What Are Asphalt Shingles Made Of?
As roofers Myrtle Beach we are sure that you’ve never wondered how Asphalt shingles are made. Obviously I’ve read some books and some text manuals on it so that I could become a better roofing contractor. But the average homeowner could probably care less. I always say “No one wants to buy a roof”. But if you truly care for your home and want your home to be able to handle a strong storm you should pay attention to the roof on your home. But that being said, have you ever wondered how singles were made. There are basically five major products that go into the manufacturing of shingles.
Shingles are made of these five basic things; fiberglass mat, Asphalt, granules, back surfacing sand or slag fines, and sealing strips. Obviously these are manufactured in a very large plant not by your local roofers Myrtle Beach. Along with the plant there is typically a very large yard to store shingles as they are made and to allow for Large Tractor trailers with flatbed trailers to be loaded.
They start with a Large roll of fiberglass mat. On the video I watched it was a roll that was approximately 6 ‘ wide and almost 6’ tall. This fiberglass mat is the structural base of the shingle. This base is responsible for making sure the shingles work properly and have a long life. They would lay these large rolls onto a conveyor belt and it would get it set to run through the series of machines.
Next step for us roofers Myrtle Beach to take is to coat the fiberglass mat in liquid asphalt. This asphalt acts as a waterproofing agent and will hold the granules in place and will add to the overall strength of the shingles. The asphalt is usually a by-product of crude oils. After they have thoroughly saturated the mat they will continue through the looper machine and move onto the next step.
Once the mat has been saturated they will begin to add the granules to the shingles. The granules are typically crushed rock particles that have been colored by a ceramic coating process. The importance of these granules is to block out the UV rays from the sun. These rays will help break down the asphalt and shorten the life of the shingles. Algae resistant shingles will also have bits of copper added to the shingle. The copper helps combat the algae by binding to the algae and breaking down the cells. This basically causes the cells to leak and die and therefore eliminates the algae.
After the shingles have had the granules installed they will install a fine sand or a fine slag to the backside of the shingles. This backsurfacing allows the shingles to be stacked on top of one another without sticking to each other. As well, the back surfacing will allow the shingle to finish going through the production line and will allow the shingles to be stacked into bundles.
As soon as the back surfacing is complete the shingles will move down the line to be cut into the individual shingles, then stacked into bundles after a quality control inspection the shingles will then be ready to have the final wrapping installed on the bundle of shingles. Then they are stacked into pallets and are ready to be shipped out for future use.
The manufacturing of shingles is a pretty straightforward process. Obviously different manufacturers do things a little different and I’m sure there are some changes to the basic manufacturing techniques. At Accurate Building Company we like to align ourselves with companies that make superior construction products so that we can be your premier roofers Myrtle Beach. CertainTeed is the 2nd oldest shingle manufacturing company in the world. CertainTeed is known for its luxury shingles. They are always ranked as being the absolute best on the market. If you’re going to replace the roof on your home you should feel confident that you have the absolute best roof available with the strongest warranty on the market. Give Accurate Building Company a call today for a free quote on a new roof for your home. You’ll be glad you did. We’re the roofers Myrtle Beach that will nail your project the right way!