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What Is Composition Shingle Roof

How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Composition Roof

SunPower Equinox® Pro Tips: Unboxing InvisiMount® Composition Shingle Attachment with Pegasus

The national average materials cost to install a composition roof is $0.99 per square foot, with a range between $0.82 to $1.17. The total price for labor and materials per square foot is $3.02, coming in between $2.65 to $3.39. A typical 2000 square foot project costs $6,043.34, with a range of $5,307.04 to $6,779.64.

How Long Does A Composite Shingle Roof Last

Now you know 3 things that every homeowner needs to know about composite shingles. Remember, they are one of the most durable roofing materials on the market today.

While you know what makes them durable, you dont know how many years youll actually get out of the durability.

Learning the lifespan of a composite roof helps you understand what you get out of your investment. Thats why we have another article breaking down how long a composite roof lasts.

The team at Bill Ragan Roofing has provided the highest-quality roofing services that Nashville has to offer since 1990. Whether you need repairs, a roof replacement, skylight services, or even just routine maintenance, you can count on us to take care of you and your roof for decades to come.

Pros Of Composite Shingles

Durable – Because composite shingles are made up of recycled materials, they can withstand harsh weather conditions.

Long-lasting – It’s recommended to replace asphalt shingles usually every 15-20 years, but composite shingles can last up to 50 years without any maintenance.

Environmentally friendly – Asphalt shingles are hard to recycle, containing a variety of toxic chemicals like asbestos. Composite shingles are made up of mostly plastics which are easily recycled and reused.

Eco-friendly – Composite shingles absorb UV rays, which keep your home cool and cut down energy costs.

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What Are Composition Shingles

Composite shingle roofing sits on top of the majority of residential homes today. Asphalt shingles will have less of an impact on your wallet, however, composition shingles are significantly more durable than theyre asphalt counterpart and can last up to 50 years before needing to be replaced.

Composition shingles vs asphalt

If youre just starting your search into choosing a roofing material, you might be confused between composition shingles and asphalt, since they have similar characteristics.

The core difference is what theyre constructed from. Asphalt composition shingles are composed of multiple materials such as laminate, fiberglass, wood, and slate. Asphalt shingles are constructed with a paper-like wood base or fiberglass mat with asphalt on top and generally have a lifespan between 15-25 years.

The Weather Conditions Your Composition Roof Is Exposed To

COMPOSITION SHINGLE ROOF

Every roof goes through wear and tear due to weather throughout its life. While climate and temperature play a role, its really about the amount of extreme weather events your area gets.

The more extreme weather that hits your composition roof, the faster the shingles will go through wear and tear. For example, if you live in an area that gets a lot of small hail, then your shingles will have granular loss a lot quicker.

You wont be able to file an insurance claim, but itll definitely shorten your composition roofs life. On the other hand, if you have a heavy hail storm, a tornado, or strong straight-line winds that damage your roof, youll be able to get the problem taken care of through your insurance company.

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Hiring A Reputable Roofing Contractor To Install Your Composition Roof

Just like proper ventilation, hiring a reputable roofing contractor to install your roof plays one of the biggest roles in the lifespan. When your roof is installed properly, youll get as close to the lifespan of your roofing materials as possible.

Thats why you need to find a roofing contractor that has a strong installation history. If you hire one that doesnt use correct roofing techniques, your roofs life will be cut short, and youll need a roof replacement well before its time.

No matter if you need repairs or a full roof replacement, your contractor plays a huge role in every aspect of a composition roof.

Maintaining Your Composition Roof

Every roof needs maintenance to keep it running smoothly. This makes getting annual roof maintenance one of the most important factors to ensure you get the most life out of your composition roof.

When you have annual roof maintenance, common roof problems are caught before they can cause too much damage. Its also a way to keep debris off the roof, out of the valleys, and off the gutter line.

Without maintenance, debris sitting on your composition roof will stay wet. This makes your shingles saturated, and they wont be able to perform their main function, keeping you dry.

If you have a composition roof, its important to have it maintained at least once a year.

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Composite Roof Shingles: What You Should Know

Asphalt shingles have been a popular roofing choice since the early 1900s. However, since then, several roofing innovations, including composite roof shingles, have been introduced.

Like asphalt, composite shingles are cost-effective and simple to install. But they also have a range of other benefits.

Life Span Of Composite Roofing:

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Composite shingles are a high-quality product because of the combination of different types of roofing materials. In particular, the long-term usefulness of composite shingles is well-known. When compared to other types of roofing shingles, the typical lifespan of composite shingles is 30-50 years, on the lower end of the spectrum. As long as you take good care of them, you should be fine.

