Little sounds more soothing than the gentle pitter-patter of rain on a roof, with a subtle thunder boom in the background and the crackle of a fire in the fireplace. These natural melodies make up the stuff of calming soundtracks for individuals seeking to focus or relax. But when the shower sounds of rain turn into annoying dripping sounds inside your home, your calm can quickly transform into panic, knowing that your roof is failing you. You need new shingles and possible and an entirely new roof. With the decision to purchase a new roof come more decisions. What color will it be? What type of roof will it be? If you’re looking at asphalt shingles, you will have even more decisions to make.

What types of asphalt shingles work best for your roofing needs? What can you afford? 

Keep reading to learn about different asphalt shingle types and to determine what will work best for you. 

Strip Asphalt Shingles

One of the popular asphalt shingle types, strip asphalt shingles or three-tab asphalt shingles go on the easiest of all the asphalt shingle types. They have a flat appearance that makes them look like a slate roof. 

Called three-tab shingles because they have three tabs on each shingle strip, these shingles typically come out of the package with a manufacturer warranty of 25 years. Thus, with proper attic ventilation and appropriate installation, the strip shingles should last 25 years. 

Strip shingles are your most basic asphalt shingle. Manufacturers make them from a single layer of asphalt, giving them their telltale flat appearance. 

Because they have only one layer of asphalt, they typically cost and weigh less than other asphalt shingles. 

Strip asphalt shingles are the oldest style of asphalt shingles. Prior to the designer shingles that roofing contractors introduced in the 1980s, strip shingles made the whole of the roofing market. 

Today most contractors use strip shingles on roofs of inexpensive homes. Homeowners who already have strip shingles typically select strip shingles as a replacement for their roofs as well. 

Dimensional Asphalt Shingles

The variety of asphalt shingles on the market today make up one of the major benefits of asphalt shingles. You do not have to settle for a typical roof look, but instead, you have some choices. 

Dimensional shingles offer such a unique random pattern. You can have a typical-looking roof, or your roofer can create a look similar to a wood shake roof. 

Plan on paying approximately 15 percent more for dimensional shingles than you would for tab shingles. However, you can also expect your dimensional shingles to last longer than tab shingles. Many dimensional shingles come with a 30-year warranty from the manufacturer. 

Some manufacturers allow you to register your dimensional shingles to acquire a 50-year enhanced warranty. You can expect your dimensional shingles to last at least 30 years with proper installation and attic ventilation. 

Dimensional shingles consist of two or more layers of asphalt. Manufacturers fuse the layers together to create a multi-dimensional appearance. As a result, your roof looks like you have more of a wood shake or natural slate roof than asphalt shingles. 

Dimensional asphalt shingles require more muscle to install as they weigh more than strip shingles. Their weight makes them more durable, though, and able to withstand more wind and environmental hazards. 

Luxury Asphalt Shingles

Premium or luxury shingles are bigger than strip and dimensional shingles. Manufacturers make luxury asphalt shingles look like slate. 

Local roofing services will cost you more when you opt for luxury shingles since the shingles themselves cost almost double what dimensional asphalt shingles cost. 

With the cost comes duration. Luxury shingles typically come with a 30-year warranty and the opportunity to acquire a 50-year non-prorated enhanced warranty. If you have proper attic ventilation and the right roof installation, you can expect luxury shingles to last 50 years. 

Luxury shingles stay true to their name, creating a luxurious-looking roof. They are the heaviest shingles on the market, offering the best protection from environmental hazards. Plus, they just look nice. 

Luxury shingles have the highest quality, more vivid colors, and most interesting dimensions of all the shingles on the market. Manufacturers have created them to look like old-world wood shake or even quarried slate.  

Why Use Asphalt Shingles? 

As you look at all of your roofing solutions, you may wonder why you should consider asphalt shingles over all other options. Here are some of the major benefits of asphalt shingles. 

Residential

Asphalt shingles are the most affordable, attractive, and reliable residential roofing solutions available. Twenty-first-century asphalt shingle designers and manufacturers have created some of the most beautiful and yet affordable shingles yet, giving homeowners a variety of textures, styles, and colors for their homes. 

Plus, residential asphalt shingles come easy to maintain. You can replace some instead of an entire roof when necessary. 

Furthermore, manufacturers have designed asphalt shingles to look like more than just asphalt. They have created asphalt shingles with designs to make them look like wood, slate, or cedar, all while still giving them the benefits of asphalt. Roofers can still install them easily, and they require less maintenance than their concrete or metal counterparts. 

Commercial

Asphalt roofing solutions can work well for low-slope commercial buildings as well. The asphalt roofing products for low-slope commercial buildings have these same benefits you see in residential roofing. They’re affordable, trustworthy, and attractive. 

Asphalt For the Win

Thanks to the creativity of engineers today, asphalt shingles have become the go-to solution for all types of roofing, both commercial and residential. 

Homeowners have affordable options that give them attractive homes and some fantastic curb appeal, not to mention a solution that keeps the rain on the roof instead of in the house. 

Do you need a new roof? If so, contact us. We offer the best roofing solutions in the great Pompano Beach area.