Which Roofing Shingles are the Best?
The right path to the best roofing shingle
An internet search on which roofing shingles are the best can make a day at the office fly by, or be a waste of a Saturday afternoon. This is a prime searching topic so ads will be associated with it. Clicking on an ad will offer a lopsided approach to the best roofing shingles. Why should my article be regarded as legit versus the sea of others? I’ve been in the building materials industry for 30 years! This is probably longer than some of the roofing salespeople that are trying to sell you on a roof have been on this Earth! My specialty was warranty. My background ranged from siding, windows, flooring, engineered wood, and lots and lots of roofing. 30 years of actually seeing what products work and which ones don’t is what I can bring to the table. Shingles are a product that isn’t as flashy as flooring, cabinets, or that front door on a home. When I talk to homeowners, they are concerned with longevity, durability, and buying time. Fancy colors, and perceived performance add-ons are a great way to detract from the real reason why shingles last.
To be blunt, roofing is messy and a risk to landscaping, siding, and windows. Rooftop Solutions does many things to alleviate the risk, but it’s still there. Roofing is like a root canal that has to be done to eliminate the pain it’s causing. My all time favorite saying from a homeowner is this, “Hopefully we’ll be dead before we need to do this again.” Not roofing again really correlates to getting the best roofing shingle your money can buy. The standard architectural shingle is becoming a commodity. There are definitely proven shingles in the market. My goal with this article is not to condemn or elevate actual brands, but highlight important features that will point you to getting the best roofing shingle.
Finding the Best Roofing Shingle Takes Experience
Think of all the things you’ve bought in life. Experiences that were good and bad can create a lasting impression. 1991 was when I first started learning about building products including shingles. I’m drawing from that knowledge base.
NOTE: Commodity shingles may be the best in different classes, but will not excel in everything. If they do their pricing will elevate to a premium category.
What is meant by this is this: Commodity items are bought and sold daily. Supply and demand determines their price. Everything added to a shingle manufacturing wise, is a cost. A shingle in this class has a limit on what it can cost. Real-estate is a great example. The neighborhood can limit or allow what a home is bought or sold for. The market won’t bear a whole lot more unless there’s a big differentiator. These differentiators are what these shingle manufacturers and salespeople are trying to uncover for you, whether an actual value or not. Some are legit and some are smoke and mirrors. Shingle weight is a direction the manufacturer I choose, goes to market with. Weight is tangible, can physically be measured, and felt. Remember, I can be just as susceptible to all this as you. This is where my experience with virtually every shingle brand can shed some light.
The weight of the shingle translates to time - Longevity. Your roof is subject to the blazing sun, pounding rain, or freezing temperatures. All of which that are taking its toll each season. More asphalt, granules, and especially sealant brings a mediocre shingle to one of the best roofing shingles.
Reading and following directions -In my warranty days I remember this case very well. Brand new shingles were lifting up in the wind on a home done the day prior. “We have a bad batch of shingles” is what I recall the customer saying. I must’ve been 35 years old at the time. After visiting the job and investigating, I told a contractor that was shingling for 25 years this: “The nails were in the wrong spot!” What a great conversation we had after that! On the back of every bundle of shingles were directions and a nail diagram I had to show him. Even the very best roof shingles will not last when installed incorrectly.
Deciphering Information to Arrive at the Best Roofing Shingle
Sifting through and finding the truth on what salespeople are saying, and what is found on the internet is no small task. Every roofing company has the best roofing shingles, just ask them. I think what’s imperative is getting the best shingle to the homeowner that suits their budget. The caveat to this is I won’t settle on something cheap just to get your business and do another roof.
Manufacturers can offer many variations under their brand, these are often referred to as lines. Within each line these are variations that can be lighter, heavier, more colorful, and so on determining the final roof price. Remember we’re talking about commodities here not premium shingles, the ones that price checked. Even a slight fluctuation in price can be real a difference maker.
We talked about the class of architectural shingles and there being a threshold for price. Manufacturers can only add so many features before the price starts to climb. These are the parameters that asphalt shingles fall into.
Weight Color Special Feature Support/Warranty Sealant Strip
WEIGHT: In my opinion weight makes roofing shingles the best. My reason is simple. I’ve seen the heavy shingles and how they hold up over the years compared to the light ones. Premium shingles boast weight and triple layers of asphalt and that truly places them; the best in roof shingles. They last longer by 10+ years. More material means more weight, more weight translates to more time.
