Thoughts from Chris - "40 Year Shingles" and other lies

Since I've been focusing exclusively on selling metal roof materials for many years now, it's become common for me to be accused of exaggerating the poor performance of asphalt shingles - the most commonly used roof material in North America. My presentation materials, website and blogs contain many photos of badly decomposed and failing asphalt roofs that had lasted only a fraction of their "warranty period" and in fact many such photos can be found on many, many websites.

I started noting and photographing the real performance of asphalt shingles in the early 90s, so this is hardly a new phenomenon. What is new, however, is that the contractors who specialize at installing asphalt shingles are now saying the same things I've been repeating for nearly 20 years. I was very, very gratified recently to read promotional material by the owner of one of the most prominent roof contracting companies in the region. He wrote an open letter to potential customers in which he states clearly that "properly installed" asphalt roofs have a life expectancy of 12-20 years! Easily inferred from this statement is the fact that improperly installed asphalt shingles have a lifespan shorter still. It should be noted that the shingles to which he's referring have "warranty periods" of 30, 40, 50 years and even "lifetime" warranty periods!

I've been saying for years - as have many other people in the roofing industry, I hasten to add - that there is NO RELATIONSHIP between the lifespan of these asphalt shingles and the printed "warranty period" on the wrapper. Even this most recent disclaimer by an "insider" doesn't stop for one minute the ongoing, deliberate misrepresentation of the life expectancy of these products by many people in the industry. They're still sold as "40 Year Shingles," yet there's not an honest person in the business who will say that they will actually last 40 years! I'm stunned this practice continues. I predict a hungry lawyer somewhere will collect enough signatures one day to commence a very large and very public class-action suit against some manufacturer with deep pockets that continues to sell these oil-based products with these completely meaningless and deliberately misleading warranty periods. The shame of it is that the typical roof purchaser still believes that they're buying a "40 Year" shingle and that someone is promising them a lifespan close to 40 years. I'm sure there's a better description of the practice than "deliberate misrepresentation," but I just don't know what that might be.

I think this issue is more relevant than ever now that housing has transitioned (again) from a get-rich-quick scheme back to a place where they are homes for this generation and those to come. Regardless, I at least have confidence that a properly installed metal roof CAN last 40, 50 or more years. In fact, I own a property built in 1957 with a metal roof - and those metal shingles are still performing well today, 51 years later. Now, that's a "50 Year Shingle"!