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cowhorncreek

Roofing Question

I was somewhat surprised to see that there is no forum dedicated to roofing, so hope it is okay to pose this question here.

I must have the roof replaced on my home. The contractor that I have just about decided to go with plans to use CertainTeed Landmark composite roofing. I believe CertainTeed is a good brand, but would like to know for sure. Would also like to know if the Landmark line is a good one.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Comments (22)

  • brownthumbia
    11 years ago

    Oh gosh, I, too, was looking for some roofing info. sorry, I can't help you with yours but am also wondering how many layers of shingles you can leave on the roof before you have to strip down to the bare wood. Sorry, hope someone can help you with your quetion, and, wellll, mine too.

  • willsi1998
    11 years ago

    I read a forum here that Certain Teed was involved in a class action law suit for selling defective shingles. Can anyone out there update me on this law suit? Also, does anyone know what the cost of a square of Certainteed 25 year shingles was in 1997? We replaced ours at that time and they are totally junk after only 15 years.

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    The warranty will be prorated so I do not imagine you would receive much of anything on your claim. Plus roofing shingle companies have so many outs to not warranty a roof. If one shingle in not nailed exactly as specified they will not warranty the roof more than likely. Not trying to discourage you but just do not want you to get your hopes up of a larger payout.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Any thoughts on whether CertaiTeed Landmark Designer line is any good. I truly appreciate any advice concerning this matter.

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    In todays age there are really not as many shingle companies as there used to be due to the economy the downturn in houses being built and in advance to material durability. So in my opinion the few companies left including Certainteed and GAF make very good products as long as you gravitate towards the higher end or premium products of which CertainTeed Landmark Designer Series is one.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank youso much, millworkman. This makes my decision as to which contractor to go to so much easier and greatly helps my peace of mind also.

  • dedtired
    11 years ago

    I'm having a new roof put on my house and getting Landmark dimensional shingles. I think I'm using Colonial Slate. Have you played around with the Certainteed web site? You can try out the different colors on different styles of houses.

  • debo_2006
    11 years ago

    After a month of interviewing roofers and getting a good education, our roof is finally being installed tomorrow (soffits were just build the last 2 days). We went with GAF. Some companies were pushing Certainteed, while more were pushing GAF, though all of them sell both. I was told by our roofer of choice (in business for 35 years and well known in the county) that the two products are pretty much equal.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi, dedtired. I have played with the Certainteed Website by uploading a photo of my house to it. I had trouble with getting the perpendicular correct, but still got an idea of what colors would look like. I just haven't made up my mind yet.

    Thanks,debi, for the reassurance.

  • dedtired
    11 years ago

    I am sitting here listening to the roofers nail Landmark 30 year shingles to my roof right now. They did the garage and porch yesterday. Looks good. I got Colonial Slate.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I met with the contractor Friday morning and decided on the Colonial Slate, which is what dedtired also selected. They should start work in about 2 weeks. I am so glad to have that decision made.

    Thanks to all of you for your input.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The shingles on the roof were replaced this past Saturday. I think the new roof looks great.

    I do have one question. This past Monday night we had a strong rain storm. I found roof "gravel" all over my back patio and deck. In thr front, I found the "gravel" on the walkway and driveway and on my car.

    Is this normal? I don't remember that happening on another house on which the roof was replaced.

  • debo_2006
    11 years ago

    That doesn't sound normal to me. We had a very strong rain storm blow through the day after our new GAF roof was put on in early May and didn't see any signs of granule remnants anywhere.

    Not knowing how much granules you found around the exterior of the house, it may be possible it was just loose particles from when they laid the roof That sounds like the obvious reason, though I'm no roof expert. Here's a suggestion: Monitor it during the next heavy rainfall to see if there is falling particles again. Also, check your gutters, if possible, between the rain storms to see if there is gravel build up in there. If so, take pics. Should this continue, I'd call the roofing company back. After all, the product has a 50 year or lifetime warranty if it's defective.

    That's my 2 cents for what it's worth. Good luck.

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    When a roof is first applied you will see some granules as there are definitely some loose ones on the shingle as well as some that become loose from handling and applying them to the roof. If it appears to be an excessive amount or this continues for a month or so you may want to bring the roofer back to take a look or call the supplier.

  • WalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you so much debi and millworkman. As suggested I will monitor this for a month or so.

  • dedtired
    11 years ago

    I am finding granules where the downspouts empty. I presume it is from the new shingles and to be expected. No big deal.

  • bpulliam
    11 years ago

    Is it appropriate to cover holes in roof decking with flashing while roofing???? I had informed the roofers that I thought there were decking boards that would most likely need replaced. He said they were not bad enough and just used flashing to cover the holes. Do I need to push the issue?

  • houtx
    11 years ago

    We have Elk (40 yr) shingles since 2001 (before GAF/Elk). Don't be concerned about granules in your gutter.
    Granules are still coming off. Shingles still look good. Lots of rain in Houston.

  • Helena2013
    10 years ago

    We had a Certainteed roof installed 10 years ago and it is STILL granulating. And we are not in a heavy-rain part of the country either.

    We also had problems with the Certainteed windows we had installed, but the problems all started appearing after the expiration of the 10-year warranty (the between-glass weatherstripping is failing on most of the south and west facing windows).

    I will steer clear of Certainteed for the next house, except for their siding which I do think is a good product. But not their windows or roofing.

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    "Is this normal?"

    Yes.

  • mdln
    10 years ago

    Am going with GAF, based primarily on contractor recommendation.

    Was happy to see a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on their product. (At least someone thinks it's good.)

    Here is a link that might be useful: GAF

  • renovator8
    10 years ago

    The lawsuit was for CertainTeed asphalt shingles made with organic felt mats from 1987 through 2005.

    After 2005 CertainTeed stopped making asphalt shingles with organic felts and started using only synthetic (fiberglass) mats.

    When the mats were organic, the shingles were marketed by weight per 100 s.f. Now that they use lighter weight fiberglass mats, they market them with different length warranties.

    The likelihood of premature failure with most fiberglass shingles is primarily a matter of how well the line was functioning on the day they were made. Therefore, the first year or two of any warranty is usually the most important portion and the longer warranties are pro-rated and only for materials so they quickly become worth very little. The reason to get a longer warranty is to get a thicker asphalt coating.