GAF Shingles Reviews: Pros and Cons of Each

Asphalt shingle roofs sit atop 75% of North American homes. 🏠 That means this one material type takes up over 3/4 of the roofing industry’s market share. 🤯

It’s no wonder why this is the case. The material is affordable and lasts close to three decades. Features like these make asphalt shingles about as desirable as chocolate cake (though not quite as delicious). 🍰

Sadly, not all asphalt shingle options are the same. Some are downright crappy. 🚽 Are GAF shingles in this category or are they good as gold? 🏅

Read on to get some insights with the GAF shingles reviews below. You’ll learn about:

• What Is GAF? 🤔
• What Makes a Good Shingle? 😇
• Pros of GAF Shingles 👍
• Cons of GAF Shingles 👎
• GAF Shingles Reviews 📃

What Is GAF?

GAF touts itself as North America’s largest roofing manufacturer. And the statistics seem to prove that claim as a rock-solid 🪨 fact. According to their site:

• 1 in 4 US homes has a GAF roof 🏠
• They have 34 operations across 26 locations 🗺
• 3,700+ employees work for them 👷

Strong Values

On top of being such a powerhouse, GAF stands by some praiseworthy values. The culture at GAF embraces:

• Having the best and brightest minds 🧠
• A diverse and inclusive culture 🌍
• Making a difference in the local community 🌇

Old and Wise

Then there’s the matter that the whole operation began way back in 1886. 🗓 That means the company is almost 150 years old! That must mean its operators have a ton of wisdom under the hood. 🚗

Good Enough?

However, all these company features don’t necessarily mean that GAF’s shingles can kick all other shingles over the horizon. 🌄 How do GAF’s shingle options stack up 🧱 in the real world? You can learn all about the pros and cons in the sections below.

Pros of GAF Shingles

GAF shingles have got to have plenty of good features. If they don’t, they would’ve needed some serious divine 👼 or supernatural 👻 intervention to last for over 150 years. So here are some of the pros that GAF types of shingles offer:

Good for any Budget

When it comes to GAF roofing options, how much you make doesn’t matter. No matter if you’re worth billions 💵💵💵 or merely thousands 💵, there’s a GAF roofing option for you. GAF offers:

• Pricey premium shingle lines 💰
• Affordable basic shingle lines 🪙
• Everything in between ↔

Plus, they offer specialty shingles with excellent features such as:

• Impact resistance ☄
• Solar-reflectiveness ☀
• Stain-protection 💦

The Best Warranties

Warranties are guarantees that products will work 💪as they should. If they don’t, you’ll get a refund or get the product replaced. That way you can buy products without any worries 😟 of them failing.

And GAF types of roofs have some of the BEST 🏆 warranties in the industry. GAF warranties:

• Last for the shingle’s lifetime ⏳
• Are transferrable to new homeowners 🏘
• Protect against wind and algae damage 💨 🌿

Keep in mind that many GAF types of shingles are only eligible for warranties if they’re installed by a GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor. And this relates to a con of these shingles, as you’ll see below.

Cons of GAF Shingles

Still, nothing is perfect. Even the highest quality product in the universe 🌌 should still have some flaws. Product buyers just have to weigh the pros ➕ and cons ➖ of each product and decide which cons are less like cons.

GAF shingle options are no different. Below you’ll find some cons for GAF shingle options. Consider if they’re bad 👎enough for you to refuse to get a new roof with GAF shingles.

Certified Contractors

For contractors to access advanced warranties, they have to become GAF Master Elite or Certified Roofing Contractors. Contractors such as these are highly skilled 🙌 in installing GAF shingle types of roofs.

The requirements to become such a contractor are strict. Roofers must:

• Be insured and licensed 🪪
• Have seven years of roofing experience 7
• Have a 99% local satisfaction rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Be committed to training 🏋♂

In a way, this is a good thing. Homeowners can seek out only certified trainers and have guaranteed quality. 💯 GAF-certified roofers can also earn more.

However, many roofers cannot afford the GAF training. So if a homeowner can’t find a GAF-certified contractor, they won’t be able to get the higher warranties.

Granule Loss

Some roofers claim to have found that GAF shingle options have issues with granule loss. When compared to other shingle brands, we have found them to be very much the same when installed. All shingles have initial granule loss. This is completely normal. When opening a new bundle and during the first hard rain after install, you’ll notice the loose granules. All manufacturers account for this and the finished product will always have the proper amount of granules along with a warranty to back it.

GAF Shingles Reviews

Have the sections above convinced you to buy GAF shingles? If so, all you need to do is choose the perfect shingles for you. Here are some options and brief descriptions:

Timberline

GAF’s Timberline shingles are their most popular 🏆shingle options. You can get Timberline HDZ shingles if you want a high-definition look with a layer lock application. These shingles are also basic but very high quality 💯.

The other type of Timberline shingles is the AH shingles. These have an added feature that protects the shingles against algae 🌿 growth. They’re more expensive than HDZ shingles, but the price is well worth it.

Designer Shingles

GAF has two designer shingle lines: Slateline and Camelot II. The former type resembles slate but you can get them at a fraction ➗ of the real price. The latter shingle type has a wide variety of custom colors and only costs slightly more than the Slateline type.

Royal Sovereign 3-Tab Shingles

These shingles are both affordable 🪙 and durable 🧱. In addition, the shingles come in a variety of colors. You’re sure to find one that matches the exterior of your home.

We’ll Install Your GAF Shingle Roof

As you can see from these GAF shingles reviews, GAF is a roofing manufacturing company you can rely on 💪 . When you need asphalt shingles, you must go with GAF shingles.

When you need a new roof covered in GAF shingles, we can give it to you. At Buckworth, we’re the trusted Pensacola metro area roofing contractor. Contact us 24/7 for a free roofing price estimate.