Synthetic Roof Shingles – Are they gaining traction?

         Synthetic Roof Shingles – Are they as good as the real thing? Well, like all things there are pros and cons. In this case more pros than cons. Have you ever driven around town and looked at the houses that have standard clay, tile or concrete shingles on them and just thought, wow, that roof looks amazing! Well, I do the same thing. What’s funny is that a lot of those roofs you are admiring are actually synthetic or composite shingles.   

            Let’s start with the biggest pro of synthetic roof shingles.  Can you guess what it is? That’s right! They look like the real thing! I mean that is a huge plus. Everyone wants a product that looks like the real thing, functions like the real thing and last as long as the real thing. And in certain cases, cost less than the real thing. Synthetic shingles also come in more colors and options than their clay, concrete or slate counterparts. With the authentic clay, concrete or slate shingles, you get either the reddish, brownish or the grayish color, depending on the region you are in. With synthetic you have a wider choice of colors for your roof. Here at RoofingDirect.com we offer a variety of colors that you can check out on our site.

            Another pro of the Synthetic shingles is that they do not break nearly as easily when you are transporting them. When you have to transport clay, concrete or slate shingles you have to also take into account that some will break in transit. So, you can’t just order with is needed, you will probably be forced to order an additional 10 – 15 % more, to compensate for broken tiles. It is never fun to get to the end of a project to realize you can’t finish and have to order more material.  I know we have all been there! With the synthetic product there is a much lower chance of this happening.

            Now on to the synthetic cons (not very many). Clay, concrete and slate tiles have been around for hundreds of years.  These products are tried, true and have a proven track record. Synthetic roof tiles have only been around since approximately the mid 1990’s.  So other than laboratory ASTM and other types of testing, there isn’t the good old test of time track record. In our opinion, there are still a lot of things we don’t know how the different climates will truly affect these products over decades of UV, Hot/Cold, Hail and other things that mother nature can throw at us.  Just like any product with UV and other inhibitors, there is a possibility that the colors in the synthetic shingles may fade over time.  This really comes down to the manufacturer and what type of color guarantee they offer. There is also a possibility of these synthetic products becoming brittle over time due to intense UV exposure. To summarize, there are pros and cons for both types of roof tiles.  Always to your research and make sure you are buying a brand with a proven track record and great long-term warranty.  There are lots of options available to you so please do not hesitate to ask us. Our team has decades of experience in the industry and we would appreciate the opportunity to help you out with your next project. We hope you found this article helpful. Check out our site while you’re here and search thousands of quality products. We have a great variety of synthetic shingle and great pricing with Free Delivery. If you have any questions or concerns please give us a shout at (855) 670-7663.