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Mike M.: [ Best Shingle ] , Saturday, May 05, 2012 @ 7:50 PM

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I am a : Roofer

Would like everyone opinion on the best shingle on market , and pro's and con's of each.I like Certainteed landmark, and have heard that G. A. F. has made their Timberline lighter weight. Any opinions appreciated.

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Old School: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 7:01 PM

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I am a : Roofer

I know that all of the different companies make good shingles and in fact I know they could all make shingles that would last for 50 years.....But they won't. the reason for this is that if they did, they couldn't sell as many shingles because the demand would fall. The trick is to make them "good enough" to get through about 1 or 2 home owners and then fail and be replaced. The right materials are expensive and if they put in all of the right materials, they would be at a competitive price disadvantage because the rest of the manufactureres are cheating if you will.

They "cheat" for a while and make a lot of money, and then they get caught and they lose market share and tons of money. It has happened so many times before it is like a broken record. The only thing different is the time that they continue to make good product varies.

Globe made great shingles for years when they were owned by the original owners. It was sold to a large insurance company and they let the pros run it and things stayed the same. Then it was sold and continued to run on momentum for a while but the failures got to be more and more. It was sold about 6 times in Globe's last 15 years and by the end, they were making junk that would not last for 4 years.

I remember Bird and Sons did the same thing as did Celotex, CertainTeed, GAF, Fry roofing, .... You get the picture.

I think that they are all making good product now, but the kicker is going to be the lack of proper ventilation, expecitally on the older buildings. they have been re-insulated and sealed and it is cooking the shingles on the roofs. The newer truss roofs with the raised energy heel at the plate will make the ventilation more effective and I would expect that the roofs on those buildings will last longer than a similiar roof on an older building that is not ventilated properly.

What is the Best? Lord only knows

Rockydog: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 3:52 PM

I am a : Roofing and construction

Up until the thime GAF bought them, I thought Elk had the best product on the market for the past 10-12 years. In the past 6 months I,ve had 2 Tamko and 2 O.C. failures of roofs I've put on in the past 18 months. Now both of those companies have backed their warranties, labor and material. That is very good news.
I fear the more storms we have, the faster they need material and the faster they have to produce. If this continues we'll have major defaults across the nation.
But at the moment I would say GAF is at the top with Certainteed a close second.

Rockydog: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 3:54 PM

I am a : Roofing and construction

where are you from Mike? some markets don't have the same brands as others.

twill59: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 5:16 PM

I am a : Roofer

Nothing better than a 10 yr. warranty on lifetime product!

I vote CT. Can't wrap my head around a 210 lb shingle. Maybe I'll try GAF on my shed 1st.

OTOH, I did recently replace a CT XT 25 w/ A TAMKO Heritage.

IKO is getting really popular around here. I usually just show the warranty, pronounce them as junk, give a slightly lower price and ask "When can we start?"

RooferMark: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 6:02 PM

I am a : General Contract

At this moment, I think the OC Duration Tru Def is far and away the best shingle. The fiber embedded in the nail strip is a real break through to minimize nail blow throughs. Their adhesive strip is the quickest to seal and strongest. The colors are what the Duration Premium used to be and are very attractive. 2nd would be Certainteed, none are cut to spec any better.

FWIW, I think GAF and Atlas are the worst. I wouldn't put either on a roof unless the Customer absolutely demanded it.

Old School: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 8:16 PM

I am a : Roofer

Watch out for the OC Duration. They will have a LOT of problems in the very near future with the way their adhesive strip goes all the way across with no breaks. It traps moisture at that point and it will rust out the nails. Just a word for the wise!

twill59: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 8:41 PM

I am a : Roofer

They changed that OS. They've been re-designed.....again

RooferMark: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 9:45 PM

I am a : General Contract

Old School Said: Watch out for the OC Duration. They will have a LOT of problems in the very near future with the way their adhesive strip goes all the way across with no breaks. It traps moisture at that point and it will rust out the nails. Just a word for the wise!

That was changed quite some time ago, even before the introduction of the new Duration Tru Def.

nailer james: [ Re:Best Shingle ] , Monday, May 21, 2012 @ 8:26 PM

I am a : Roofer

i would say gaf.

soldierboy: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 8:56 PM

I am a : Roofer

CertainTeed, GAF and then Owens Corning. That is for the warranty's that they offer.

Most shingles are about the same. We will see after a few more years how the IKO's that have become the leader in bottom dollar.

I refuse to install IKO in my company. Did one job and that was enough to see first hand that they didn't have the quality materials that we like.

I'm on more Roofs than Santa Claus!
www.triplepeaksroofing.com

dougger222: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 8:38 AM

I am a : Roofer

I've had really good luck with the Landmark shingle. Done close to 500 now and none have had issues.

My buddy had an ELK roof installed on his home 8 years ago and although hail damaged it there was cracks on the shingles.

I was on a 7 year old OC Oakridge roof a few years ago and found cracks all over it.

I've yet to be on a Timberline roof 10 years or older without cracks.

The Durations are decent but everyone I've done have had shading issues as far as different colored shingles than the rest.

