinkles, damage, and unsafe walking conditions can affect the finished roof and installation.

Criterion

Leak-barrier role

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection: Tiger Paw still requires separately specified self-adhered protection
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection: Shingle-Mate still requires separately specified self-adhered protection
Why it matters: Field underlayment and leak barrier are different scope items.

Put both bids on the same baseline

Match roof area, slope, deck, cap fasteners, laps, temporary exposure, dry-in plan, self-adhered locations, and compatibility with the finished covering. Compare the exact rolls, not just 'synthetic' and 'felt.'

Advantages and drawbacks

GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection advantages: Product-specific cap-fastening, lap, low-slope, handling, and exposure instructions create a more explicit temporary dry-in plan.
GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection drawbacks: It is water-resistant rather than waterproof, is not a temporary roof, and its exposure boundary cannot replace prompt covering or self-adhered leak protection.
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection advantages: A clearly bounded asphalt-shingle underlayment with direct deck, wrinkle, lap, and low-slope instructions.
GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection drawbacks: It is limited to asphalt-shingle use and its instructions do not allow it to remain exposed to moisture or precipitation as an unprotected weathering surface.

Choose GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection when

Choose Tiger Paw when its approved covering, cap-fastener plan, handling characteristics, and documented exposure boundary solve a real installation or scheduling need.

Choose GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection when

Choose Shingle-Mate when the covering is asphalt shingles, the prepared deck and lap rules fit, and the roof will be covered before prohibited weather exposure.

Choose neither when

Choose neither as an exposed temporary roof, on an unapproved covering or slope, over an unsuitable deck, or as a substitute for self-adhered membrane at vulnerable locations.

What this comparison cannot decide

Neither water-shedding layer is automatically a self-adhered waterproof membrane. Valleys, eaves, penetrations, and low-slope transitions need their own specified treatment.

Evidence boundary

The Tiger Paw and Shingle-Mate instructions support differences for these two GAF rolls only. They do not establish category-wide performance, a temporary-roof use, current supplier price, deck suitability, finished-covering compatibility, or project-specific exposure safety.

Common questions

Answers to check before you decide

Which is better for my roof: GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection or GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection?

Compare named rolls rather than category claims. GAF's synthetic Tiger Paw and asphalt-saturated Shingle-Mate records provide one documented example; their approved uses, fastening, exposure, handling, water resistance, and price are product-specific.

What must match before comparing prices?

Match the underlying roof scope first, then verify approved covering, low-slope application, fastening, exposure boundary. A lower total is not meaningful when the proposals describe different work.

Is synthetic underlayment automatically waterproof?

No. Many synthetic underlayments are water-shedding layers. Self-adhered waterproof membrane is a different product used in specified vulnerable areas.

Keep reading

Related guide

Synthetic underlayment vs. roofing felt

Source record

Actual differences on the same criteria

Approved covering

Low-slope application

Fastening

Exposure boundary

Deck and handling

Leak-barrier role

Put both bids on the same baseline

Advantages and drawbacks

Choose GAF Tiger Paw synthetic roof deck protection when

Choose GAF Shingle-Mate asphaltic roof deck protection when

Choose neither when

What this comparison cannot decide

Evidence boundary

Answers to check before you decide

Keep reading

GAF Tiger Paw underlayment review

Synthetic shake roofing buyer's guide

Synthetic slate roofing buyer's guide

Self-adhered roof underlayment guide