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Types of Composition Shingles

There are at least three types of composition shingles: 3 tab, laminate and architectural.

3 tab Composition Shingles

These are the most common types of shingles. They lay the flattest on the roof, cast the least amount of shadow, are the easiest to clean and among the least expensive. I think only rolled roofing is cheaper.

Here are some 3-tab shingles. See how flat they lay on the roof. These shingles are about 10-15 years old. If you look closely, you can see a few granules missing in the middle of the shingles. These are like pock marks in it. This happens as the roof ages. Also, you can see the Gutter Care II (tm) product in the gutters. They help the gutters stay clean on this 3rd level roof gutter.

Laminate Shingles

These shingles look great when first installed and for several years after that. They have more texture (I'm cringing here). The increased texture holds lots (yes, lots, wince) of dirt that would otherwise flow off the roof. These causes lots of surface area, cracks and pockets, shadows (oomph) which leads to... yep... moss. Ahhhh. Gotta keep these roofs blown off. They are the highest maintenance roofs unless you have a concrete tile roof under trees. They are popular on new homes and cost more than 3-tab. They have some advantages over 3 tab, or so some people tell me. Roofing companies make more money on this product. Need I say more? But as far as I and the moss are concerned, buyer beware. My advice is to keep the roof blown off, gutters clean and moss prevention at first sign of moss.

Composition laminate shingles have lots of texture to hold dirt, water and moss. This photo is interesting because there are three types of moss in this photo. The moss on the right and bottom of shingles is clumpy and the moss on the left is more fuzzy. The moss in the keyways (vertical grooves) on the right is kind of a mix. Different types of moss die at different rates because of their fuzziness or clumpiness. My spell checker says "clumpiness" isn't a word. Different types of moss brush off the roof differently when dead. Different moss requires different moss removal methods.

Architectural Shingles

These are the grand-daddy of shingles. They are among the more expensive ones. They are typically rated 35-50 year. Although with care, a "25 year" 3-tab shingle can last 35 years. But anyway, these are like slabs, cut in shapes and laid on top of each other. Bigger nails to hold these buggers down. They cast deep shadows. Can you say "Deeeeep"? They don't have as many edges as laminates, but I challenge you to brush dead moss off these. Trying to find a straight line for a brush stroke was a task that took me a couple years to master. My employee and I were finally able to manage a quicker brush time, but they are still laborious to clean. Your best bet is to treat these early at first sign of moss. These shingles are so thick, they will bleed tar in streaks on a southern exposed roof. They are not soft by any means. So watch your step!

Architectural shingles - Shake wannabees. These shingles are made thick and cut to look like shakes. In some housing communities, they required shake roofs. But as the cost was prohibitive and (can you say "fire danger"), these architectural roofs took hold. They are a compromise, and better than shake roofs especially under needle-dropping trees for sure!