New roof - Light or dark shingles

[emmy71]

Getting ready to put a new roof on the house. I am going with the architectural shingles and am trying to decide between darker or lighter colors. Are there any advantages going with lighter shingles as far as energy efficiency. Did some searching on the internet and it seems that lighter colored shingles are more energy efficient. I have a well insulated house and the energy costs are very reasonable. I have light gray shingles now. I would hate to go with a darker color and see cooling costs go up. Anyone have some real world experience with this.

Thanks,
Terry

[EddieWalker]

I don't believe the color of shingles affect the cooling or heating of a house. I've read a few articles debunking the reflective barriers and paint, but never came across one on the color of the shingles. I think it's going to get just as hot in the attic during summer regardless of what color they are.

I prefer darker colored shingles. I also think they sell better if that's ever a concern.

More impotant the the color of the shingles is the quality of the paper and flashing. Just about every leak in a house if from the flashing. It's either not installed poperly, or old flashing is used again. Then the next thing that I see is they try to seal the flashing with roofing tar, which is fine, but only if the flashing is installed properly. Unfortunately I see the flashing is just next to the wall or chimeny, and the tar is supposed to act as a glue to hold it there. While it might work for a year or longer, it will fail fairly quckly.

The other thing is to make sure it's nailed down properly. I've seen guys cut corners and save nails be not using enough of them. I've seen them save a buck by buying short nails. I use 1 5/8 nails to make sure the shaft of the nail goes all the way through the decking. If the nail doesn't do this they will come out.

I hate staples on shingles. While the theory is that they are better, the reality is that they go all the way through the shingle too often and offer nothing to hold the shingle in place when this happens. Staples are cheaper then nails, but because of how often they do this, I would never use them or hire anybody who used them.

On the tear off, take it down to the decking. I've seen where they leave the old paper there, which hides any problems with the decking. If there is rot or an issue of some kind, the only way to know this is to see it.

Hope this helps,
Eddie



Eddie

[emmy71]

Thanks Eddie,
We are going all the way to the decking. Everything is going to be new. Here is one article I found on light versus dark. I think it will mainly come down to what is most pleasing to the eye and does not clash with the brick.

The Biggest Mistake American Homeowners Make: Dark Shingles - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

A neighbor who is a roofing contractor is doing the work. He has done quit a few homes in the neighborhood and I have heard no complaints. I have done some roofing in the past so I know basically how it should be done. Thanks for the tips.

[theboman]

I sold a house last year over 2700 sq ft nearly $275,000 was the selling price (in other parts of the country this would be half million dollar house). The house was new and had great bones but the owner finished it himself and cut corners everywhere (if he'd spent $20k he'd had a $350k payday!). Well, they hired JOE_BOB the guy that has roofed houses, changed oil, cleared brush.... anyhow, to put down dimensional shingles. I have no ideal how many valleys, roof lines are in that home but I know theres 3-4, anyhow. Prior to closing I inspected the home for my clinets (buyers) and found the roof leaking. Water thru ceilings thru sheetrock standing on beautiful hardwood floors.... The problem. ZERO flashing!! None ANYWHERE!!!

[moeh1]

There are some brand new shingles (energy star rated) that reflect heat ( and therefore qualify for a 30% rebate on your taxes this year). My son investigated and eventually went metal - most of which also qualifies. The metal was close in price and has a much better lifetime rating and he liked the look. Good luck!

[Couple of Achers]

It has been my experience that darker shingles are much more susceptible to sun damage. Within a few years the edges start to curl up. That is true for the old standard 3 tab shingles. You mentioned you are going with the architectural type shingle. They seem to hold up much better to sun. I went through the same issue this summer. My dark brown shingles on the south side of my garage where basically trashed with in 9 years. I didn't want to change color since the brown matched some other buildings on the farm. So I tore them all off and put steel on the roof. I figure by the time the steel is shot, it will be someone else's worry. Good luck.

[turbo36]

Originally Posted by EddieWalker

I don't believe the color of shingles affect the cooling or heating of a house.
Eddie

This just isn't true, energy from the sun is either reflected or absorbed. The lighter in color the shingle the more reflective it is.

Next hot sunny day find a black asphalt drive next to a concrete sidewalk and compare the temperature of each, the darker asphalt will be hotter.

[etcallhome]

For 3-4 yrs in late 60's early 70's ,Dad and I installed roof and siding for Sears.
Installed 2 or 3 roofs a week.
Even back then they tried to sell the lighter color because of less heat in the attic. From my point of view Nailing the shingles not with air gun or staples.
I can tell you a lighter color shingle was much cooler than the darker colors.
I had installed Black on my own home. and I can tell you they lasted maybe 12 yrs. compared to a lighter color tan that lasted almost 18 Both were 15 yrs shingles.
I had 30 yr shingles installed this time (light tan)
Difference in heat in my garage was cooler with the lighter color versus the black shingles.

Like others have said ,buy the best that you can afford. Glad to hear you are tearing off the old shingles , that alone will keep heat down, and that will help make your shingles last longer, probably 3-5 yrs longer life for your roof ,less weight on your roof and far less heat buildup.

Good luck

[roamerr]

Lighter color has got to be cooler but I like the look of dark shingles. My new home is having Owens Corning Duration shingles installed in Onyx Black. Looks wins over efficiency for me in this instance...

[copperhead1967]

I'll add my two cents. I reroofed with Owens Corning Prominence "Sienna Blend" shingles about 8 years ago. They are a 3 tab but have different color sections to look sort of like architectural shingles. The color varies from dark brown to a light tan. At the time I was concerned with the smaller portions of the arch. shingles wearing out faster than a standard 3 tab shingle.

The past year I started to get dark roof fungus discoloration that really retracts from the curb appeal of the home.It has progressed to the point it has covered most of the roof. I burn wood to heat so it may be soot as well.

In researching the different cleaning methods and by looking at other homes in the area I did notice the darker shingles don't show the fungus/soot as much. It seems inevitable in my area that all roofs get some sort of streaking from fungus/soot. I like in a wooded area but the home is not shaded.

Long story short, the darker shingles may look better for longer.