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best quality roofing shingles?

14 years ago

We will be replacing our roof this spring. It has two layers of shingles so the roof will be stripped down and replaced totally. We live in Connecticut and our house is in a very shady area so currently moss and lichen are a big problem. I am in the process of getting estimates and am confused by the different companies. Is there a significant difference between them? I will be looking for a 30 yr-lifetime shingle. Clearly the contractor is the most important variable, but assuming I am lucky enough to get a proper job done, is there a big difference between GAF, Certainteed, and Tamko for instance?

I have read about zinc strips to decrease the likelihood of moss and algae but one contractor said the newer shingles are much more algae resistant so the zinc would be overkill. True? Since the cost is relatively inexpensive, my gut is to add it to the project.

My attempts at doing google searches to compare the products has been unsuccessful so I am hoping to learn more here.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

spider007
14 years ago
One thing you might look for is shingles with 3M's Scotchgard algae prevention granules. These are used in a lot of different companies' products and include a guarantee against algae (though, interestingly, not against moss). They are copper granules mixed in with the conventional granules. Algae and moss do not like metals, so the copper keeps them from getting a foothold.
dccnm
Original Author
14 years ago
Interesting. I didn't pick up on the fact that there was not guarantee against moss! I have decided to go for both--the algae resistant shingles AND the zinc strips. My roof will need all the help it can get if the current one is any indication.

Any comments on the different brands of shingles--Certainteed, GAF, Tamko? Each of the three estimates I have gotten favor a different brand....
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I have the camelots on my house (maybe a 600K house? who knows with the dive in housing prices lately?) and I really like them. I was never told that they were too high-end for my house. Around here, it's all over the map what goes where - some million dollar houses have regular old architectural shingles while others have real slate or cedar ($$$$). You should just get what you like. Your roofer probably just doesn't want to deal with the camelots because they're heavy. I can't imagine they're any different to lay than regular shingles - they are just asphalt, after all - but they are wicked heavy. After lugging bundle after bundle up to the top of my roof, my roofers were probably ready to kill me. You will want to make sure your existing roof framing can handle the extra weight, especially if you live in an area with potential heavy snowfall. My guess (and this is only a guess and of course, may vary depending on your location) is that if your roofer is still recommending regular 3-tab shingles, he must be a pretty low-end roofer. We've reroofed our last 2 houses and gotten estimates from a ton of roofers for both jobs and not one has even considered 3-tabs. They just aren't done here anymore - the architecturals (even the lower end ones) just look so much better and last better too, because they're thicker. So at the very least, I would go with architectural (we put Timberline 30s on our last house and they looked great) but if you like the camelot and you can afford it and you don't have anything else you'd rather do with the money, then go for it. I doubt you'll see $4500 more when it's time to sell your house because you have an upgraded roof, though, so just be aware that you're doing it to please yourself and not to recover any money in the end. Good luck!
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macv
14 years ago
Algae won't hurt the shingles it just leaves a black residue. Adding pure zinc or copper strips is coltly and the copper granules in algae resistant shingles should be effective enough. Check with local lumberyards to see if they are effective but redundancy isn't a bad thing.

Here is a link that might be useful: info
shortlid
14 years ago
Does liken or moss hurt the shingles?
buddyrose
13 years ago
dccnm: what did you end up going with?

macv: I just found this thread since I'm investigating shingles for a new roof in CT. My research says that algae, moss etc. hurt the roof in several ways especially with moisture which rots the wood under the roof. I've read several articles on algae. I'm attaching a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: removing moss etc.
dccnm
Original Author
11 years ago
Just wanted to follow-up in case anyone finds this old thread while doing a search.

We used the algae resistant shingles AND the zinc strips. My roofer thought the zinc was fabulous. It's inexpensive, apparently easy to install, and (fingers crossed) not one sign of algae or moss to date. The roofer is so impressed that when he recently redid the roof on his own home he added them to his project.
Crissie
3 years ago
Thank you for the follow up. 7 years later and I found this post very useful as I am currently shopping around for a new roof.

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