It's true I am a GAF ELK Employee so i do have a certain bias LOL

But we really do make some outstanding products that are both beautiful and durable (up to Lifetime warranty!) my personal Favs are the Timberline Prestique Series for value, beauty and durability.

Thanks to all you guys for checking out our website!

http://www.gaf.com

Since you brought it up Brian please explain to the audience what your "lifetime" warranty is and consists of. What does your company represent to the public a lifetime? Also what and why are its limitations.Were there independent studies conducted to prove your products longevity? Will your product hold up to 130 MPH winds and does it have a Dade Co. NOA?

For Warranty Details You can review our warranty offerings online here:

http://www.gaf.com/Content/GAF/RES1/WARR/RS_warranties.html

Click the icons for each type of warranty to download the details.

One of our customer service reps would probably be better able to answer your warranty questions by phone and their contact information is:

For Residential Warranties
1-888-532-5767, Option 1

For Commercial Guaranties
1-800-766-3411, Option 2

Some of the questions listed in the previous post are not answered on that link. Quite frankly the lifetime warranty is very limited and the legal wording is a big turn off to myself as a contractor as well as many consumers I have done business with. I am convinced that a lifetime shingle is a marketing ploy by all manufactures not limited to GAF. I have an open mind Brian so prove me wrong.

One of our customer service reps would probably be better able to answer your warranty questions with specific details better than I can via phone and their contact information is:

For Residential Warranties
1-888-532-5767, Option 1

For Commercial Guaranties
1-800-766-3411, Option 2

If you don't know the answers just say so, Brian, lol.





To the OP:

BOTH companies make good shingles. I prefer Certainteed do to their more unique color selection, better customer service and more knowledgeable sales reps (*cough* Brian *cough*)...

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I would prefer a reply here on this forum. If someone from GAF could clear the air so to speak on this lifetime issue. I am sure many other contractors that use this forum could use an interpretation to relay proper information to there customers and eliminate confusion. Items such as does a building contractor need to be a master elite or authorized to give a homeowner a lifetime warranty with a new $500,000 home. I know several contractors in my market with no manufactures certifications at all tell the homeowner that they are installing a lifetime roof because the shingle wrapper says so.

Would it be helpful / beneficial if I looked into getting one of our "real" GAF ELK experts involved with this bulletin board on a regular basis that you could interact with directly?

I'm actually the GAF ELK Webmaster and was just testing this site out to see what kind of info / people are on here for the first time today.

That would be great.Have your expert log on to answer the questions I have posted.

Brian, I don't know you from Adam... but I think what turned us off on your 1st response is that you

a) Didn't disclose your affiliation with GAF (even though we could see through your wording like a screen door)
b) Didn't really answer the simple questions posed by Abe. Really, it would have been beneficial to you to have done the homework it took to answer his questions.

Granted, it may have taken more time than you have available, but in a broad & commonly read forum such as this one, it's the effort put forth that might gain or sway a buyer (& more importantly, some of us contractors who are easily impressed by dog 'n pony tricks).

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the warranty legal e jargon always turned me off as well. although I have sold GAF Golden Pledge warranties, though I never pushed it.

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I feel as though the language in Certainteed's sure start warranty is pretty clear. They simply state that do do cover shading as Lefty stated GAF has paid for roofs that shaded however it it not to my knowledge that this is included in thier warranty. I prefer to work with a company that will pay for those plus many other issues without myself and the homeowner having to force the hand. Though Certainteed states that the #1 issues with the product in wind blowoff is the nail placement or lack of. I have not lost any shingles to winter application however I find peace of mind in knowing that Certainteed will fix the problem if it does occur. Not to mention our local Certainteed rep In the Akron, Oh area is the best rep of any company I have ever worked with. He is knowledgable, and personable and most importantly readily available(usually within 24 hours on the site if needed).

I would like to see a rep from each company frequent this site. Lets face it, it would clarify and gain them business.

Keep in mind, most of todays lifetime shingles were little more than the 40 yr variety a few years ago...

One day 25's were 30's, 30's were 40's and 40 yr shingles were 50 then a yr or 2 later lifetime.
They didn't change them too much, but they did extend the warranty.
I guess we need a definition of "lifetime", don't hold your breath for that one.
It is just marketing hype.
What is marketing after all, trickery and deceit...


IMO Certainteed makes the best shingle in all classes.
GAF is a distant 3rd, highly over rated, better than IKO, about equal with Owens Corning.
You need to buy the high end GAF shingles to get the good ones.
Now that GAF bought ELK we will see if they embrace ELK's quality, or just turn the ELK line into another GAF product...

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I don't need no freakin' signature, I Am Roofer.

GAF like Certainteed makes excellent roofing products no question. Its just there managment decisions that are out of touch.

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WWW.jbennetteroofing.com

For the most part, Ax, I agree with you.

What a lot of roofers (& product manufacturers) are recognizing is that the average homeowner lives in a house for less than 10 years. Yes, there are common exceptions to the rule...

However.

Let's say that a roofer gives an exceptional warranty out of the gate of 10 years on labor (in my area of Texas, 5 is most common).

After 20 years, a "30 year shingle" fails... so if there is a different homeowner in the house from the one that procured the roof (whether the original roof or a re-roofing), did the seller or their real estate agent convey all the sales documents & receipts for the most recent roofing job?

Who would the 'new' or 'existing owner' contact for warranty work if a 'basic' dimensional roof were to fail in field (due to delamination or advanced granulation loss, none of which are a result of improper ventilation or improper installation)?

More than likely, the homeowner in this situation would simply call a few roofers & get quotes towards a new roof.

Caveat: we all know that the 'typical' 30 year roof looks like crap after 23 - 26 years & there's not much anyone can do to affect this other than to take advantage of a paltry pro-rated warranty term @ the end of life span for this shingle.

There's a LOT more to this issue, but let's be honest about how these warranties are handled, by the contractors, the wholesalers, the manufacturers & mostly by the consumers who don't really know what their options "should" or "could" be.

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