Tamko Vs Owens Corning Warranty
Both companies offer a range of warranties that are comparable with one another and other leading brands. As you research any shingle brand, not just OC and TAMKO, you will find that issues with getting the manufacturer to back its warranty are easily the top criticism, and frustration, that homeowners have regarding shingles.
Installation is a large part of the overall quality of a roofing job. The point is emphasized by frequent warranty issues.
Take the time to find an experienced installer with a proven track record of quality installation and who follows specific manufacturer guidelines. The manufacturer warranties cover product defects, but not installation errors.
Can A New Synthetic Product Like These Tiles Be Used On An Historic Building
The NPS Technical Preservation Services Preservation Brief Number 16 states that substitute materials can be cost-effective, can permit the accurate visual duplication of historic materials, and last a reasonable time. Growing evidence indicates that with proper planning, careful specifications and supervision, substitute materials can be used successfully in the process of restoring the visual appearance of historic resources.” Historic buildings should consider these tiles because they are fire-resistant, lightweight and duplicate the look of slate tiles.
While their durability is still being proven, roofing shingles made from recycled plastic and rubber appear to be an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional shingles that shows promise and is welcome in the sustainable building marketplace.
Types Of Fiberglass Shingles
There are two types of fiberglass shingles as far as style goes that homeowners have installed. There are 3 tab fiberglass shingles which are the more affordable type of asphalt shingle. The more expensive tier fiberglass shingle is an architectural shingle roof which is the standard for high end homes, they create visually pleasing designs and can even be made to look like slate tile roofing or wood shake roofing at a fraction of the cost.
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Are Asphalt Shingles Eco
Although the old-fashioned felt paper backed shingles do contain recycled paper, their higher asphalt content makes them less eco-friendly. However, many companies are now offering fiberglass shingles that incorporate features such as solar reflective asphalt that can help prevent the suns rays from heating up a building. This offers an eco-friendly benefit in terms of saving energy that would otherwise be needed for cooling the building.
Shingles Made From Recycled Plastic And Rubber
These green alternatives to slate and asphalt shingles-made from recycled materials-are 100% recyclable. Since they are relatively new to the market, manufacturers have not proved claims of longevity. However, the plastics and rubber that make up the shingles are strong, flexible and resistant to harsh weather, resulting in tiles that are proving to be very durable.
Discarded materials, like used vehicle tires and even plastic milk bottles, are cut, heated and molded into shingles that look very similar to natural slate tiles. The environmental impact from manufacturing these shingles is unknown, yet repurposing an existing product that can be recycled again follows the basics of cradle-to-cradle principles. For example, since they do not require the inputs and landfilling associated with asphalt or the mining associated with slate, these recycled plastic and rubber shingles have a lower carbon footprint than traditional roofing shingles when considering their full life cycle.
The recycled content shingles are relatively expensive compared to asphalt shingles but are easier to install and more lightweight than slate tiles. As a result, their installation, transport, and maintenance costs are less than for slate, clay and metal tiles.
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What Are Roofing Shingles And What Are They Made Of
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What are Roof Shingles
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat, rectangular shapes laid in courses from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive course overlapping the joints below. Shingles are made of various materials such as wood, slate, flagstone, metal, plastic, and composite materials such as fibre cement and asphalt shingles. Ceramic roof tiles, which still dominate in Europe and some parts of Asia, are still usually called tiles. Roof shingles may deteriorate faster and need to repel more water than wall shingles. They are a very common roofing material in the United States.
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Asphalt Shingles
In the United States, fiberglass-based asphalt shingles are by far the most common roofing material used for residential roofing applications. In Europe they are called bitumen roof shingles or tile strips, and are much less common.They are easy to install, relatively affordable, last 20 to 50 years and are recyclable in some areas. Asphalt shingles come in a large number of styles and colors.
How Are Roof Shingles Made
Because shingles can be made with a range of different materials, the process for making them will vary. In general, however, the process for making a shingle involves first rolling the material into the right rectangular shape. Then the shingle will pass through a chamber that prepares it for roof mounting. This is the part of the process that will vary the most for different types of shingles. Ultimately, the end result will be a shingle that is the proper size and shape and which has been coated and finished as needed.
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What Are Fiberglass Shingles
Fiberglass shingles are made of a woven fiberglass base mat, covered with a waterproof asphalt coating, and topped with ceramic granules that shield the shingles from harmful UV rays. Because of the composition of the fiberglass mat, less asphalt is needed to give the shingles their durability and strength, making them a lighter and more environmentally friendly option than traditional organic-mat asphalt shingles. Fiberglass roofing is a great option for your roof installation project because it is a tough and very resilient material that is non-porous, does not change shape, and wont dry out.
