Metal Roofs vs. Shingles Continued

This discussion needed another post! Our re-roofing booklet explores the topic of metal roofs versus composition shingles at length. And that's because it's one of the most common questions we hear and also because metal roofs are superior in almost every way, so it takes a while to go through all of the benefits!

This is an excerpt from our re-roofing booklet and it focuses specifically on the impressive-sounding and ironclad-appearing warranties that come with many comp roofs:

"Warranties are the most confusing aspect of the roofing material study. Many homeowners make the mistake of concluding that the length of the manufacturer’s product defect warranty is the same as the life expectancy of the product covered. This is absolutely not the case (see photos of “40 Year” and “50 Year” roof materials after less than 20 years of exposure, pp. 14-15).

There is little, if any, connection between the warranty period and the lifespan of most roof materials.

In the case of asphalt shingles, manufacturers currently refer to their various models by their warranty period. Until about 20 years ago, asphalt shingles were classified by weight. The purchaser knew that the heavier a shingle was the longer they could expect it to last. That is no longer the case.

Technical changes in the manufacturing processes of asphalt shingles in the last 25 years have led manufacturers in a new direction. They’re now reluctant to publish the weights of their products in their sales literature and have replaced the weight designation with the length of the warranty period instead. Asphalt shingles that used to be classified as heavy, heavier, heaviest, (good, better, best) are now classified as “30 Year,” “40 Year” and “50 Year” shingles. This serves to distract builders and their customers from the technical details of the shingles construction. It implies that the manufacturer is promising many, many years of trouble-free service. This simply is not true, and interestingly enough, recently, almost all the asphalt shingle manufacturers raised the length of their warranty periods on most of their products, while at the same time making no changes to the composition of the shingles themselves. Evidence is everywhere that these products will not last."

Interested in learning more? Our re-roofing booklet is filled with relevant and valuable information just like these and covers other popular roofing materials too. Learn the ins and outs of the re-roofing industry before you buy your next roof - download our FREE re-roofing booklet today!