Are Malarkey Shingles Any Good

What Are Malarkey Shingles

Malarkey shingles are an asphalt roofing material, consisting of three or four layers of woven fiberglass matts held together by mineral granules.

The material is installed in alternating directions along the roof to form a diamond pattern. Malarkey shingles typically last between 15 and 20 years in the U.S., and come in a variety of styles.

This brand is the only one that provides asphalt shingles, but it also has a few commercial roofing products.

Malarkey sells several different types of shingles, but the best-selling ones are called Vista, Highlander and Legacy.

They are flexible in the cold, strong when its windy. Malarkey used to make shingles for people looking for a cheaper option.

The choice of shingles are algae-resistant, impact-resistant, and Cool Roof. CertainTeed, a company that sells roofing materials, uses the term Designer to refer to its midgrade shingles.

Keep in mind that Malarkey Legacy as well as CertainTeed Landmark are both Architectural Shingles.

Asphalt Shingle Alternatives For Hail Impact Damage Protection

Homeowners are learning about other impact-resistant roofing choices. Here are the two options we like, and they both offer hail warranties.

Euroshield rubber roofing: What could be better defense against hail than a rubber roof? Euroshield makes five styles resembling wood shakes and stone slate.

The Euroshield Vermont Slate HP warranty covers damage from hail of any size. The manufacturer covers the others with a hail damage warranty for hail up to 2 inches in diameter.

Pull Test: Scored 4/5

The pull test portion of our test is one of the most controversial among both roofers and roofing material companies. While some might say its a fair test, others would say its biased and really doesnt show how well a shingle is designed or built.

We secure shingles to the roof by nailing directly over their nailing zone to perform this test. Then, we attach a tool that can measure the amount of force that can be used before the shingle is ripped from the roofs surface.

Malarkey shingles perform well in this test, along with many others. Weve been impressed time and again with how they hold up. This test helps build a roofers confidence that these shingles will hold up well against harsh weather, wind, and the installation process.

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Cost Of Malarkey Shingles

Image source: BMC

Malarkey shingles range from $73-$170 per square for materials alone, depending on each brand of shingle. They often compare most with CertainTeed shingles, which are some of the most expensive shingles available. For comparison, IKOs popular Cambridge shingles can cost up to $60 per square, and Malarkeys Legacy shingles can cost up to $150 per square.

Revolutionary Designs To Prevent Shingle Blow

A 2,500 square feet roof requires over 6,000 roofing nails. The correct placement is time-consuming since most roofing shingles have a narrow nailing zone – 3/8″ or 1/2″. High or low nails result in shingle blow-offs, common in Edmonton after a heavy windstorm.

Malarkey created The Zone to eliminate the inherent conflict between fast installation and accurate nailing. The roofing shingles are equipped with The Zone to have a 1-3/4″ nailing area, about up to three times larger than an average shingle.

An additional advantage of The Zone is that they provide a significant reduction in blow-back leaks. Blow-back leaks happen when a rain seal is breached. When this happens, water-blown can leak behind a shingle.

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What Shingles Are Best For You

Its hard to know what shingles are best for you as a homeowner. As a roofer, you can use resources like this one and the opinion of other roofers in your area to find the best possible service for your company.

If youre looking for a way to get more connected to the greater roofing community, check out our Roofing Process Conference. And, if you need more business or help to find a reliable roofer in your area, be sure to check the Roofing Insights Directorii.

Reach out to our team to learn more about the tests that we perform on roofing materials and tools or read some more of our blogs.

Malarkey Vista Shingles: A Detailed Review For Homeowners In 2022

Our Roofing Insights team is always trying to find the best products. Whether it be tools, underlayment, or asphalt shingles, were always trying to provide the best information possible.

Todays blog covers the Malarkey Vista shingles and specifically how they performed in our roofing shingles test. We covered a lot of different shingles in this test but wanted to specifically break down each item. Youll find blogs dedicated to each of the shingles on our website.

For a full look at this test and everything included in each test, watch the video below. Youll be able to see how well the Malarkey Vista shingles performed and how well the rest of the brands performed throughout this test.

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Malarkey Shingles Review: Roofing Worth Your Money

Unlike a standard shingle that gradually develops brittleness with cracks and loose granules, Malarkey shingles are made of rubberized asphalt for better all-weather resilience, upcycled rubber, and plastics to decrease landfill wastes, and smog-reducing granules aiding in air purity.

Malarkey Roof Products manufacture and distribute a wide range of roofing systems, including shingles, metal roofs, and flashings. Keep reading to know more about this topic. Itll be worth your time!

Algae Warranty Of Malarkey Shingles

Algae Warranty of Malarkey Shingles is a lifetime manufacturers warranty that is available on certain Malarkey roofing products.

This includes architectural asphalt shingles and three-tab shingles, as well as some other types of roofs such as steel and membrane metal panels.

The algae warranty protects homeowners against the greenish or black stains caused by growth of microalgae on the surface of roofs.

