GAF vs. CertainTeed Roofing Shingles: Cost, ROI – Definitive Guide

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, by every measure, is the premier manufacturer of exterior building materials and a winner of the Professional Remodelers Best in Class award.

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 did not 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, Atlas, 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:

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Top 6 Energy Efficient Home Improvements and their Costs

Are your ready to make your home greener and more energy-efficient? If so, consider the following five home improvement upgrades that can be completed by a professional remodeling contractor, as well as by an experienced DIY enthusiast working collaboratively with a handy friend. 😉 1. Cool Roofs vs. Traditional Asphalt Shingles and Dark EPDM Rubber … Read more

Standing Seam Metal Roofing Installation – DIY Step by Step Guide!

Installing a standing seam metal roof is not as easy as it may seem at first. “Yeah”, you might think: “What is there to do? Just put up those panels!”.

standing-seam-panel-installation-finishing-touches

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Not so quick, now! Standing seam installation process can actually involve a lot of tedious work, so let’s cover it in a step-by-step fashion to see some of the challenges it may entail. Shall we?

| 1. Basic Prep Work Required |
| 2. Necessary Tools, Materials, and Supplies |
| 3. Installation Process |

1. Basic Preparation for the Job

The most important thing about installing standing seam, is to measure the roof correctly and precisely. Here is why; Each standing seam panel is cut to the exact size, and if your panels are too short, you will run the following costly issues:

A) If a panel is only 2″ short, you may not be able to use your ridge cap as it will not cover the ends of the panels. In this case you will have to get or make a wider cap. In this case it will go from 12 to 16″ wide cap (remember – panels are 2” off on each side, so we add 4″ to the ridge cap)

B) If panels are short by 4-6″ you may not be able to get a cap that wide, so now you have only two options: Ether panels are useless, or you splice them.

Splicing 6-inch metal panels, while sitting at the ridge of your roof is about as much fun as head-butting the curb! 😉 You would probably want to get at least 2-3 feet long panels for splicing. You will also need at least a foot of overlap on each panel.

In either case you will run into additional work and will likely have to spend a lot more money compared to what should have (and could have) been originally spent.

New Shingle Roof

$7,500
Average price
New Metal Roof

$14,500
Average price
New Flat Roof

$8,225
Average price

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