Maybe it’s time to get your roof redone. Maybe you’re building a brand new house from the ground up? Maybe there’s a few loose shingles on your roof right now? There are many different types of shingles — available in different sizes, shapes, colours, thickness and material. Here are the types of shingle materials to choose from to help you choose the right one for your roof.
Asphalt is one of the most widely used materials for shingles in the industry. They’re used on residential shingle roofs, or steep slope roofs, the asphalt shingle has has many advancements since its inception. The pros of asphalt shingles include: they’re inexpensive, have a life expectancy between 20 to 50 years, are recyclable, they’re easy to install and come in lots of colours and styles. The cons of asphalt shingles include: don’t hold up very well in drastic climate change, structurally weak and can only be installed on steep slope roofs.
Fibreglass is a multi-purpose material and can be used for shingles. This shingles is actually a fibreglass/asphalt hybrid if you will — layering wet fibreglass, bonded to a resin then coated with asphalt that has been is mixed with various types of mineral fillers. Through this process, fibreglass shingles end up with waterproof characteristics provide reliable strength and durability and come with a Class A fire resistance.
Organic shingles haven’t manufactured since 2005, due to their decline in popularity and production versus the longer lasting fibreglass shingles. Organic shingles was just another name for the traditional felt mat asphalt shingles. As part of the environmental conscious trend, these shingles were made of organic components such as paper, recycled cardboard, rags, and wood chips.
Wood shake shingles are made out of wood or some type of synthetic material. Both the wood shake and wood shingle come primarily from pine, redwood trees, red cedar, and cypress. The difference between shakes and shingles are how they are made. A wood shingle is sawn with uniform ends, tapered evenly and they have a smooth front and back. A shake shingle is split but can be sawn, they’re more thick at the base end and are tapered from one end to the other. The pros of wood shingles include: with consistent maintenance, can last a long time and are very durable to wind, unique in their appearance, they’re organic and eco-friendly and are, more energy efficient than asphalt shingles. The cons of wood shingles include: more expensive, more flammable, harder to install, need more maintenance and susceptible to termite damage or other insect problems as well as rotting and mould.
Slate is one of the longest lasting roof materials available with some roofs lasting over a 100 years and more. Slate is a natural rock that is mined and cut to become slate shingles or slate tiles. The pros of slate shingles include: life expectancy between 80 to 100 years, unique appearance, low water absorption index and performs great in freezing temperatures and is extremely durability. The cons of slate shingles include: more expensive, repairs are more costly and hard to find professional slaters and slate is heavy.
Solar shingles are a new type of shingle that has emerged within the roofing industry. They do more than one thing — they are a protective shingle for the roof and an energy producing system. Solar shingles can be produced to with design and style and can be used in junction with traditional asphalt shingles, blending in very well as part of you home’s aesthetic.
