What Brand Shingles Are Best

Iko Cambridge Vs Owens Corning Trudefinition

If youre looking for help choosing the right roofing shingles to install in your home, youve come to the right place. Today were taking a quick look at two popular shingle varieties: IKO Cambridge® Architectural Shingles and Owens Corning TruDefinition® Duration Shingles. Kroll Construction, your trusted roofing company, discusses their features, as well as some things youll need to consider before making a choice.

IKO Cambridge® Architectural Shingles

IKO is a company originally hailing from Calgary, Alberta. They produce tough roofing shingles known to withstand various weather conditions.

Consumers choose their Cambridge line for a few reasons, such as:

Blow-off protection. IKO Cambridge shingles have a printed nail line to help roofing companies install them properly, helping to prevent strong winds from blowing them off.

Built-in Algae resistance. Special granules have been embedded in each Cambridge shingle, providing them long-lasting algae resistance.

IKO Fastlock sealant strips. Activated by the suns heat, these strips bond each shingle to another, providing maximum protection against heat, strong winds and water damage.

Fiberglass Mat. Each Cambridge shingle is made of four layers: a fiberglass mat sandwiched between two layers of weathering asphalt and topped with colored granules. These are built tough.

Owens Corning TruDefinition® Duration Shingles

Here are some of their features:

Other considerations

Best Roofing Shingles Guide For 2022

Your roof is what keeps you protected. It provides you with peace of mind, knowing you and your family are safe from rain, snow, hail, wind, heat, and cold. When choosing a roofing material, it’s critical to select the best roofing shingles. You need shingles that can withstand weather elements and have a long lifespan. Because asphalt shingles can do both and are inexpensive, easy to install, and widely available, they’ve become the most popular roofing material in the United States.

What are asphalt shingles? Why are they so popular? How can you know which contractor provides the best roof shingles? In this guide, we’ll discuss how asphalt shingles are made and compare different roof shingle types and costs to help you learn how to choose the best shingles for your home.

Why Are Roofing Shingles Important

Roofing shingles are important because you need to protect your home. If you dont have a roof, the rain will come inside and ruin all of your belongings.

The exterior material on top of your house also plays an important role in keeping out weather conditions like snow and ice that can take down trees.

Choosing between asphalt, fiberglass, and metal is a difficult decision. Some materials are more durable than others so you need to consider the life of your roof when making this choice.

Your homes location will also play an important role in what kind of material you choose since some shingles can handle salt water better because they wont rust as easily if it is near the coast.

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The Best Asphalt Shingles On The Market In 2022

A roof is more than a component of your home its what protects your home from natures elements like hail, wind, and rain. Replacing a roof is expensive, so its essential to decide on the best asphalt shingles that meet your needs, taste, and budget.

Weâve covered the pros and cons of the top roof manufacturers, but which are the best shingles on the market today?

There are various questions to consider before answering this question.

• What are your objectives?
• Do you have a budget?
• How long do you intend to live in your home?
• Are there any building code requirements that dictate or limit your roofing options?
• Are there additional regional considerations based on where you live, like a need to protect against hail, severe winds, black streaks caused by algae, and more?

80% of US homes have asphalt shingles roofs, so they are the most popular roofing material type. Letâs continue looking at the best asphalt roof shingles 2022.

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

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What Are The Top

Until now, weâve focused on the top asphalt shingles manufacturers. Weâll now shift focus to the top-rated shingles brands. Within each manufacturer, homeowners and roofing contractors will have many choices of top-rated asphalt shingles. Letâs look at two options per manufacturer to consider for your next roofing project.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Asphalt Shingles

When you consider the above, there are plenty of obvious reasons why asphalt is still the material of choice for most homeowners. Choosing asphalt gets you:

• A lower price point than metal, wood, or solar shingles
• A better look than rubber shingles
• Better durability than wood shingles
• Easier maintenance than wood or metal shingles

Asphalt shingles also offer more options for styles and colours than most other materials. This helps increase the curb appeal of your home and can help it fetch a better price if youre trying to sell your house.

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Certainteed Vs Owens Corning: Who Makes A Superior Asphalt Shingle

Finding the right roof shingles for your home maybe even more important than you think.

Not only will you have to look at them every day, but they also have a huge impact on the longevity of your home. To help you find the perfect shingle, were going to break down two of the most popular asphalt shingle brands on the market CertainTeed vs. Owens Corning.

Like weve done in a previous test, well break them down by weight, nail zone, pull test, coverage, count per bundle, online reputation, granule loss, contractors programs, sealant test, and warranty issues.

