Replies

1. 
   JDRHI | Sep 29, 2003 05:28am | #1

   While roofing isn`t my specialty, I do install them from time to time. I believe Home Depot carries a line of Owens Corning.....I used em once as specified by the homeowner...never again. They may have several lines....check to see if a better grade is available.

   J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

   "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"

2. 
   FrankB89 | Sep 29, 2003 05:37am | #2

   The roofers I work with have often recommended Owens-Corning....and I've never experienced any problem with it.

   Some roofers have their preferences....one local guy hates Elk roofing because he doesn't like the way he has to lay it to get a good random pattern.  He likes Certainteed;  when he got a few bundles of Certainteed recently that had some skips on the sanded surface, it was replaced without a hassle.

   The guy who does Geo-domes likes Malarkey because of its durability and flexibility (even when cold).

   Personally, I feel pretty safe with most good laminated shingles from reputable manufacturers when installed properly.

   I'm always a little suspicious of people who call something "junk" without offering some data to back up their declaration. So I'd be interested to know why O-W is junk.

    

1. 
   Piffin | Sep 29, 2003 06:32am | #3

   It could be a regional thing too. Many mnanufacturers have regioanl plants. I loved GAF in Florida and Texas but we got a fe poor ones in Colorado. Thirty years ago, in Fla, the Celotex brand was likely to get a poor review from the installers but I have laid some nicer ones since then.

   I laid quite a bit of OC shingles in CO and found that they were not consistent thicknesses and when I was back visiting last summer, I saw fifteen year old roofs that were wearing unevenly - these on twenty year shingles.

   Sometimes a shingle layers preferences are based on things other than material quality. One yard stocked all their shingles under the eaves of the warehouse where rain constantly washed over them. Another brand madde it harer to get consistent crotch lines to line up for more than a coulle courses due to poor sizing.

   But the most likely reason would be that they have had a bad experience with return/replacement policies..

   Excellence is its own reward!

3. 
   RichBeckman | Sep 29, 2003 05:37pm | #4

   I know a guy who claims that the bottom of the line Owens Corning three tab fiberglass shingles are so lightweight that they fail to seal down. He says on a windy day you can see houses where the shingles are all shaking.

   But I've never seen that myself.

   I think the Owens Corning three tab shingles that I have used were more fragile than the Certainteed three tab shingles that I have used. But it's not like I've put down hundreds of squares. Still, I would rather not work with the Owens Corning shingles.

   I'm in Indiana.

   Rich Beckman

   Another day, another tool.

1. 
   DocDM | Sep 30, 2003 05:04pm | #6

   I know a guy who claims that the bottom of the line Owens Corning three tab fiberglass shingles are so lightweight that they fail to seal down. He says on a windy day you can see houses where the shingles are all shaking.

   That's exactly right. Just finished 22 sq. on a mobile home. I had given my card to a DIY'r who was complaining in the Blowe's parking lot. His wife called a few weeks later asking for a roofing bid. They had bought the OC lightweights and just wanted me to install. Temps in the 80's for several daysafter install, some wind, rain on the day I finished. I went back about 10 days later (was about 45 miles away) to pick up the $$$ and probably 15 shingles flapping in the breeze. I'm in the Texas Panhandle (Amarillo) and winds at this particular house are usually 15-25 MPH daily. Never do it again - they are just too light weight for this area.

4. 
   SHazlett | Sep 29, 2003 09:01pm | #5

   Owens corning has a plant about 40 minutes from my house. In fact I toured the plant once---it's an interesting hour or so.

   however Owens cornings product----

   they are OK. Not great,not bad--but OK.

   with a plant so close by they are universally available here---and serviced pretty well by the reps.I have used them a lot in the past---and still use them often for repair work because they have a large segment of the market here and are easy to match.

    But---they aren't my first choice in either the 3 tab style or the dimensional. for the rare instances when we use 3 tabs I prefer Certainteed XT30's and the majority of our work is dimensional and I prefer the Elk 30 years or the Elk 50 years.( Malarkey is making some noise about expanding into this area---if so I would probably switch most of my dimensional work to Malarkey---just for the increased nail zone)

   Owenscorning has 2 big strikes against it.

   1) they are available at the big boxes like Home depot. As a professional ,I don't want to carry any product line that is easily available at Home Depot

   2) plastic wrappers and poor storage. OC shingles are marketed in plastic wrappers which allows home depot and similar low quality dealers use outside storage.the wrappers fill with rain and the installer gets doused with foul smelling putrid water when he picks up a bundle------plus the wet bundles freeze rock solid in the lower temp portion of the season.

   Elk and Certainteed( especially Elk) will not allow their product to be distributed by a dealer using outside storage----they require theit products to be under a roof. We get a much more professional load with elk or Certainteed.