Which Asphalt Shingles Perform Best?
Bob Harvey Roofing • March 25, 2021
Choosing the Right Roofing Material for Your Home
Asphalt is a popular roofing material because it is durable, offers decent thermal insulation, and is relatively affordable. Asphalt is also accessible in most regions of the world and can fare relatively well with varying weather conditions. However, a weak installation, excessive rain, weather shocks, and a metallic base can compromise the durability of asphalt roofing. Furthermore, traditional asphalt shingles were once extremely vulnerable to cracks because of their rigidness and bond looseness.
What asphalt shingles once offered in lightness and cheap manufacturing, they lost in their fragility and tendency to absorb moisture. Fortunately, modified asphalt shingles are now readily accessible in most construction markets, and they offer the flexibility and weather-resistance traditional shingles lack. The preferred choice for premium asphalt shingles, Styrene Butadiene Styrene, or SBS (also known as Polymer Modified Asphalt), offer the best performance for roofs built to withstand drastic weather changes.
SBS Has Become the Industry Choice
According to several shingle manufacturers, SBS provides the “superior shingle.” Construction experts believe that it will keep gaining popularity in the next decade, eventually becoming the widely preferred choice.
In most high-grade asphalt shingles, you will find modified polymers that strengthen the shingle without making it heavier. This chemical modification improves the shingle’s weather and impact resistance. The polymers make the shingle less prone to crack upon violent contact with flying debris, tree branches or stones, or rapidly varying temperatures, which are common in desertic areas.
What You Can Expect from Using SBS Shingles
The optimum residential shingle needs to be able to withstand the harsh heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter. As residential areas are often tree havens, hard autumn rains and winds can cause roofing shingles to experience strong impacts, such as the fall of a tree branch. SBS shingles are strengthened to substantially outperform standard asphalt shingles; particularly in cold weather.
SBS shingles become flexible when they’re cold, allowing them not to increase in rigidity and fragility as ice coats them. Even at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, they can bend without breaking. While they become more brittle at lower temperatures, they can hold their shapes in any weather because of the rubber stabilizer in their chemical makeup.
SBS Shingles Advantages to Consider
The rubber-based asphalt modifier present in SBS shingles provides them with a higher impact rating. They are capable of withstanding hail and even respond better to extremely high heat. They have a UL 2218 class 4 impact rating. This rating can bring down the cost of your homeowner’s insurance policies and increase the value of your Utah home, particularly in storm-prone areas.
The SBS shingles maintain a beautiful appearance longer than traditional shingles. Their strengthened surface granules bounce UV rays off the shingles, making them less vulnerable to sun damage. This also improves their weather insulation properties, as it prevents the roofing installation from absorbing too much warmth from the sun. This optimal thermal insulation can help regulate the temperature under your roof the whole year-round.
The SBS flexibility also offers an unexpected advantage: the shingle can heal itself after a minor crack. The higher the shingle’s polymer content, the more it can regain its desired shape and bond back around itself. This can allow you to save significant amounts on roofing repairs in the long run.
A Concluding Note
SBS shingles are undeniably the best asphalt shingles on the market. They are durable, impact-resistant, compatible with most weather, self-healing, and highly efficient for temperature insulation. SBS shingles are a premium product; therefore, they are worth the investment in the long run. Not only are they likely to lower your home insurance payments, but they will also increase the value of your Utah home.