Follow along for a side-by-side comparison as we find out who makes a Superior Asphalt Shingle in 2022.

Certainteed Asphalt Roofing Shingles

CertainTeed manufactures an extensive selection of residential and commercial building products focused on exteriors and interiors. Products include roofing, siding, insulation, ceilings, trim, drywall, solar, fencing, decking, railing, and sheathing.

CertainTeed asphalt shingles are known for high quality and some of the industryâs most popular luxury product lines, like the Presidential and Highland Slate. Like their competitors, CertainTeed asphalt roofing shingles are available in three primary categories, 3-tab, architectural, and luxury.

The Landmark architectural shingles are its best-selling line with its five products, several of which focus on premium colors than other intangible product differences. All are manufactured with CertainTeeds StreakFighter technology that protects black streaks caused by algae formation.

Its ClimateFlex shingles are similar to Owens Corning Duration FLEX or GAF AS II shingles, high-quality Class 4 shingles that offer enhanced resistance to damaging hail with superior surface granule adhesion. CertainTeeds ClimateFlex technology provides cold-weather-friendly pliability, allowing roofing contractors to handle and install these asphalt shingles in low temperatures, making standard shingles stiff and brittle.

At Metro City Roofing, we install CertainTeed regularly for discerning homeowners who want the luxury design and quality best known with the Presidential products.

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Choosing Tamko Asphalt Shingles

TAMKO is popular with homebuilders and budget-conscious homeowners as TAMKO asphalt shingles are lower-priced than competitors. Unfortunately, TAMKO has earned a reputation for inferior quality with numerous product recalls and defects in recent years. Its product warranties are among the best amongst competitors but may be considered necessary given TAMKOs quality reputation.

The product line is smaller than manufacturers like GAF and CertainTeed and more comparable to Malarkey, making fewer asphalt shingles. This brand has its entry 3-tab shingles, the Elite Glass-Seal, which is available in 8 colors and has 25-year limited warranties. The Heritage line has multiple variations and is its most popular architectural shingle.

Many competitors offer algae resistance protection to defend against black streaks on a roof found in claims with high humidity and rain. Most of TAMKOâs shingles do not have similar algae resistance protection.

How To Choose The Best Asphalt Shingles

To choose the best asphalt shingles for your home, youll need to take into consideration a few factors, including:

• Grade and Budget: Choose from 3-tab, dimensional or designer luxury models. Each grade increases the cost to install asphalt shingles, its quality and the available design options.
• Climate: Climate dictates ratings and color. Lighter colors can reflect heat while dark colors are best for colder regions. Choose ratings for wind, fire and hail depending on your weather.
• Design and Color: The higher the grade, the more styles and colors youll get to choose from.

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Slate Tile Roofing Shingles

Slate roofing shingles are a stone roofing material that is installed as a shingle. Slate shingles are thin but very heavy when the whole roof is made out of them. Slate has a natural beauty to it that many people appreciate, but the shingles do not really vary in color or looks. Slate roofing shingles cost on average $8 to $14 per square foot or $800 to $1,400 per square to install. Slate tiles are more difficult to install but when done properly they will give you one of the longest-lasting roof options available. Slate shingles come with an expensive price tag, but that does not mean that slate is not a great roof type option if you can afford it. Many people decide slate roofs are worth the cost to install since they will last more than a lifetime from 60 to 150 years.

Owens Corning Warranty Options

OC offers five different warranty options

Standard: Suitable for first and second layers of shingles over any roofing underlayment. The non-prorated period is 5 or 10 years depending on the shingle.

Total Protection Roofing System: This warranty requires the installation of Owens Corning shingles, Owens Corning Hip & Ridge shingles and two of the following four: OC VentSure roof vent, OC underlayment, OC starter shingles and OC ice and weather barrier. The non-prorated period is 5 or 10 years depending on the shingle.

The System Protection, Preferred Protection and Platinum Protection are exclusive to the Owens Corning Contractor Network who represent roofing contractors certified to properly install OC shingles.

These warranties offer longer periods without the warranty being prorated. For the System Protection warranty, you must install 2 of the 4 products listed in the Total Protection Roofing System warranty.

For the Preferred Protection and Platinum Protection warranties, you must install 3 of the products with other qualifying factors, too.

All Owens Corning warranties can be transferred once during the lifetime of the warranty. If you sell your home during the warranty period, the second Owner must contact 1-800-ROOFING within sixty days after the date of the real estate transfer to obtain the benefits of this warranty.

