Roofing decisions used to turn on three questions: cost, lifespan, and how well the roof sheds water. Air quality now belongs on that list, and buyers are learning a new vocabulary of granules, reflectivity, and impact classes. Shingles with smog-reducing granules use sunlight to break down nitrogen oxides in the air, and manufacturers rate the […]
A roofing crew’s day starts before anyone climbs a ladder. Materials must be on the truck, the order must match the specification, and the safety briefing has to cover the fall prevention regulations for roofers that protect everyone working above the ground. Behind that routine sits a supply chain most homeowners never see: manufacturers, distributors,
Asphalt shingles cover most American roofs, yet few homeowners think about where they come from. A new shingle plant announced for the Southeast will add roughly 6 million squares of annual capacity when it opens in 2027, a number that reshapes supply for an entire region. Shingle terminology spans the whole exterior, from asphalt roofing
Roofing underlayment sits between the roof deck and the finished covering, and its job is to keep water out when the covering cannot. Shingles shed water, but wind-driven rain, ice dams, and failed flashing can push water past them, which is why building codes and manufacturers treat underlayment as the roof’s second line of defense.
Rooftop decks turn unused roof area into living space, but they only work when the surface below stays dry. Vinyl deck membranes, long popular in Canada for rooftop decks, balconies, porches, and any surface that needs waterproofing, have become a standard specification for U.S. projects. The material is a single-ply vinyl sheet laid over the
Roofing material manufacturing is consolidating, and the deals reshape what contractors can buy and where it comes from. In May 2025, an Atlanta-based roofing manufacturer acquired Groupe Expan, a Canadian producer of expanded polystyrene insulation with plants in Sainte-Marie, Quebec; Pointe-Claire, Quebec; and Whitby, Ontario. Groupe Expan ranked among the three largest expanded polystyrene producers
A new gypsum-based cover board for roofing assemblies became commercially available nationwide, and the numbers behind it are worth understanding. At 3/8-inch thick, the board is engineered to speed up installation, and testing in single-ply hybrid assemblies showed an average reduction of 25 to 75 percent in the number of fasteners required. It weighs about
Asphalt shingles cover roughly three-quarters of American homes, and the material is the default choice for a reason: it is durable, affordable, and available in enough colors to fit almost any house. A roof, however, is only as good as the system around it, and the shingles sit on top of underlayment, decking, flashing, and
The roof takes the worst weather a house sees, and the shingle is the first line of defense. Asphalt shingles cover the majority of residential roofs in North America because they balance cost, durability, and appearance, but the category is not uniform. Architectural shingles, the laminated two-layer style that dominates modern roofing, carry engineering that
Roofing material choice determines how a home handles hail, wind, ice, and sun for decades. Standard asphalt shingles cover most American homes, but polymer-modified versions now offer measurably better impact resistance, cold-weather handling, and warranty coverage. This article explains how these shingles are made, what Class 4 impact ratings mean, and how they compare with