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What Are The Components Of A Composition Roof

  • Underlayment. Synthetic felt is used on all of our roofing installations. The waterproofing qualities of synthetic underlayment are much better than typical 15 lb. felt.
  • Drip Edge. Drip Edge is a trim piece installed on the perimeter of the roof to allow water to drain and drip off. This prevents water from soaking the fascia wood and causing long-term wood rot.
  • Pro-Start. Pro-Start is installed along the roof perimeter underneath the first shingle. The adhesive on the shingle helps all of the shingles on the edges to stick to the roof. This provides better wind resistance.
  • Ice & Water Shield. Ice & Water shield is like an underlayment on steroids. You can put a nail into it and it will self-heal to prevent leaks. It is used down the valleys and around holes in the roof, such as pipes or vents.
  • Valley Metal. Valley metal is installed down the valleys as a shield to prevent water from leaking in the valley areas.
  • Ridge Caps. There are 3 main types of ridge caps used to accent the roof shingles. Most commonly used are cut-up 25 year shingles. The high-profile ridge caps for GAF are called Z-Ridge and the Class 4 Ridge Caps are UL-2218.
  • Ventilation. Read on to learn about ventilation.
  • Visit GAFs lifetime roofing system to see a detailed description of the proper roofing components.

    Top Composite Shake And Tile Brands And Products

    Heres an overview of the leading manufacturers of synthetic tiles and their product offerings:

    DaVinci Roofscapes

    Offers seven product lines:

    Single-width shakes in 9 and 12 options give a roof a uniform look.

    Multi-width shingles and shakes come in sorted bundles of pieces ranging from 4 to 9 for diversity.

    Bellaforté slate and shake are marketed as DaVincis value line, but material costs start at $400 per square .

    The DaVinci Fancy Shake has the refined appearance of machine-sawn shake.

    EcoBlend colors are DaVinci Cool Roof options that meet LEED, Energy Star, and California Title 24 / LA County green building code requirements. There are EcoBlend options in all the product lines.

    All DaVinci lines are available in many colors and blends to simulate real wood shakes and shingles and slate tiles. They are 110 MPH and Class 4 hail impact rated.

    DaVinci offers what it calls a Lifetime limited warranty. However, after 10 years it is prorated over the next 40. The warranty is essentially a 50-year warranty. It is transferable twice, but only in the first 10 years.

    EcoStar

    Offers six lines of composite roofing:

    Majestic Slate and Empire Slate have a traditional, tidy look while Majestic Niagara and Empire Niagara Slate are wider, thicker tiles to give more character and profile to the roof.

    Seneca Shakes boast a smoother, more machined look. The Empire Shakes have bolder grains and more depth in the profile.

    Enviroshake

    Ply Gem

    InSpire Roofing Products

    Brava Roof Tile

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    Learn About Different Roofing Shingles

    Republic Roofing is here to help you learn about different roofing shingles. Choosing the right shingle for your home when its time to replace your roof can be a difficult task. There are so many different shingles available, each with advantages and disadvantages, cost differences, and unique styles. The variety is staggering.

    Weve outlined 16 different types of roof shingles below. New roofs are a major investment. Here are descriptions of 16 types of shingles you can choose from for your roof replacement, including what to expect from each one:

    How Long Does A Composition Roof Last

    Composite Shingles

    The lifespan of your composition roof depends on which shingle you have. 3-tab shingles can last up to 25 years, but they have the shortest lifespan of the 3 types.

    Architectural and luxury shingles have a lifespan of around 30 years, but the luxury style can go over 30 years and up to 50 under the right conditions.

    As long as the shingles are properly installed, and your attic is adequately ventilated, theyll get close to the lifespans above. However, there are a lot of factors that determine how long a composition roof lasts.

    Because of this, you should realistically get around 80-85% of the life span out of a composition roof. That means you can expect to get about 20-22 years out of your 3-tab shingle roof and 25-28 years out of your architectural shingles.

    On the other hand, luxury shingles are thicker and should get up to around 30 years. In perfect conditions, you can stretch that number even further.

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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.

    What Are The Downsides To Composition Shingles

  • Algae. One downside to fiberglass shingles is they have a tendency to attract algae, making them not only look dirty, but the formed algae build-up can cause the shingles to lose some of their heat-resisting properties.
  • Granule Loss. Due to the expansion and contraction of the shingles throughout the years, the granules can fall off leaving the exposed fiberglass mat.
  • Blistering. Blistering looks like hail damage, but insurance companies do not cover blistering. Excess heat causes the granules to fall off of the shingles and the exposed fiberglass mat starts to deteriorate.
  • Insurance Endorsements. Insurance companies are adding endorsements to policies, forcing homeowners to pay for their roofs out of pocket. See Actual Cash Value after 15 years of age.
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    What Is A Composition Shingle Roof

    Composition shingles are one of the most preferred choices for roofing because of the combination of the properties of asphalt and fiberglass, such as durability and lightweight respectively, making them suitable for most roofing applications and climatic conditions.

    A Composition shingle roof or three-tab asphalt shingle is suitable whether you are undertaking a new construction or remodeling an existing one, because it adds to the overall quality and aesthetic beauty of your building while being affordable.

    This is in addition to its ability to hold up under different weather conditions over a long period of time. A Composition shingle roofs lifespan is between 20 to 30 years.

    Composite Shingles Look Just Like Slate And Cedar Shake:

    Asphalt Roof Shingles Installation

    Many homeowners go towards composite shingles because of their look. They are designed in such a way that they will look exactly like a slate or cedar shake roof. Composite slate shingles are modeled from actual slate and even have chisel marks to add a hand-crafted touch to give them a completely authentic look.

    composite shake shingles have realistic grain patterns and deep grooves to create a composite shake roof that looks just like shake shingles.

