Understanding what makes up the covering of a Portland roof will provide you with the useful knowledge to determine which type of asphalt shingles will best perform on your home or commercial building.  There are numerous choices of roof coverings that range from heavy slate to rustic wood.  Asphalt shingles are the most common and are highly recommended by many Portland roofing contractors.  Asphalt shingles are used to provide a Portland roof protection from rain, snow, ice, wind, fire, and will be a long lasting, as well as a relatively inexpensive roof covering.  Asphalt shingles come in many sizes, color choices, and are usually very easy for a professional Portland roofing contractor to install.  Choosing the right type of asphalt shingle can make all the difference in your roofing job.  Learning about the different types of asphalt shingles will prepare you to make the proper choices and confidently discuss your Portland roofing project with a qualified roofer.

The Main Advantages of Asphalt Shingles:

For more then one hundred years, roofs have been covered with asphalt shingles.  Asphalt shingles provide a Portland roofing contractor with a relatively inexpensive roof covering that is both durable and economical.  Asphalt shingles will hold up against the most harsh weather extremes.  Asphalt shingles easily combat snow, wind, rain, and ice.  When a repair is required for a Portland home or commercial building asphalt shingle products are easily found and most always available.  Maintenance requirements are minimal and repairs to a Portland roof are easy to make.  With a wide variety of colors, sizes, and patterns to choose from, a Portland consumer can select what best fits their taste and needs.  The protection an asphalt shingle provides is based on its weight and the amount of asphalt it contains.  Asphalt shingles provide the best warranties in the roofing industry, from a 20-year product to a lifetime, depending on the roofing project’s budget.

The Different Types Of Asphalt Shingles:

Asphalt shingles can be found as organic shingles or fiberglass shingles.

Fiberglass shingles are made from a base layer of glass fibers built as a reinforcing mat.  The mat, which is made of fibrous glass materials, is not naturally waterproof.  Laying wet strands of fiberglass down along with chemical resins makes the fiberglass matting.  This matting is then treated with mineral rich asphalt.  The process creates a fiberglass shingle, which then becomes waterproof.  Fiberglass shingles tend to be slightly rigid and are often light in weight.

Organic shingles are found as felt paper coated with asphalt, which makes its base waterproof.  A top coating is set with an adhesive asphalt, which contains ceramic particles.  Organic shingles may contain a form of leachable copper that will defend against algae and moss growth.  There are additional benefits to using organic shingles.  Organic shingles can have forty percent more asphalt per square foot, giving it more weight and protection then a fiberglass shingle.  Organic shingles are made into a softer product and will provide a Portland roofer with an easy installation, especially in cold weather.  Organic shingles look great and can simply cover an older roof or help a new roof stand up to the harsh elements of Portland’s rain, ice, and snow.

Discuss the options and benefits of both types of asphalt shingles with your Portland professional roofing contractor before making any decisions on your next roof repair or roof replacement project.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under News and Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.