Who Makes The Best Shingles

How To Choose The Best Roofing Shingles

There are a lot of factors that go into choosing shingles for your roofing project. Most likely, your budget is one of the largest factors. Accordingly, you want the best price on roofing shingles as well as the best value.

Typically, it can cost from $5,000 to $28,000 to replace a residential roof. Factors such as the square footage, your choice of shingle and local labor costs all influence the total price of installation.

For example, the average American home is around 2,000 square feet. Imagine that you have a 2,000 square-foot home. In that case, a new roof may cost between $7,700 and $60,500, including labor.

Across the United States, the cost to install a roof varies. On average, however, a new roof costs about seven dollars per square foot. This price usually includes all the various services involved in the installation, such as

• Construction waste disposal
• Two layers of old roof removal

If you have special requirements, this will also affect the price of your roofing installation. The complexity of your roof will also contribute to the cost of the project.

The underlayment will also affect the cost of your roof. Also, the slope of your roof plays into how much it will cost to have your new roof installed.

Why Buy Architectural Shingles

Architectural shingles are a solid choice for your home if you want a sophisticated design for your roof at a fraction of what more expensive materials would cost for high-end homes. 3-tab shingles are the cheaper option, they dont last as long or offer the same type of appearance. Installing a new roof can boost your homes curb appeal, and choosing architectural shingles is a great way to maximize its value.

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

Choosing The Right Shingles Quality Is Paramount

Each of the shingles highlighted in this list offers the highest quality available in the class of asphalt shingles.

Grand Manor shingles are the costliest, though theyre also the strongest on the list. On the other side of the cost scale, TAMKOs Heritage series costs the least, though theyre not quite as thick as the other shingles highlighted here. However, their high availability and wide range of colors make up for this minor shortfall.

Whichever shingles you choose, always aim for something that matches the look of your property while providing the protection it needs.

Class A fire resistance is a must, as is high wind resistance if you live in an area thats prone to storms and hurricanes.

You also need to consider how the shingles will look over time, with manufacturers that offer some form of algae protection typically providing the best choices for aesthetic appeal.

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How Much Do The Best Shingles Cost

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The cheapest asphalt shingles can be installed for as little as $220-275 per square, for labor and materials.

However, top quality, best looking asphalt shingles may set you back a little more. Still, the investment you make into higher-end shingles repays itself in terms of enhanced wind and fire protection. Youll also find that high-quality roof shingles provide superior aesthetic appeal.

The average cost of asphalt roof shingles, with labor included, comes to about $330 per square. Premium shingles can cost as much as $525-800 per square for labor and materials.

Check out materials prices for top quality asphalt shingles in the table below.

You can use our Roofing Shingles Calculator to estimate the cost of installing asphalt shingles on your roof.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Choosing Certainteed Asphalt Shingles

CertainTeed asphalt shingles have a fiberglass base covered with dual layers of waterproof asphalt topped with ceramic-coated granules for color. Several products like the Landmark ClimateFlex IR and Presidential IR are Class 4 shingles, the industryâs top shingles with impact resistance.

Like Owens Corningâs Supreme 3-tab shingles, CertainTeedâs XT 25 3-tab shingles have a 60 mile per hour rating and a 25-year limited transferable warranty. All architectural shingles have a 110 mph rating with the option of increasing the resistance to 130 mph using a 6-nail application.

All CertainTeed asphalt shingles have a 10-year SureStart Protection Plan that provides 100% coverage of manufacturer defects. Further, all CertainTeed shingles have a warranty for algae protection 10-years for the ClimateFlex and Landmark lines 15-years for all other lines.

Like GAF shingles, you will not find CertainTeed products at Home Depot or Lowes. Instead, roofing contractors and homeowners will need to purchase them from specialty roofing supply distributors. But the biggest drawback to selecting CertainTeed shingles is the price. Some products are competitive, like the 3-tab and architectural shingles. But many others are higher priced, like the Presidential IR.

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When Are Class 4 Impact

Every year, thousands of homeowners across the country suffer costly damage to their roofs during hailstorms and other extreme weather events. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Severe Storms database, 4,610 major hail events occurred in the U.S. in 2018, and these storms caused billions of dollars in damage. One insurer alone, State Farm, reported paying out more than $2.7 billion in claims related to wind and hail damage in 2018.