My list would be like this,
Certainteed (Landmark line) I don't like the XT's or Independance.
OC Duration
Tamko Heritage
Castlebrook (IKO?)
IKO Cambridge
EVERY OTHER SHINGLE ON THE MARKET
GAF/ELK Timberline

Stocker 5130: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 4:18 PM

I am a : Supplier

It depends on the type of roof, the consumer, and your costs. One of the things to consider is the pitch of the roof. Getting the shingles on the roof in a way that they will stay and not fall plays a huge factor. If the roof is a 12/12, the shingles will most likely have to be bookshelf stacked. Speaking from experience, Tamko Heritage & GAF Timberline will rarely bookshelf, the bundles have a tendency to become limp in the stocking process. Landmarks, Landmark Pros, Durations, & Oakridge are shingles that this is not a problem with. Certainteed has, by far, the heaviest shingles. Up until recently, their color ion was not as great as OC's Duration or Tamko's Heritage, but when they recently brought out the Landmark Pro, they became more competitive with respect to color options as all the Landmark Pro colors are max def, which was previously only available in the Landmark Premium. Tamko has always had a good color ion, but the problem comes from them updating the granule composition of the shingles every year, and even on a batch to batch basis. If you see a new roof where some of the shingles are a darker shade than the rest of the roof, you are looking at Tamko shingles.

Another thing that needs to be considered is the warranties that the manufacturers offer. All the manufacturers recently (2011) upgraded their architectural shingles to limited lifetime, with the exception of Tamko. Tamko has a 50-year warranty on Heritage when a Tamko system is used (Tamko ice & water shield, 10" starter along the rakes, eaves and in the valleys & Tamko ridgevent). This is the only warranty that does not prorate for 15 years. All of the other manufacturers prorate their shingles after 10 years. This warranty also applies to any building. Certainteed will not offer a lifetime warranty on commercial buildings, apartments, or 2-family/condo units. Tamko and CertainTeed are the two manufacturers that stand behind their warranties the most with the least amount of hassle. Trying to get IKO & GAF to honor a warranty is like pulling teeth. OC is not as bad, but still difficult.

For 3-tabs CertainTeed XT30 is the best shingle. It is heavier than other manufacturers 3-tabs, which typically carry a 25 year warranty.

CertainTeed is also the best for high end projects. The shingles can be pricey, but they also offer the best look, and have a lot of variety with impact resistance options. Presidential & Landmark are both available in triple laminate versions. The best out of the bunch is the Grand Manor line. OC's high end lines (Woodmoor, Woodcrest, & Berkshire) typically only ship out of California and only by the truckload. So unless you have a distributor in your area that stocks them, you are going to have a hard time getting your hands on them. The problem with Tamko Vintage is the ridiculous price of the accessories, and their short life on the market.

What it really comes down to though is the homeowner. Some homeowners don't care what you lead with, they want the cheapest shingles, period. This mindset has skyrocketed since 2008 because every body started tightening their belts. A roof is a grudge purchase, nobody WANTS to get a new roof, they typically get one because they HAVE to. Get a feel for what the homeowner wants and sell accordingly.

twill59: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 7:43 PM

I am a : Roofer

The new 10 yr Lifetime warranties were quite confusing at first......

twill59: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 7:43 PM

I am a : Roofer

The new 10 yr Lifetime warranties were quite confusing at first......

egg: [ RE: Best Shingle ] , Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 9:17 PM

Thanks for the thoughtful post, Stocker.

In my area, northern Ca, I can't get Tamko easily anymore. I liked their colors. Have had some issues with coloration as you describe. Had one job fail right out of the bundle from too much filler and had a tough time getting compensated, though I eventually did. Have one other job 12 years old that is about to lose its skin in a two-bundle area that gets a lot of reflected sun, but the rest is solid.

Of the three-tabs, I agree on the XT-30, although Malarkey makes their Hurricane and the Alaskan that I consider stellar. Probably the best, actually.

I also have had no negative issues with CT landmarks or Presidentials except for serious color problems twice with the (then) Plus Moire black which they took care of instantly. Imo, anything Celotex used to make was good and CT bought them out. Celotex Ambassador was more impressive than the CT version (Landmark T/L) it morphed into but it's still good.

We'll see about the IKO. We don't use or have access to the organic products so we missed out on all that excitement. The glass products seem good, are definitely priced to sell, colors routine but ok, and other than loose granules in the package, there is nothing negative of note so far. I have a sneaking suspicion they may start showing cracks within ten years, but just can't be sure yet.

Pabco seems plenty durable, but not wild about the cut or the colors. The front panel cutouts taper the opposite direction from all the other brands.

Used to use a ton of Elk and used it quite confidently. Don't care for it now, but the colors are still popular. Never have liked GAF Corp. much, but they have some products I can't get anywhere else. I really think the Grand Manor is overrated, especially considering the price. GAF pricing is not currently user-friendly with my suppliers and I have good access to five of them, two national, two multi-state, and one local.

Architecturally, the most impressive shingle ever made that I know of was the Chancellor, a short-lived product.

Time has proven that the most long-lived medium-weight laminate was the JM Woodlands.

The longest-lasting comp shingles I've ever seen were angle-lap one-tabs that were going out just as I was breaking in, right about 1970. Those things were amazing. Never installed one but saw many that were over forty years old. They were thick and most of the time, the granules were pretty much all still on them.

Haven't had much traffic with OC but they seem fine. Had some problems with twenty-year three tabs many years ago, but that's like another lifetime now. All the manuf except for JM had trouble with the glass mat at first.