Bob's Review on Laminated Asphalt Shingles

There are many types of asphalt shingles to choose from on the market these days.

One of the first Laminated Asphalt Shingles designed was the Celotex Presidential Shake now manufactured by CertainTeed. It was designed to be thick and with its staggered rugged look, looking allot like cedar shakes. Having two mirrored layers of mats laminated together, it was thicker than any other shingle at that time. It was a big hit in the roofing industry needing a product to replace the fire-prone shake roofs. The asphalt laminated shingle has now replaced the old flat-looking three-tab shingle with many styles, colors and shapes to choose from.

Having so many types of shingles can be overwhelming to decide on just one, so let me high-lite three of the leaders starting with the CertainTeed Presidential Shake TL. It is a Tri-Laminated shingle construction. This type of shingle is taller than normal shingles and has three laminated mats. The bottom two mirrors the top mat. They have a precise way of being installed to have, a zig-zag pattern, seen from the ground, some people do not like.

The LandMark TL The TL also stands for tri-laminate, meaning three layers of roofing mats. With the LandMark the top two being mirrored images of each other and laminated together for the entire width and height of the shingle. The exposed area has a saw-tooth cutout and when the third mat is laminated from the nailing area to the bottom of the shingle, it creates a unique design, filling in the cutouts of the upper two mats. The bottom layer has a shadow line and gives the shingle a definition, earning the nickname dimensional shingle. Looking at this 5 5/8th exposed part of the tri-laminate shingle, it has a very thick appearance as you can see in the photo below. Near an old shake roof, it has a shake look without the zig-zag pattern of the Presidential series shingles.

The Owens Corning Duration Tru-Def Max is a different beast, it uses the phrase triple-layer meaning a two mat construction and using the third layer of reinforcement tape called “sure nail” technology attached at the nailing area. This is a small strip of fabric material embedded into the top mat and has an extreme value over other shingles that do not have this patterned technology. This Owens Corning design is in the heart of the nail zone, giving the roofer or installer a clear and simple 1 1/2 inch area to place the nails. That’s not all. This reinforced nailing area, in my opinion, gives this shingle the claim of one of the strongest shingles on the market because it resists blow offs better than any of the others. Here is why. The Duration Tru-Def Max and it’s Sure Nail Technology provides a 130 MPH warranty using 4 nails. No other manufacturer in the US makes that 130 MPH claim with just 4 nails.

The True Def. Dur/Max weight per sq is 348 vs the LandMark TL is 305 per sq. Both are rugged-looking shingles but the LandMark TL looks thicker to me because on the third laminated mat that the True Def. Dur/ Max. does not have. The only reason I can think this would weigh more is the amount granules used in the Duration Tru-Def Max vs the lighter third mat of the LandMark TL.

My advice when choosing a shingle is to find what you like best by looking at some roofs nearby you. Your neighbors love talking about their roof and most are willingly share the type of shingle used on their house. so don’t be afraid to stop and ask. This can also be done by asking the local manufacturers' reps. to provide addresses of the types of roofing products and colors you like from a brochure. Go look at these homes because it will help you decide to see the finished product up on a roof. Compare warranties and then decide. These products come from solid companies and should perform very well when installed correctly by a licensed contractor.

Have a question? AskARoofer.

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.