Architectural shingles for Stow, Ohio roofs

What are architectural shingles?

An architectural shingle is two layers of asphalt mat laminated together. The top layer is cut into tabs of different sizes, which gives the roof a textured, shadowed look. Roofers also call them dimensional or laminated shingles. The older kind, the 3-tab, is a single thin layer cut into three even tabs.

How long do shingles last on a Stow roof?

Published lifespans assume fair conditions. Stow adds three things. The first is freeze and thaw, which runs from November into March and flexes the shingle mat. The second is snow that lingers in the secondary snowbelt. The third is shade. A Tree City USA community of more than forty years has a lot of mature maple and oak over its roofs, and a north slope under trees stays damp, grows moss and ages faster than the sunny side of the same house.

Attic ventilation matters as much as weather. A hot attic cooks shingles from below in July and melts snow in January. That is why a ridge vent is part of every replacement.

What does the wind rating mean?

The rating is the wind speed a shingle is tested to resist when it is nailed and sealed the way its maker directs. Stow's residential permit guide lists a design wind speed of 90 mph for the city. Architectural shingles commonly carry ratings of 110 to 130 mph, so they clear that mark with room to spare. The rating only holds if the starter strip is sealed at the edges and each shingle gets the right number of nails in the right line. The install matters as much as the product.

How is the shingle color chosen?

With you, at the house. Colors look different on a sample board, on a screen and on a roof in daylight. You and the owner look at samples against your own brick, siding and trim. A few plain rules help.

• A roof reads darker from the street than the sample suggests.
• Brick with a lot of color variation does best under a quieter shingle. Plain siding can carry a blend with more contrast.
• Dark shingles hide streaks. Light ones run a little cooler in summer.
• Look along your own street. A 1960s ranch on Lynnwood Drive and a 1990s colonial in Eastwicke Farms suit different tones.
• On a shaded lot, ask about shingles with algae-resistant granules, which slow dark streaks.

If your subdivision has a homeowners association, read its rules on roof color before you choose.

What goes on with the shingles?

Shingles are the visible layer of a system. Under and around them go synthetic underlayment, ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, new drip edge, a starter strip, and a ridge vent with matching cap shingles. The shingles come with a manufacturer warranty and the install comes with a written Guttrz workmanship warranty. You will find the terms of each on your quote.

Why asphalt shingles only?

Stow Ohio Roofing installs asphalt shingles and nothing else. It is the roof Stow's subdivisions were built with, from the first ranches of the 1960s to the colonials of the 1990s.

For a closer look at one group of houses, read our post on shingle choices for 1990s colonials in Stow. To see how the shingle fits into the total, go to what a new roof costs in Stow. The whole job is described on the Stow roof replacement page.