Chris Says... What's the Deal with Those 40-Year Roofs?

I often hear people say, “My neighbor just bought one of those 40 year roofs... that’s longer than he’ll be around!” It’s shocking to many people to discover that a “40 Year” asphalt roof has an actual life span usually less that half of that, and that the “40 Year Warranty” provided with the products offer ZERO guarantee of such a life span.

I think that it becomes easier for people outside the business to understand the real world performance of roof materials when they take a moment to consider the physical properties of the base materials themselves. After realizing that heat and sun destroy all asphalt-based materials, it becomes obvious that – just like the road or driveway that need to be re-paved on regular basis – the much thinner material on an asphalt roof must also have a limited lifespan. imilarly, examining the material characteristics of all materials used for roof products allows you to make a good judgment about their life expectancy.

If you live in an environment where you encounter high winds, for example, then a product that is mechanically fastened will usually out-perform one that relies on weight or adhesion for their attachment to your structure. Metal roofs are a good example of mechanically fastened materials (nails or screws), where concrete and clay roofs are examples of roofs relying on weight to stay down in winds, and asphalt shingles are examples of materials that employ an adhesive to remain in place. It takes only a few minutes of analysis to realize that over the long term, something attached permanently is going to dramatically outperform something that is just “stuck down,” especially when the adhesive is organic (asphalt) and well know for decaying from exposure to heat and sun! Gee – what part of a building gets the most exposure to heat and sun?