How are asphalt shingles made?
A. Shingles are made in a continuous web process. Large rolls of felt are fed into a dry looper, which serves as an accumulator. The felt then goes to the saturator tank. In the saturator tank, the felt is impregnated with saturant asphalt. From the saturator tank, the felt moves to the wet looper, where the saturant is drawn into the felt as it cools. This allows the felt to attain a high degree of saturation and dries the surface of the sheet. The saturated organic felt or the glass mat (glass mat shingles do not require the saturation process) moves to the coater. At the coater, coating (asphalt with air blown through it) is applied to the top and bottom surfaces of the sheet. Mineral stabilizers are added to the coating which improve the shingle’s fire resistance and weatherability. Next, granules are applied to the top surface of coating. Granules are ceramically colored crushed rock; the granules give the shingle its color, but more importantly protect the coating from ultraviole
In the United States, asphalt shingles are categorized as either organic-based or fiberglass-based. Organic-based asphalt shingles are manufactured with a base (also termed mat or substrate) made of various cellulose fibers, such as recycled waste paper and wood fibers. This organic base is then saturated with a specially formulated asphalt coating and surfaced with weather resistant mineral granules. Fiberglass-based asphalt shingles are manufactured with mat composed entirely of glass fibers of varying lengths and orientations. This fiberglass base is then surfaced with a specially-formulated asphalt coating, followed by weather-resistant mineral granules.
A. Traditionally, asphalt shingles were made with an organic (wood and paper fibers) mat core, saturated with asphalt and covered with colored stones or granules. Today, fiberglass mat cores are becoming increasingly popular with manufacturers, which are coated with asphalt and then the colored granules. The fiberglass mats are generally lighter in weight and cheaper to make. Q. Are there different types of asphalt shingles? A. Yes. Triple-tab shingles have been a mainstay for years on many roofs; however, various architectural designs are quickly becoming more popular. Many of these designs are made to look like real wood shakes and slate. Q. What type of manufacturer warranties are offered? A. In the past, it has been commonplace to find warranties as low as 10 to 15 years for asphalt shingles. These days, manufacturers are removing lower warranty shingles and offering as a base a 25 year limited warranty. You may still find the odd 20 year limited warranty shingle in the market plac