There are certain parts of the U.S. that are more hail-prone than others. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the five worst states for major hail events in 2018 were:

• Texas, with 508 hail storms
• Kansas, with 493 hail storms
• Colorado, with 332 hail storms
• Nebraska, with 309 hail storms
• South Dakota, with 309 hail storms

If you live in a hail-proneregion of the country, or in an area where frequent severe weather events put yourroof at higher risk for damage, then you may want to seriously considerinstalling Class 4 roofing shingles.

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.

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When Should I See A Doctor Because Of The Side Effects I Experience From Shingrix

Shingrix causes a strong response in your immune system, so it may produce short-term side effects. These side effects can be uncomfortable, but they are expected and usually go away on their own in 2 or 3 days. You may choose to take over-the-counter pain medicine such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Contact your healthcare provider if the symptoms are not improving or if they are getting worse.

In clinical trials, Shingrix was not associated with serious adverse events. In fact, serious side effects from vaccines are extremely rare. For example, for every 1 million doses of a vaccine given, only one or two people might have a severe allergic reaction. Signs of an allergic reaction happen within minutes or hours after vaccination and include hives, swelling of the face and throat, difficulty breathing, a fast heartbeat, dizziness, or weakness. If you experience these or any other life-threatening symptoms, see a doctor right away.

Composite Plastic Roof Shingles

Composite plastic shingles are generally produced from recycled plastic materials. They are a way to get more life out of plastics and other materials that would simply be tossed out in most instances so they are a great environmentally friendly roof replacement option. You can expect to pay $4 to $6 per sq. foot for plastic shingles or $400 to $600 per square installed on a standard sized single story home.Composite plastic shingles can be designed to imitate stone slate tiles or even wood shakes. They are much lighter than slate or other roofing types which make them easy to install. Composite plastic shingles are relatively affordable, but they are not as long lasting as most other shingle types. Plastic roofing lasts from 7 to 20 years depending on the type of plastic you choose to install.

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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Shingrix

Studies show that Shingrix is safe. The vaccine helps your body create a strong defense against shingles. As a result, you are likely to have temporary side effects from getting the shots. The side effects might affect your ability to do normal daily activities for 2 to 3 days.

Most people got a sore arm with mild or moderate pain after getting Shingrix, and some also had redness and swelling where they got the shot. Some people felt tired, had muscle pain, a headache, shivering, fever, stomach pain, or nausea. Some people who got Shingrix experienced side effects that prevented them from doing regular activities. Symptoms went away on their own in about 2 to 3 days. Side effects were more common in younger people.

You might have a reaction to the first or second dose of Shingrix, or both doses. If you experience side effects, you may choose to take over-the-counter pain medicine such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Guillain-Barré syndrome , a serious nervous system disorder, has been reported very rarely after Shingrix. There is also a very small increased risk of GBS after having shingles.

If you experience side effects from Shingrix, you should report them to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System . Your doctor might file this report, or you can do it yourself through the VAERS websiteexternal icon, or by calling 1-800-822-7967.

If you have any questions about side effects from Shingrix, talk with your doctor.

Asphalt Vs Fiberglass Shingles

Lets examine the differences between fiberglass shingles and asphalt shingles.

The sheer number of available roofing options can be overwhelming. Even with options like asphalt shingles, there are two types: organic asphalt and fiberglass. Both are asphalt shingles and come in architectural and three-tab styles, and they each have pros and cons to consider. Here is a breakdown of asphalt vs. fiberglass shingles, so you know what each has to offer:

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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.

Best Roofing Manufacturers: The Top Brands For Your Type Of Roof

Reroofing your home? Choose roofing materials from one of the best roofing manufacturers that are trusted by roofers. Here are our top picks.

When your home needs a new roof, you have some important decisions to make most importantly, finding a roofer you trust and the roofing material you like best.

There are so many options out there, it can be overwhelming. To help, heres our list of the best roofing manufacturers that we recommend, sorted by the type of roofing material they manufacture.

These are the brands you can trust when youre selecting your new roof.