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    What Type Of Shingles Are The Best

    Although asphalt or composition shingles are the most popular choice since they are inexpensive and easy to install the best roofing shingles would go to premium roofing products like slate, tile, and metal. These options will not only last for decades, but theyll also have more enhanced protective benefits as well such as UV rays reflective abilities and protection from severe inclement weather.

    What Is The Most Durable Type Of Roof

    • Asphalt Shingles. One of the most common and popular roofing materials, asphalt shingle roofing is highly favored because of how cost-effective it is without compromising protection.
    • Metal.
    • Slate.

    Class A is the most fire-resistant and should be the choice of anyone living in wildfire-prone areas. Common Class A roof coverings include asphalt fiberglass composition shingles and concrete or clay tiles.

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    Mastering Roof Inspections: Asphalt Composition Shingles Part 1

    The purpose of the series Mastering Roof Inspections is to teach home inspectors, as well as insurance and roofing professionals, how to recognize proper and improper conditions while inspecting steep-slope, residential roofs. This series covers roof framing, roofing materials, the attic, and the conditions that affect the roofing materials and components, including wind and hail.

    Covered here are the standards and best practices related to shingle manufacture and installation, including the different types of shingles and their performance characteristics, and their related components, such as underlayment, flashing and fasteners.

    Also covered are the general, industry-accepted methods for installation, where to look for defects, how to recognize them, how to determine how serious they are, and how to tell when shingles are at or near the end of their useful lives. Using a forensic approach to inspecting asphalt shingles, youll learn to compare what you see to what you know. Once youve learned the fundamentals, youll be able to identify all sorts of problems.

    ASPHALT SHINGLE COMPONENTS

    The terms “asphalt” shingle and “composition” shingle are general terms for the same thing. The term composition is used because the shingles are a composite product made from either a fiberglass or a cellulose mat, and asphalt and minerals, as opposed to a single material, such as wood shingles or clay tiles.

    More Resistant to Heat and Humidity

    Variations in Performance

    Are Composite Shingles Combustible

    Roofing: Composition Shingles

    The non-combustible and non-absorbent material has a Class A rating which makes it ideal for the fire-prone California region. For a California home, synthetic shingles are perfect because of their fire resistance quality. If you want to re-roof on a budget, this is one of the best roof systems to protect your home.

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    Find A Roofing Contractor Near You

    Once youve chosen the perfect shingle for your home, its time to find a trusted roofing contractor to do the job. Find independent roofing contractors in the Owens Corning Roofing Contractor Network in your area to request a quote.

    Owens Corning® roofing shingles linked to in this post may only be available regionally. Please visit our Roofing Shingles page and ensure your zip code is correct to discover Owens Corning® roofing shingles available in your area.

    Other Types Of Roofing Shingles

    If youre required to install non-asphalt roofing materials because of local building codes or HOA rules, then you may need to consider the following roofing options for your home. If building codes, HOA rules, or other compliance factors are not an issue, then the aesthetics or look of most of these non-asphalt roofing materials can be achieved using architectural roofing shingles in specific designs and colors.

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    Specialty Asphalt Roofing Shingles

    Specialty shingles can come in bolder colors and styles thatmimic other roofing materials, such as tile or wood shake, and offer thepracticality and affordability of asphalt shingles with a slightly differentlook.

    For example, Owens Corning® Roofing offers:

    TruDefinition® Duration® architectural shingles in Terra Cotta have the deep clay color of tile with none of the hassles regarding extra weight distribution.

    How Much Does A Composition Roof Cost

    Comparing Roofing Materials | Ask This Old House

    Remember, there are more factors that impact the lifespan of a composition roof. However, the 4 factors mentioned above play the biggest role in the life of a roof.

    After reading this article, you know what you get out of your composition roof investment. But before reaching out to a roofing contractor, theres still a huge question you need answered.

    This question is, How much will I have to invest in a composition roof? Unfortunately, the roofing industry is hesitant to answer this.

    Were not like other roofing companies, though. Thats why we wrote another article breaking down how much a composition roof costs.

    Since 1990, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has provided high-quality roof replacements to homeowners in Nashville and surrounding areas. With our attention to detail and a lifetime warranty on our workmanship, you can rest assured your new roof will last for decades.

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    How Long A Composition Roof Lasts

    A composition roofs lifespan is the number of years you get out of it. The 3 types of composition shingles each come with a specified lifespan from the manufacturer.

    3-tab shingles have a lifespan of up to 25 years and live the shortest of the three types. Both architectural and luxury shingles have a lifespan of around 30 years, but the luxury style can go over 30 years and up to 50 under the right conditions.

    As long as the shingles are properly installed and your attic is adequately ventilated, theyll get close to the lifespans above. However, other factors impact how long a composition roof ultimately lasts.

    To learn about these factors and how they impact the life of your shingles, check out how long your asphalt roof will actually last.

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