The algae are able to grow on shingles that contain limestone, an ingredient found in most types of asphalt roofing products including most Malarkey shingles.

Algae Warranty is available exclusively through authorized dealers who will inspect your home for signs of green or black stains and prepare a report if necessary.

If the dealer finds stains, they will make a claim to the Malarkey warranty on your behalf.

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Where To Buy Malarkey Shingles

Malarkey shingles are not available at your local Lowes or Home Depot. You purchase them through a Malarkey local roofing supplier. You can find a list of local dealers on the Malarkey site by entering your local Zip code.

Did you know? In the last couple of years, Malarkey discontinued some shingle lines. These include The Alaskan® and Ecoasis . This review covers only shingles that the company currently produces, though you may find the remaining stock of discontinued lines may be found in building stores in your neighborhood.

What Roofing Contractors Like About Certainteed Shingles:

While most building codes allow for shingles to be installed over one existing layer, but if youre putting on a complete new roof, it is important to consider all the materials used and their proper installation.

The CertainTeed Integrity Roof System: A quality roof consists of multiple products installed correctly.

Like many top brands, CertainTeed makes products for every layer from the roof deck to the ridge cap shingles.

Selling the Integrity roofing system: Installing products designed to work together gives the roofers confidence the roof wont have issues theyll have to fix later or risk their reputation. It might produce a more water-tight roof too.

Excellent warranty: CertainTeed has upgraded its warranty. 15 of 19 lines are backed with a lifetime warranty against defects. The warranty now ranks with GAFs warranty among the best.

There are fewer exclusions than before and long starting periods without proration. In this guide, we provide more detail about the warranty in the homeowner section below.

Extended warranties: Some homeowners like to maximize their warranty coverage. When a complete Integrity Roofing System is installed, you can buy an extended coverage that covers labor and tear-offs for 20 years , 50 years with disposal or 50 years with disposal and added coverage on workmanship .

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Asphalt Shingles Are A Popular Choice For Roofing In Billings And Wyoming

There are good, better and best options when it comes to roofing materials. The perfect choice for you will depend on color and how it unifies the siding and paint on the other exterior surfaces.

Malarkey asphalt shingles provide the ultimate in performance, durability and color choices for optimum roof quality and aesthetics.

The History Of Malarkey Shingles

Malarkey shingles were first manufactured in 1954 by Malarkey Roofing Manufacturing Company, based out of Toledo, Ohio.

The company started out as a steel fabricating business that built the roofs for Ford Motor Company plants. Ford then encouraged the company to manufacture its own roofing material.

Malarkey later acquired the Diamond Shingle Company in Bowling Green, Ohio, maker of Asphalt Ridge shingles. Malarkey also started making asphalt roll roofing at this time.

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Most Affordable: Owens Corning

Owens Corning is a repeat member of the Fortune 500 company, known for its environmentally friendly shingles, promoted by the Pink Panther himself. OC has asphalt shingles in all three tiers, with the most variety in the architectural line.

• Moderate selection:

Owens Corning has a smaller selection of shingles – 7 lines in all three tiers – causing them to fall short of the best shingle to other competitors. Theres only one option for traditional 3-tab, while the Duration line shingle provides stiff competition to best-sellers from the competition.

• Total Protection Roofing System

OC also offers a total protection system for your roof, which allows you to qualify for the best warranties. The motto for OC is Seal, Defend, Breath, referring to the corresponding elements. The seal is for underlayment, defend with shingles, and roof ventilation covers the last section.

• Educated contractors

Owens Corning is another roofing manufacturer that offers training courses and certifications to roofers. These contractors have the experience to install your OC roof correctly, and it qualifies you for the top warranties.

Pro Tip: Many insurance companies offer discounts for having your roof installed by a certified roofer, due to the reduced chance that installation was done improperly.

• A smaller variety of products
• Higher warranties cost extra

Malarkey Shingles Homeowner Reviews

Currently Malarkey shingles are most popular on the West Coast: California, Washington State, as well as states like Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. However, this relatively small, niche brand is gaining recognition across state lines, and the company is slowly expanding. In 2011, they opened a new plant in Oklahoma city.

Here is what homeowners have to say about Malarkey, after having them installed.

I live on a mountain top where winds are excessive all day. The shingles have been on for a few years now and I have not lost a single shingle yet. First brand to actually stay on this roof.Jay

We are on the Oregon coast and get hurricane force winds probably 4 to 6 times every winter. After 3 years the roof is tight and looks as if it were new. Very satisfied with the product.Susan

I have this shingle, its the best shingle and held up to golf ball size hailAnonymous

22 years strong. We got a new Malarkey roof after hurricane Andrew . Went through a little Katrina and a Wilma . Only house on the block that did not lose a single shingle. No maintenance, no leaks, no problems.Bob

They also look better than a normal dimensional, I dont know if it is the granules or they are a little thicker, slightly better cut or what.Anonymous

10 years later not a single issue, and they still look amazing!Dayton

Note, the reviews above have been sourced from roofery.com and researchroofing.com

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Are Malarkey Shingles Worth The Cost

Image source: Malarkey Roofing

Malarkey is one of the top roofing companies in North America, leading the way in producing environmentally friendly and high-quality asphalt shingles. And unfortunately, quality comes at a price. But while Malarkey shingles may be significantly more expensive than IKO or Atlas, youre also investing in a longer-lasting and more durable roof. Thanks to Malarkeys innovations in polymer modified asphalt and its customer-friendly Secure Choice System, you shouldnt have to worry about defective shingles or consistent repairs. Overall, Malarkey roofing products are expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

Fixr.com provides cost guides, comparisons, and term cheat sheets for hundreds of remodeling, installation and repair projects.