COLOR: This is what companies use to divert homeowners from what really matters with the best roofing shingles. Homeowners always get caught up in color. The higher definition colors are great but can really be a distraction that takes away from what really matters.
SPECIAL FEATURE: This is the fun one: the bells and whistles manufacturers can use to be perceived as the best roofing shingle. The most common is reinforced nailing strips. These can be materials that offer increased holding power. In reality it doesn’t mean anything if the shingle doesn’t have good sealant. If the wind can lift the shingle the standard or reinforced nailing strip are doomed. Better nailing makes a reinforced nailing strip needless.
SEALANT STRIP: This is definitely a bragging area of the shingle, but just not desirable because of how boring the asphalt adhesive topic is. The infomercial reinforced nailing strip is the hot button. When a roof fails because of wind, it happens because of a poor adhesive combined with poor nailing.
SUPPORT/WARRANTY: If your shingles came from a box store and there’s an issue; good luck with the 800 number. These are price point shingles which are great options for dog houses and a home that’s going to be sold. Support and warranty are huge. Warranties can be a load of you know what if a person is unaware how they work. The way a warranty is written determines how a manufacturer will cover the roof. Many may offer product that is prorated (partial value) if there is an issue. This does not include labor or other items if there is an issue. Install errors will mean a warranty that is void. With the right roofing contractor and proper shingle there is full roof replacement for the life of the roof if a defect occurs. Rooftop solutions is a special installer through the shingle manufacturer. To be clear the manufacturer provided directions on how and what products are to be used to ensure full replacement in the event of an issue. Rooftop Solutions reads and follows instructions required to validate the warranty.
The Top Three Shingle Brands
I didn’t want to focus on brands, but feel it’s necessary so you understand who the big players are without getting too biased.
Three brands are leading the shingle industry and each claim they have the best roofing shingle: Certainteed, GAF, and Owens Corning. Within the three companies there are lines that can be considered economy and premium shingles. Each line or type has a target. One line could just be dirt cheap, that same company can offer a superb shingle. I do my best to sort this out when I visit projects.
These brands are like Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge, but only in the roofing market. Each one has there own little best roofing shingle talk. Some are very specific and a little ridiculous just like the truck commercials. Beyond these three companies the consistency can really falter. Literally a shingle can be great one year and be a disaster the next. They could have blanket-like coverage when attempting to gain market share and vanish in a moment. It’s the difference between having a representative actually visit your home or fielding the whole process yourself.
A great comparison on shingle weight between competing brands
This shingle uses a reinforced nailing strip.
Shingles that are light can be missing asphalt, critical to holding granules in place.
A close-up of the left photo exposes the fiberglass mat and lots of missing granules. This roof is in trouble.
Organic shingles from the late 1990s to early 2000s. Before the fiberglass mat was introduced shingles were bonded together with cellulose materials. This was the first attempt at “green shingles” and a wide spread failure.
A Quick Overview of Best Roofing Shingle Qualities
A shingle nailed improperly will result in failure eventually. Even the best roofing shingle will be affected by this. A great reason you don’t want a rag-tag group of friends doing your roof on a weekend and paying them with beer and steaks.
Price point shingles or commodity shingles can offer only so many features and benefits before the price increases and puts them out of the game.
Lighter shingles are less expensive to produce and have a greatly reduced life than heavier shingles.
A reinforced nailing strip is a positive feature if the crew is using minimal nails and if the sealant glue were to fail. It might limit blowing off, however wind flapping a shingle repeatedly will cause granule loss and compromise the shingle mat itself. A good sealant bond keeps the shingle from flapping in the wind. Quality sealant, good nailing, and heavier shingles stay put. This is the solution to the root problem: shingles blowing off. Dive into shingle blow offs with this article I wrote.
The best roofing shingles have warranties that actually work “Trust me on this, I’ve been through it!” Special installers can offer warranties 5x greater than the standard roofer simply because they were tested on installation. Saving 11% on your shingles seems super attractive but translates to “I got such a good deal, I have relinquished my right to complain if/when I have problems down the road. I got what I paid for.”
High definition color, and special shingle gimmicks are a perfect distraction from things that really matter: weight, sealant glue, and support.
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