Tag Archives: Panama City roofers

The Best Shingles to Use for Hot Climate Regions

Roofs certainly fulfill an aesthetic role, bringing the appearance of the building together and harmonizing individual components, but the most important role of the roof is to protect the building, its contents and its dwellers from the elements. Fortunately, most shingles types are today available in many different design varieties, making the aesthetic aspect is easy to handle, so the most important factor take into consideration when choosing new shingles for your roof is the weather. Not all types of shingles are suitable for all climate zones – some work better in cold regions, others are more suitable for hot or storm-prone areas. Here are a few things that Panama City roofers say you should know about when choosing the material to go on your new shingle roof.

Panama City roofers

Roof Color

The color of your shingles is a feature that is important for creating a harmonious building appearance, but not only for that – the hue that you use will also influence your home’s energy efficiency. Light colors are known to reflect solar heat and light, so light-colored shingles are more efficient when it comes to maintaining the temperature comfortably cool in your home, even when it is very hot outside, while dark colors absorb the sun’s heat and transfer some of it to the home’s interior. A shingle roof of the right color can reduce your cooling-related energy bills by 10-15%, provided that the roof is properly installed and that the building is properly insulated as well.

Shingle Type

Roofing shingles come in three basic types: asphalt shingles, fake slate shingles and shingles made from real slate. Asphalt shingles come in two varieties: laminated shingles, also known as architectural or dimensional shingles, use multiple layers of material, usually layers of fiberglass alternated with layers of asphalt and ceramic granules and they are thick and durable, looking very much like slate and three-tab shingles that are composed of a single mat sandwiched between one supportive layer on the bottom and a layer of granules on the top and are therefore much thinner and not nearly as resistant as the former type.

Fake slate shingles are very similar to asphalt shingles, but they are much more varied in terms of the materials they are made from, such as plastic, rubber or clay. They usually offer the same level of resistance as asphalt shingles.

Slate shingles are made from natural stone and they offer all the durability and the attractive looks that can be expected of the great natural material. If you are contemplating using slate for your next roof, be prepared that it is among the most expensive and the heaviest roofing solutions available today

Special Features

The manufacturers of modern shingles have developed special products for hail- and storm-prone areas. Called impact-resistant shingles, these special types of shingles are extensively tested before they are sold – steel balls are dropped onto them to simulate the impact of hail stones and many are also tested for wind resistance. In terms of pricing, impact-resistance shingle varieties are a bit more expensive than standard shingles, but they also come with other extra features, such as increased resistance to water.

Durability

In terms of longevity, all shingles types can be expected to resist for around 20-40 years, depending on how much attention you pay to roofing repair and maintenance.