It’s the People Behind Fontana Felt Underlayment that Make it Outstanding

The multi-generational company invests in the latest manufacturing technologies but the key to its performance lies in the people behind the brand.

Fontana Paper Mills has been an expert in manufacturing asphalt roofing and underlayment for four generations. The family continues to operate Fontana Paper Mills at its original location since 1967 when they purchased the original property and mill which only manufactured dry felt for other manufacturers. Then in 1984, George, Ray, and Jeff Thagard integrated a new asphalt roofing manufacturing facility into the plant, allowing them to manufacture finished saturated felt rolls. The plant went through an expansion in 2000 which allowed them to manufacture asphalt coated products including SBS and other polymer modified roofing products.

The Thagard’s believe strongly in investing in the right equipment to produce a top-quality product and feel equally as strong about having the correct, and highly trained people behind the equipment who are passionate, experienced and committed to quality. Fontana’s team of experienced lab professionals manage asphalt testing while chemical engineers develop and monitor the product formulations. Their manufacturing process features inline weight controls which use nuclear sensors to provide the finished weight of the product – accurate to within ounces.

Long-lasting performance.

Thagard says that because they know the performance of their products so well, that they offer unprecedented 10- and 20-year leak warranties. “Contractors who take a course through the Tile Roofing Institute can become certified to offer our warranties,” said Thagard. “There is no reason a tile roof shouldn’t be able to last 40 years or even longer. We’ve got certain requirements that need to be met, but with the right underlayment, the right roof tile and periodic maintenance, the system can last for many years.” The Thagard family also wants to be a resource for the roofing contractor. “We want to answer their questions and provide guidance as to what product is going to be the right fit for their project,” explained Thagard. “We print our phone number right on the packaging, making it really easy for contractors to reach us.”

The company has been offering this warranty program for several years and it’s been so successful that they are preparing to add additional qualified product offerings to the mix. They have been sending roofing contractors out for a few years on warranty calls and have not seen a single failure in Fontana Paper Mills underlayment to date.

Don’t settle for less.

“The least expensive product on the market is most likely the one least likely to succeed,” said Thagard. “It’s really important that contractors understand that there are differences in roofing felt, and they need to start asking for the Fontana brand by name, and not just whatever generic 30# roofing felt their distributor may have on special at the time.”

Fontana offers a full line of organic roofing felts, a coated organic line of felt and a modified asphalt fiberglass product. Contractors can get any one of the three main, proven roofing underlayment from a proven, trusted brand.

Made in the U.S.A.

Fontana’s plant is located in Fontana, California and they manufacture all of their own paper. They start with recycled materials – corrugated cardboard boxes, newspaper and wood flour, manufacture their own paper, drive it across the yard and turn it into organic felt underlayment. “When you control the process from start to finish, you know for sure that the quality is up to high standards that we have here at Fontana,” concluded Thagard.

Learn more about Fontana at www.fontanaroof.com.