GAF is one of the nation’s biggest manufacturers of roofing products, so it pays to know a little bit about their products. From a roofer’s perspective, this kind of thing is particularly important so that you can properly inform your customers. When someone is buying a new set of shingles, they deserve to be given all the relevant information. As such, they need to know about all the special features, such as impact resistance.
What Are Impact-Resistant Shingles?
As you probably know, most roofing shingles are made from asphalt. This material is chosen for several reasons, such as the fact that it’s both tough and flexible. Unfortunately, it can also become hard and brittle as it ages. When this happens, even a slight impact could shatter it or break off a piece. Corner chipping is probably the most common type of breakage here, and the only way to fix it is a replacement.
Impact-resistant shingles solve this problem in a very simple way: They mix the asphalt with other materials. These materials might include aluminum, copper, plastic, resin, or anything else that offers the required combination of strength, flexibility, and longevity.
Why Choose Impact-Resistant Shingles?
To be honest, not everyone needs to get impact-resistant shingles. For others, they are an essential aspect of their roof. To figure out which is true in your case, consider the following questions.
First: Does your area see a lot of hail? Hailstones are one of the biggest causes of shingle damage, especially if we’re talking about large hailstones. You probably know that a penny dropped from the top of a building can kill someone on impact. Keeping that in mind, imagine a coin-sized object made of ice falling from the sky. Not bad enough to cause death, but bad enough to break a shingle with ease.
Second: Does your area see a lot of high winds? High winds are another serious problem that can easily ruin a shingle. While this may not technically qualify as “impact damage,” its results are the same. A shingle that is too hard and brittle will break on impact, and it will also break if the wind gets underneath its edge and pulls it free. An impact-resistant shingle can resist this kind of damage much better than the standard version.
Third: Are you on good terms with your insurance company? Even if you don’t have to worry about hail or wind damage, you can probably save a little money on your home insurance by installing impact-resistant shingles. Obviously, you will have to submit proof that the job has been done, but you can definitely justify an insurance discount with ease. Of course, you need to be in good standing with your insurance provider, or they will be unlikely to listen.
Do Impact-Resistant Shingles Come With A Better Warranty?
For once, we have a question with a simple answer. Impact-resistance shingles do have a better warranty in practice, even if it might not seem any different on the surface. Because these products are advertised as being impact-resistant, impact damage will be covered by the warranty. For standard shingles, this is unlikely to be the case.
Are GAF Shingles Impact-Resistant?
GAF offers a huge range of products, so the answer depends on which type of shingles you are buying. Not all GAF shingles are impact-resistant, as this is a special feature. GAF offers a special line of shingles called Armorshield, and these are the products that are engineered for maximum impact resistance.
Although Armorshield shingles are the strongest that GAF offers, several of their other product lines also include some degree of impact resistance. These include the Glenwood, Grand Sequoia, and Timberline series, so any of these should provide better than average impact resistance.
Obviously, you will pay a little bit more for these shingles, but that is true of any special feature. Besides, you will definitely get a longer-lasting shingle for your money. Impact-resistant shingles are generally more resistant to all types of damage, and so you will be getting a product with a longer lifespan.
Conclusion
In the end, some GAF shingles are impact-resistant and others are not. We leave it up to you to decide if you need this feature, as it will be determined by the needs of your situation. We hope that we have answered the main question of this article and we hope that you have enjoyed our work. If so, please fill out the contact form below to receive more helpful and informative articles like this one.
