GAF and CertainTeed combine for a huge piece of the roofing shingle market. This comparison hits all the important factors in deciding – Quality, cost, styles, pros and cons of each option, warranties and more. Our guide also addresses the return on investment and explains when either GAF or CertainTeed shingles are a better choice for a homeowner.
Let’s put the comparison into perspective right from the start:
CertainTeed Landmark series Shingles Roof in Weathered Wood
While most of its lines are upmarket, CertainTeed has begun making less expensive lines like the Landmark Series to compete with the value-priced asphalt shingle brands.
GAF, the largest manufacturer of residential roofing materials, makes mostly good-quality shingles with a few premium lines like Camelot II Shingles that are exceptional.
GAF Premium Asphalt Shingles: Camelot Williamsburg Slate
CertainTeed didn’t appear worried about the cost a decade ago, and it still dominates the “best” category of roofing shingles, though competition is certainly increasing.
Most GAF shingles are cost-conscious products that compete with Owens-Corning, IKO, Tamko, Malarkey and similar brands for “basic and better” ranges — niches it ranks first in.
CertainTeed: Mainly high-end, high-cost products with some affordable lines.
GAF: Mainly affordable shingle lines with some high-end products.
Here are some important qualitative and quantitative details to consider within the larger scope of CertainTeed vs. GAF shingles debate:
The top two engineered lap siding brands are the defending champion HardiePlank fiber cement and the up-and-coming contender LP SmartSide engineered wood siding.
This guide covers both products from all angles that matter to a homeowner – Looks, durability, cost of materials and installation, and pros and cons of each option. Let’s get started!
Cost and Return on Investment
Both LP SmartSide and HardiePlank are comparably priced materials, so unless you’re watching pennies very closely, this probably won’t be the deciding factor.
Return on investment or ROI, refers to the percentage of the total cost recouped at resale. This doesn’t take into account the enjoyment factor or energy savings.
For example, if the expected ROI on siding were 60% for a project that originally cost $10,000, then the installation of new siding would increase the home’s sale price by about $6,000.
HardiePlank cost: $2.50 to $4.50 per square foot for siding and all trim accessories
HardiePlank installation: $5.50 to $10.50 per square foot
HardiePlank total cost installed: $8.00 to $15.00 per square foot
HardiePlank / fiber cement siding ROI: 83% to 86%
Cost Comparison:
LP SmartSide cost: $2.00 to $4.00 per square foot for siding and all trim accessories
LP SmartSide installation: $5.00 to $10.00 per square foot
LP SmartSide total cost: $7.00 – 14.00 per square foot
Owens Corning and Tamko are two asphalt shingle manufacturers sharing the adage, “we’re second-best, so we try harder.” CertainTeed is the consensus leader for overall asphalt shingle quality.
The bottom line, which all the details in this guide lead to, is that the Owens Corning vs. Tamko comparison is about as even as it gets in the roofing products industry.
Owens Corning Roofing Shingles Display
Both get ratings in the “good” to “very good” range from roofing contractors who install them every day and from home inspectors who have seen their share of durable shingles and shingles that have failed before they should.
What it comes down to is the quality of the installation. You’ve got two above-average shingle brands that can deliver superior durability for 20+ years, fail in just a few years or perform somewhere in the middle.
What makes the difference is how well the installers do their job.
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More on the installation below. Along the way we’ll address where each brand has bragging rights. While OC and Tamko are close to equal in total score, each brand has strong and weak points.
OC vs. Tamko: Quality and Reliability
Quality is a product of the materials used and the production process. Here’s an overview of Owens Corning and Tamko shingle construction.
Tamko: This brand makes a very similar lineup with basic (Elite Glass-Seal), better (Heritage, Heritage Woodgate) and best (Heritage Premium, Heritage Vintage).
All shingles from Owens Corning and Tamko feature fiberglass mat bases saturated with asphalt and dressed with coated granules to resist the sun’s UV radiation. Each shingle is constructed with fused layers.
When installed, less than half of each shingle is exposed. The result is that 3-tab roofs (OC Supreme and Tamko Elite Glass-Seal 3-tab) have 2-3 layers of coverage at any given point on your roof.
All other shingles from both brands are architectural style shingles with 4-5 layers of coverage. The result are shingles with wind ratings of 60mph for 3-tab products and 110/130mph for all others.
The two brands have the same ratings in most ASTM materials and fire rating tests. Both are on par or superior to most other brands including CertainTeed and GAF.
Bad shingles are often the result of production rather than the materials used. The production processes for these brands are similar. The processes are slightly tweaked, even from run to run (runs of shingle batches).
When errors occur, a bad batch of shingles, such as layers that don’t properly fuse, are produced. What makes a brand worth considering is the consistency of the quality from run to run. Owens Corning and Tamko deliver good consistency.
Advantage—Tie: We’re not afraid to take sides, but there’s no clear winner here. These brands are rated about as equal as you will find in terms of quality and reliability, especially the two most-popular series, the Owens Corning Duration and Tamko Heritage.
Owens Corning vs. Tamko: Cost
Since these brands compete aggressively head to head, their prices are comparable across all products (and are very competitive with GAF, too).
Here is a breakdown of the shingle series and their costs from both brands:
Prices are per square, which is 100 square feet of coverage (and 3 or 4 bundles of shingles, so check product specs for the bundles-per-square).
Advantage – Tamko: As you can see, Tamko offers better value in each tier of products. It always makes sense to get written estimates on the specific roofing materials you’re considering, to get a direct comparison of cost.
