Architectural Shingle Reviews and Information
Dimensional or architectural shingles have quickly become the most popular shingled roof choice for today’s homeowners. They have quickly become the new industry standard replacing traditional 3-Tab shingles. The defining characteristic of dimensional shingles is the random tab design you get when the roof is applied.
Architectural Shingle Advantages:
These type of shingles help hide deficiencies in the roof deck such as depressed or bowed wood. An inconsitent roof deck surface that has perhaps been repaired many times. Most installers today prefer to these shingles over 3-Tab style shingles as they are quicker and easier to install. Available in an increasingly wide range of colors including some energy star qualifying products. For any single product type group there is the most variety in shingle warranties and longevity in dimensional shingles. Homeowners and property managers can acquire dimensional shingles in exspected life ranges of; 25yr, 30yr, 35yr, 40yr, 50yr, 75yr and Lifetime warranties shingles.
Architectural Shingle Disadvantages:
For many people there are no practical disadvantages for putting on an architectural style shingles but there are a few considerations. Algae and mold growth; Because of the constant depth variation there are lots of places for mold and algae to grow or “cultivate”, especially in areas of constant moisture. However, many shingle manufacturers have warranties inhibiting growth. For the most part roofing manufactures coat the shingles granules in a copper sulphite mixture as mold cannot grow on copper. Refer the the asphalt roofing comparison chart to find shingles with a Algae resistance warranty. Weight; Although weight is rarely an issue it is something to be aware of before selecting a shingle especially in a layover installation situation. Some of the heaviest dimensional shingles are over 400 lbs per square(100 sq. feet). If you have thin decking of less than 2×6 roof joices be careful on how heavy a shingle you put on your roof. Cost; One of the primary considerations when anyone is putting on a new roof is how much money it’s going to cost them. While dimensional shingles are more costly then a basic three tab, you will usually make up this cost difference with an easier install, increased shingle life, and greater resale value.
Architectural Shingle Reviews Brands and Choices:
There is no shortage of choice in the marketplace for dimensional shingles. A wide variety of colors and manufactures are available. Some of the most popular manufactures are:
Certainteed Owens Corning TAMKO GAF_ELK IKO Atlas Malarkey
What brand / model of architectural shingle should I buy?
Check out all the architectural shingles reviews available on this site. Check out the stacked ranking there are some great choices in there for every budget. Popular choices to take a look at include Owens Corning Durations, Certainteed Landmark, GAF Timberline HD and more.
Country of Origin: Many consumers now are looking to keep their money close to home, they may want their money and the profit the company they choose to do business with to stay in their country or town. All of the shingle manufactures listed above employ American workers and have facilities in the United States. However they may not be American owned. Now you can make your own judgements as to whether or not that matters to you or not.
- Certainteed – Subsidiary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain a “French” owned manufacturer.
- Owens Corning – An American or Made in The USA company
- Malarkey – Family Owned Private company headquartered in Portland, Oregon
- Tamko – Family owned American company
- GAF-ELK – North America’s Largest shingle supplier
- IKO – Canadian owned company
- Atlas – American Company