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Prone To Algae Growth And Ice Dams
In high humidity climates and on north-facing roofs asphalt shingles on north-facing roofs asphalt shingles can be prone to algae growth. When excessive moisture collects, it can also lead to issues like mildew growth in the summer and ice dams in the winter. Excessive moisture can even permeate past the roof and into the attic or interior of the home, where it can cause even more damage.
Polymer composite shingles are naturally better designed for water-shedding and more resistant to moisture, so algae growth, ice dams, and other damaging effects of excessive moisture are off less concern.
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Why Choose Asphalt Shingles
When it comes time to upgrade your roof, modern asphalt shingles are a wise choice. Their tri-layer construction of a fiberglass mat, asphalt layer, and granules contributes to excellent longevity and performancemaking them a durable option that prevents damage from water and impact that can be installed affordably.
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How Do I Choose Roof Shingles
Essentially itll be best to consider the protective benefits youd like on your roof as well as the climate of where your property is located in case of inclement weather and daily wear. With style select a color and profile that will enhance the architecture and draw the eye to special details. When in doubt, a professional roofer can guide you through your options.
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Manufacture Of Shakes And Shingles From Block Form
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Shake blocks are split into 1-inch-thick slats called blanks, using either a hydraulic press with a blade attached, called a cuber, or split by hand using a froe and mallet. These blanks are uniform in thickness throughout if split from the same edge without flipping the block. Alternatively, the splitter may flip the block after a blank is taken off each edge, which results in a tapered split from end to end, called tapers or hand-split. The blanks which are not tapered require further processing before application to create this taper and are run through a large band saw, pushed by hand to cut them from corner to corner forming a tapered shake, sawn on one face.
Shingles are cut from the blocks using a circular saw, typically 4248 inches in diameter. The blocks are clamped in a carriage that slides back and forth across the blade, tilting and moving the block closer to the blade, with each pass automatically forms a tapered cut of the correct thickness. The shingle edges are then cut with another circular saw called a “trim saw” to remove irregular edges. The result is a tapered shingle sawn on all six sides. The thickness of the butt, or thicker end of the tapered cut, is usually 38 inch thick but is also commonly made to be 58 inch , and can be made to any custom specifications.
The History Of Asphalt Roofing Shingles
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Asphalt shingles were first used in 1901 in the United States. By 1911, people started to use them on a general scale, and by 1939, approximately 11 million were being produced. The precursor versions of these shingles were initially developed in 1893 and were referred to as asphalt prepared roofing, which was rather similar to asphalt roll roofing but with no surface granules. In 1987, there was the addition of slate granules to the surface to make the material a whole lot more durable. Some of the granules tested included oyster shells, mica, fly-ash, slate, clay, and silica. Finally, the material was cut into strips in 1901 for use as single-tab and multi-tab shingle.
Initially, all shingles had an organic base material called felt, which was largely made of cotton up to the 1920s when it became too expensive and an alternative material had to be found, some of which included jute and wood pulp. In 1926, the Research Institute with NBS and Asphalt Shingle tested 22 kinds of experimental felts and discovered that there were no substantial differences in performance.
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Learn More About Composite Shingles
The roofing market has been adding many unique and innovative types of roofing materials for the average consumer to buy. Yet what remains to be the best chosen are composition shingles also known as the asphalt shingle variety. Essentially composition shingles will provide your property with the protection that it requires on the basic level and for those in steady climates, thats all youll need. Its important to consider that with composition shingles youll have an easier way to replace shingles with its accessible availability and cheaper price. Like with any type of roofing material its important to weigh the benefits before committing. Ultimately, its important to touch base with a professional roofing company regarding your roof for optimal end results. Before you get started, here is some basic information regarding composition shingles that may prove of use to you.
Slate Tile Roofing Shingles
Slate roofing shingles are a stone roofing material that is installed as a shingle. Slate shingles are thin but very heavy when the whole roof is made out of them. Slate has a natural beauty to it that many people appreciate, but the shingles do not really vary in color or looks. Slate roofing shingles cost on average $8 to $14 per square foot or $800 to $1,400 per square to install. Slate tiles are more difficult to install but when done properly they will give you one of the longest-lasting roof options available. Slate shingles come with an expensive price tag, but that does not mean that slate is not a great roof type option if you can afford it. Many people decide slate roofs are worth the cost to install since they will last more than a lifetime from 60 to 150 years.
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How Roofing Shingles Are Made
Every day, thousands of tons of raw and manufactured materials are delivered to freight yards and receiving docks at top tier roofing plants across the United States.