• Slate roof manufacturers

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Classic Metal Roofing Systems

Classic has very good metal shingles line. The biggest issue is that they work on regional dealership basis. This means there is one contractor per region, no competition, expensive material pricing, and dealers also charge a premium price for installation.

In some regions, dealers use pushy sales tactics, talk trash about competitors, but in reality their installation is no better than from small roofing companies.

In my region, the Classic dealer actually hires former Interlock Roofing installers by luring them for a couple more bucks an hour. This means that the quality of installation is on par across big dealerships. The problem with both dealers is that you speak with a pushy salesman and have no idea who your installer will be.

In different areas, these dealers use either subcontractors or directly employ the installers. Bigger dealers have multiple crews, usually subcontractors, who work on volume and want to finish your job as soon as possible, thereby sacrificing quality.

The company has been in business since 1980, and has been installing its US manufactured metal roofs around the globe. Its products are made from 95% recycled materials. They offer a number of beautiful aluminum shingles. They are designed to withstand even the harshest coastal climate conditions.

Moreover the concealed fastener and the 4 way interlocking system is designed to withstand the highest wind uplifts and will remain intact in the harshest weather.

How Do Roofing Shingles Qualify For A Class 4 Rating

Back in the mid-1990s, after a series of catastrophic hail storms across the U.S., the roofing industry developed a test to evaluate their products resistance to impact. This standardized test is known as the Underwriters Laboratory 2218 , and is also nicknamed the steel ball test. Based on the results of this test, UL assigns one of four ratings to a shingle, with Class 4 being the highest possible rating.

During this testing method, asteel ball is dropped from a specified height onto an installed roofing shingleseveral times. The shingle is then turned over and inspected for any breaks orcracks that could potentially allow water to leak through.

To receive a Class 4 rating, aroofing shingle must withstand having a 2-inch steel ball dropped multipletimes from a height of 20 feet. For more perspective, if this same test isrepeated on a 4-inch concrete paver, the force of the steel ball would crackthe paver in half.

While Class 4 is the highestrating for impact resistance, there are also lower ratings a shingle can receive,such as Class 3 and Class 2. The difference between the ratings is that Class 3shingles withstand a smaller steel ball dropped from a lower height, andlikewise for Class 2.

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Best Asphalt Shingles For Your Home

Reroofing your home? Here are the best asphalt shingles, rated by a pro roofer. Includes 7 categories, with tips.

When choosing your new roof, you cant go wrong with asphalt shingles. Theyre affordable and look great.But price shouldnt be your only consideration.

In this guide, we rate the best asphalt shingles for your home, rated by category, based on our experience as pro roofers.

Now, lets review the asphalt shingles we recommend most, by looking at how they rate in these categories:

For quality you can trust, look at shingles from the industrys top-tier manufacturers:

Other manufacturers stand out in specific categories, but for consistent quality in multiple categories, you cant go wrong with one of these three companies.

Best Metal Roof Shingles

If you want to install a metal roof over your house, you have an unprecedented variety of profiles, styles and colors to choose from.

In recent years, metal roof shingles have grown in popularity because of an unbeatable combination of features. They are less expensive than standing seam panels, beautifully replicate the look of other upscale roofing materials, offer a long service life and great energy savings.

We have picked the top 7 metal roof products from the most reputable manufacturers any one of them can become your forever roof.

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Owens Corning Asphalt Roofing Shingles

Owens Corning is a leading manufacturer of asphalt shingles, residential and commercial insulation, and fiberglass composite materials. It has a strong brand association with the Pink Panther, which it has been using since 1980 to promote the sale of its pink fiberglass insulation.

Homeowners looking to replace their roof can find Owens Corning asphalt shingles ranging from 3-tab to architectural to luxury. Luxury shingles are designed to appear like wood shakes or slates in many cases. There are fewer designs or styles of Owens Corning asphalt roofing shingles than other brands.

Owens Corning has done an excellent job securing product positioning at top home improvement retailers like Home Depot and Lowes. It is the only brand homeowners can find at these chains when looking at roofing materials. Product and color availability is limited to their more basic architectural shingles, the Oakridge, and more premium Duration and Duration STORM. When wanting a more comprehensive selection, homeowners need to speak with a roofing contractor to discuss and review samples for all their options and colors.