The Quality Of The Roofing You Choose Can Save You From Home Water Damage

Let me first start out by telling you that at one time I was a contractor for almost 20 years. I spent years doing repairs to homes for a few select problem's that were as regular as a rooster when the sun rises.

The main issue that I was called for was roofing leaks, and you would be surprised by the amount of calls that I had on a regular basis for these roof problems. There were a lot of them due to the homeowner hiring the cheapest person they could find to do the repair and getting a double wammy from poor workmanship and even worse choices of materials, which is an absolute no-no when you are dealing with the system that protects the entire building.

There were a lot of the problems due to poor workmanship alone, and there are many scammers making a quick buck to do something they have no clue about. But the number one problem that I had was poor and low quality materials. You would be surprised by the big name brands in the roofing material industry that just started putting out low quality roofing over a 5 year span.

I am not one to generally drop names and talk bad about companies, but when it comes to the materials that protect your entire life from the wilds of the weather, I think this is a need to know subject, and I am sure that I may get a phone call to get this removed (which i will not do).

So let's get to the heart of the matter. Asphalt or composition roofing shingles are the most commonly used material on the market, and you can get a good lifespan from them if you choose the right company when purchasing them, and that is what we will cover here today.

First we must cover what the shingles are made of and what each component does to protect your home or building so that you can understand why they are graded by me the way they will be graded.

The first part is a fiberglass Matt that looks similar to heavy Cobb webs made out of fiberglass. This is to be used as the framework of the shingle, it holds the rest of the materials together so they can do their job. One fault of fiberglass in a matted form is that UV rays and heat deteriorate it, and shingles spend a lot of time in the sun and gets the lions share of the heat on your house in general. But the asphalt is supposed to shelter it from the sun (UV Rays).

Next is the asphalt, which is the waterproofing material of the shingle, it is compressed into the fiberglass matting to help give it form and flexibility. This is needed for expansion and contraction in the heat of the day to the cool of night. It is also the adhesive for the granules that cover it and give the color of the shingles. Now alphalt also has a problem with heat and UV rays. They both deteriorate the asphalt at breakneck speed if they were not protected, which brings us to the granules.

Granules are the little roocks on the top, weather facing surface of the shingles. They just have two jobs, and that is to protect the asphalt and fiberglass from UV rays and make the roof look pleasing to the eye. This does not discount the importance because it is criticle that it does it's job. Have you ever wondered why Insurance pays for hail damage on asphalt shingles when there is no holes in them to cause a leak? It is because the hail stones knock off or loosen the granules, exposing the asphalt to the suns UV rays.

Now let's get to the shingles and their quality.

Owens Corning: These used to be my favorite until the late 90's when they started lowering the quality of the asphalt that they used, for some reason, the asphalt they went to would not adhear to the granules and loads of it came off in the wrapper before you could even apply it to the roof. At one time they had top notch products, but I guess their product was lasting too long and hurting sales, so I am assuming they lowered quality to fix that problem. They are now a no go for any roofing I would use or suggest.

ELK: Boy, these guys came out of nowhere over the last 10 years with think matting, great and thick asphalt that holds onto the little granules very well. I would also like to tell you about the tar strip that they use, it is an adhesive strip on the bottom underside that seals to the shingle below it. This stuff is like superglue, Roofers do not like them because they are tacky in the wrappers qand are harder to seperate in warm to hot weather when applying. But this is great for the roofing. Long life, great looks and quality from the beginning to the end. I give them a 10 and would suggest them to anyone.

GAF Timberline: This one is also close to the ELK shingles we just reviewed below, absent the superglue type adhesive strip. They do have the strip, but it is not near as tacky as the ELK. But also a good buy for any homeowner or commercial building. I would not hesitate to reccomend them.

Tamco: They are generaly the cheapest to buy, but ask any roofer and they will tell you that they would not waste the money, even if it was for a Dog House that was going to be kept inside. Trust me, save money by NOT buying this trash, you will be sorry you did if you buy this brand. They have the lowest lifespan of all mentioned here.

There are a few other brands out their, but not worth the mention since they are generaly on the lines of tamco, so stick with the top 2 and you w8ill be safe. The top 2 also have warranties that are backed up fairly well as long as you follow the warranty instructions. Sometimes they even send out a rep to make sure everything is OK after a replacement. I have seen warranty work on all brands. You can buy from a lot that had a bad batch of materials, but the top 2 will surely back up their warranty. So you can rest easy paying a few more bucks per square for quality.

Remember, when you are dealing with roofing that you are not just protecting a house or commercial building, you are protecting your home, memories, families health .Yes health, a leak can cause toxic mold, and the leak can be so small that the water damage is not noticed until you are living in a toxic den of mold colonies. You can have a load of family sicknesses and diseases and never figure out where it is coming from. That same small leak can cause thousands in water damage to the roof structure, Insulation, sheetrock (drywall) and a host of other materials in the home or business.

Make sure you choose wisely when picking the material that will protect your entire life and loved ones. A few hundred bucks now could save you dispare and thousands in the short or long run, or both.