These materials will be transformed into high quality durable roofing shingles and specialty products that have earned the respect of countless industry professionals and homeowners.
Shingles made with asphalt as the main ingredient are the most popular shingles sold in the U.S. today, and so the asphalt used at these roofing facilities is processed to meet the stringent quality requirements needed to create strong, yet flexible, shingles.
Limestone rock, which typically arrives at plants by truck or rail car, is processed by crushing mills into a fine limestone powder. This powder is then mixed with the asphalt to make a product called filled coating. On the production line, miles upon miles of rolled fiberglass mat that serves as the backbone of shingles are rolled out and fed into a coater, where the filled coating super-heated to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit is applied to the top and bottom of the mat to create a base sheet.
Complex cutting machines then slice the base sheet into individual shingles that are stacked and packed into bundles. Finally, the shingle bundles are wrapped in packaging, placed onto palettes, and then transported to warehouses prior to being shipped to homes just like yours all across America!
What Are Polymer Composite Shingles
Polymer Composite or Synthetic shingles, as they are known, are made from engineered materials and sometimes contain a mixture of recycled plastics and rubber. They come in many different styles and profiles, and are made to replicate the look of traditional asphalt shingles, wood shakes, and stone tiles. However, unlike their traditional counterparts, composite shingles are a much more durable and maintenance-free option.
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The Warranties That Come With Composite Roof Shingles
Youll have two warranties after your composite shingles are installed. One will be on your roofing contractors workmanship, and the other will be from the manufacturer on the composite shingles themselves.
The workmanship warranty varies from roofing contractor to roofing contractor. To protect your investment, you should always look for a lifetime warranty or close to it .
On the other hand, composite shingles usually come with a lifetime limited material warranty that will prorate after a certain number of years. But just like a workmanship warranty, the actual length of the material warranty depends on the manufacturer of your composite shingles.
Talk to your local roofing contractor about the manufacturer they use and your material warranty options before jumping into a composite roof investment.
What Are Asphalt Roofing Shingles Made Of
Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used type of shingle in the United States. Asphalt itself is water-resistant and goes through a processing treatment that gives it a high degree of hardness to function as a shingle. Following that, the material is oxidized for increased viscosity by having air blown through it.
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Composite Roof Shingles Are Durable
You probably think since composite shingles are made out of recycled materials or a polymer, they are easily breakable. This couldnt be further from the truth.
Because of the materials’ composite shingles are made of, theyre one of the most durable roofing materials on the market. If you hit them with a hammer, it will bounce back with no damage to the shingle.
This is due to the high impact rating that composite shingles have. For example, DaVinci shingles have a Class 4 impact rating, which is the highest rating a roofing material can have.
You can even walk on them without having to worry about cracking them like real slate and cedar shakes. The impact rating also means they stand up well to anything that hits your roof, including extreme weather, such as hail.
Because of this durability, composite shingles are one of the longest-lasting roofing materials on the market.
Talk To The Asphalt Roofing Experts
If youre interested in exploring different types of asphalt shingles, reach out to Long Roofing for expert advice on your roofing project. Whether youre looking for a roofing estimate or have questions about the best asphalt shingle for you, were here to help. Contact us online or give our knowledgeable team a call at 417-5664.
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Strong Winds Can Damage A Roof
Asphalt shingles generally can only withstand winds up to 90 mph, meaning they have a Class D Wind Rating. If stronger winds occur, and they surely will in most areas, shingles can be ripped off the surface of the roof, leaving the home unprotected and prone to storm damage. It means homeowners will have to spend even more to handle repairs or replace the entire roof which can be a horrendous expense in the midst of a severe weather event
Polymer Composite shingles have Wind Ratings that range from Class F to Class Hratings which means the shingles can withstand anywhere from 110 to 190 mph winds. They are made to withstand even the strongest hurricane-force winds, making them safe and an ideal choice for homes anywhere.
They Might Not Last As Long As Expected
With all of the performance and installation issues that come with asphalt shingles, it means they can generally have a shorter lifespan compared to an option like polymer composite shingles. At some point, usually within 10-20 years, asphalt shingles will require replacing due to granule loss, cracking, accelerated weathering, or other issues like wind blow-off and hail damage.
Polymer Composite shingles can last 50 years or more without routine maintenance or needing to be replaced due to storm damage.
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How Long Do Asphalt Shingles Last
A variety of factors can affect shingle life, including weather, roof pitch, quality of installation, and of course the quality of the shingle. Shop around and you will find warranties ranging from 15 to 30 years. Here in southern California, where we do not have the issues with ice dams, algae, and spiking temperatures that other regions do, you can expect your shingles to reach the upper end of whatever lifespan the manufacturer promises for them.