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Are Iko Shingles Bad

Disadvantages of IKO That said, IKO consumer ratings are poor when compared to other brands. The reason for this is several class action law suits against the company about defective shingles. While the line of shingles that was defective is no longer produced, the public has remained cautious of the brand.

What is the warranty on IKO Cambridge shingles?

IKO warrants its Cambridge 30, Cambridge 30 AR and Cambridge 30 AZ shingles for the initial 60 months after the date of installation against wind blow-off damage due to wind velocities, including gusts up to a maximum of one hundred and twelve km/h.

Are Iko Shingles The Right Choice For Your Home

This guide provides a critical look at the current lineup of IKO shingles from the perspective of homeowners, home inspectors, and roofing contractors.

We believe this is the best approach to getting a well-rounded view of any shingle brand. Its how we structured our reviews of GAF and Malarkey shingles among others.

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Atlas Asphalt Roofing Shingles

Atlas manufactures residential and commercial roofing materials, from asphalt shingles to insulation. Like its competitors, Atlas asphalt shingles include its 3-tab, architectural, and luxury asphalt shingles.

Unlike Owens Corning or others with more extensive lines, Atlas manufactures a more limited product line like Malarkey and TAMKO. For example, Atlas premium line is limited to its StormMaster slate shingles. Homeowners looking for more affordable Atlas asphalt shingles will find the GlassMaster 3-tab shingles.

It is important to consider weather conditions and code requirements in specific markets when selecting asphalt shingles or any roofing product. For example, the GlassMaster 3-tab shingles have 60 mile per hour wind resistance ratings. This wind speed rating may be acceptable in specific markets but may not meet local building codes in others. Across the Front Range in Colorado, 60 mile per hour wind resistance will unlikely be allowed, inhibiting a homeowners selection.

Atlass unique attribute or differentiator is its patented process of applying ScotchGard on its shingles, protecting against black algae streaks.

Of the 4 Atlas shingles product lines, two are Class 4 shingles, the StormMaster Slate and StormMaster Shake.

What The Best Roof Shingles Have In Common

Personal opinion often plays a big part when someone tells you what they think the best roof shingles are. Personal experience with a company, a preference for a certain style of shingle, etc.

But there are some things about shingles that are simply factual and often measurable. You can use these criteria as a guideline to selecting the best roof shingles.

Production Quality: The best roof shingles are manufactured to high standards, using industry best practices, with a final product that is consistently satisfactory.

This short video from CertainTeed shows you the basic steps involved in asphalt shingle production:

High production quality means your roof will be far less likely to suffer from the common problems that affect asphalt shingle roofs.

Shingle problems that are frequently due to manufacturing defects include premature shingle cupping, clawing, and curling cracked shingles, loss of granules, blisters, and failure of the self-sealing adhesive strips.

These issues can often be seen on old roofs where the shingles have reached the end of their design life. But shingles produced with poor manufacturing quality can start to develop these issues almost as soon as theyre installed.

Of course, you wont be able to observe your shingles being made or see the actual quality standards being enforced in the factory, so youll just have to take the manufacturers word for it. Which brings us to manufacturer reputation.

greatly

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Choosing Atlas Asphalt Shingles

Atlas promotes its Scotchgard protection on asphalt shingles against algae, allowing shingles to avoid dark streaks and appear newer for more extended periods. Celebrity construction contractor Mike Holmes has a relationship with Atlas to promote its shingles, which adds credibility.

Atlas shingles have quality warranties compared to some competitors, offset by quality issues and its reputation for honoring warranties. We recommend purchasing a more extended warranty when installing the complete Atlas Signature Select System. This extended warranty is superior to several competitors.

Like other products, Atlas asphalt shingles are found primarily through roofing specialty distributors, so many homeowners will likely not have heard of Atlas for roofing.

Homeowners will find a smaller product line compared to GAF with limited colors. But the colors are the frequent top selections, so fewer choices should not be an issue with finding the right option for your home.

Atlas is one of the industryâs top shingles manufacturers, with pricing lesser than CertainTeed or Malarkey.

Its best to speak with a professional roofing company before finalizing your asphalt shingle roof brand and reviewing the warranty requirements before purchase.

Choosing Roof Shingle Brands

There are so many brands available today that it can be difficult to know which are the best.

You want a brand that is going to stand up against nature, but you also dont want one made with cheap materials because this will cause your roof shingles to wear down faster.

You should choose roof shingle brands based on what style of house you have, how long you plan to stay in your home, and what type of climate you live in.

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