Is Malarkey Roofing Warranty Good

Compared to top roofing shingles manufacturers, Malarkey is known for providing an outstanding warranty, that offers great protection for the homeowner.

Did You Know? Your Malarkey warranty will offer 100% coverage for several years after installation, before the proration period begins. Malarkey calls this time frame: The Right Start Period. This period is one of the longest warranty coverages in the industry.

Here is a summary of Malarkey Warranty terms for different shingle series.

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Roi Of Malarkey Shingles

Before investing thousands of dollars into a new roof, its important to check whether or not this is actually a good investment. When it comes to Malarkey shingles you can rest assured that you will be getting one of the top returns in the roofing industry.

When you install, high quality shingles, such as Malarkey you can expect up to 75% return on investment. This ROI is considered to be one of the highest in residential construction and exterior remodeling.

Our Roofing Insights Shingle Test: Whats Involved

When putting on these shingle tests, were looking to create a scientific and methodical test that can, at a minimum, give insight into how well shingles are built and manufactured. By performing several tests without actually installing these shingles on a roof, were looking for the best performing shingles based on these criteria:

• Feedback friendly

Its not uncommon for roofers to not agree with every part of our test. Thats okay, and its not something that we brush off easily. As a brand, our Roofing Insights team works hard to show the integrity behind roofing tools and materials.

We talk with many roofers, and we include a lot of roofers in our test. By using real roofers that are on the job and working with teams regularly to install shingles for homeowners, we get an unbiased opinion and can search for the best shingles on the market.

Throughout this test, a scale of 1-5 is used. 1 is the worst possible, and 5 is the best possible score in this test. Heres how it played out for Malarkey Vista Shingles.

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When To Choose Architectural Shingles

When do architectural shingles make the most sense? There are performance reasons and appearance reasons for choosing architectural shingles.

Performance: In the 3-tab vs Architectural Shingles section above, we outlined the performance advantages they offer. These include longer manufacturer warranties with longer non-prorated periods, better wind warranties and improved durability. If those are factors, youre looking for, go with architectural shingles.

Appearance: Most homeowners think architectural shingles are better-looking than 3-tabs. Neighborhood expectations are important too.

If most homes where you live are topped with architectural shingles, your home will look underdressed with strip shingles. Laminated fiberglass shingles improve curb appeal and boost resale value.

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Malarkey and Owens Corning are leading providers of asphalt roofing shingles. If you compare Malarkey and Owens Corning, it will give you a better understanding of the options you have for selecting a new roof, or repairing/replacing an existing roof.

A couple of quick definitions:

Wind resistant: Shingles are lost on a roof when the wind is able to get up under one of them and tear it off. Generally, as soon as one goes, many others will follow. The key to success with wind resistance is to have the shingle adhere to each other. This is done by putting one or two lines of a sticky substance, usually an asphalt glue, on the top of the shingle. This glue will adhere to the bottom of the shingle above it. These lines are already on the shingles when you buy them.

Algae resistant: Nature is amazing and plants will grow anywhere they can set down long enough. Algae and moss will grow on the east and north sides of a house where the sun doesnt usually bake the roof. Algae resistant shingles have copper granules that prevent growth or they have a new modern coating that prevents the plants from taking root. Again, this is built right into the shingles.

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How Does It Compare To Alternatives

The top products from GAF and Owens Corning also compare well with Malarkey, but top to bottom, the products from those brands arent quite as premium.

We recommend putting Malarkey on your shortlist of brands if you are willing to pay a slight premium for better quality and performance, which is especially true if you have no plans of moving. The longer you stay at that house, the better value Malarkey offers.

Certainteed Shingles Styles And Colors For Your Home

Square cut shingles offer an alternative to the normal asphalt shingle.

You can pick from a variety of colors and textures to make your roof stand out, making it an excellent choice for new homes or renovations!

The most common type is three tabs. This style has a built-in color that helps them blend in with other roofs on houses around your neighborhood.

These are great if youre looking to keep a lower profile.

Half-inch shingles are some of the most popular on the market because they offer optimal durability without being too heavy or hard on your budget!

They come in many different colors, so you can select one that fits with your exterior perfectly!

Professional installation is recommended for certainTeed Shingles. This is because they are made of high-quality materials that can be susceptible to damage if not handled carefully during installation.

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