CERTAINTEED PRESIDENTIAL & PRESIDENTIAL TL

The Truth on "Pumpkin Tooth" Asphalt Shingles
Only a Short-Term Roofing Solution

              This article provides unbiased information on the functional lifespan - and the aesthetic lifespan
              of "pumpkin-tooth" style asphalt shingles.  We will use the Presidential Shake and Presidential TL
              as examples because they have the longest history.  However, the design of ALL pumpkin-tooth
              products is similar - so the concepts expressed below should apply to ANY other brand of shingle.

CertainTeed Presidential Shake & Presidential TL
PABCO Paramount & Paramount Advantage
Owens Corning Woodmore & Woodcrest
GAF Grand Sequoia & Grand Canyon

Please see Definitions
 

   CERTAINTEED PRESIDENTIAL FAILURES

   Many consumers currently have the incorrect perception that "pumpkin-tooth" style fiberglass shingles have lasted
   (or will last) for 30, 40 or 50 years.  This misconception about durability is understandable, there is no shortage of
   asphalt manufacturers, and asphalt roofers, promoting the sale of these products and consumers notice the shingle
   is much thicker (at the bottom edge) than conventional "3-Tab" and "Architectural" style asphalt products. 

   Unfortunately, most asphalt roofers never disclose the history of premature failures with Presidential shingles - And
   they rarely show the back-side of the shingle... So consumers remain unaware that a significant part of the shingle
   is one thin layer of cheap (3-Tab) material.  Consumers must never expect unbiased information from roofers.  [1]

   The CertainTeed Presidential Shake (and Presidential TL) are popular roofing shingles, marketed as alternatives
   for traditional cedar shake roofing.  The Presidential shingle is promoted by CertainTeed, and most asphalt roofers,
   as a 50 year or "lifetime" roofing product.  However, the Presidential shingle has a history of premature failures
   starting BEFORE even 15 years old - But this documented history of failure is rarely disclosed to consumers.  [2]

   This article provides unbiased information on the functional lifespan - and the aesthetic lifespan - of Presidential
   shingles, the recent deceptive marketing strategy of providing "inflated" warranties to increase market share and
   other important roofing "secrets" that asphalt manufacturers (and asphalt roofers) Don't Want You to Know. [3]

PRESIDENTIAL WARRANTY CLAIMS

   The Presidential shingle was first introduced to the roofing industry by Celotex in 1987 with a 30 year warranty.
   Within just 15 years these initial Presidential installations were already starting to experience premature failures.

   In 2001, 2002 and 2003 CertainTeed Paid Warranty Claims for the premature failure of Presidential shingles
   due to excessive granular loss, brittleness, cracking and splitting.  Despite these failures, BEFORE 15 years old,
   in 2002, CertainTeed actually increased the Presidential warranty period to 50 years.

   In 2004, 2005 and 2006 CertainTeed Paid Warranty Claims for the premature failure of Presidential shingles
   due to problems with excessive granular loss, brittleness, cracking and splitting.  Obviously Presidential shingles
   were developing a consistent pattern of premature failure BEFORE 17 years old.  However, in 2006, CertainTeed
   increased the warranty period (again), this time from 50 years to the current "lifetime" warranty. [4]

   In 2007, 2008 and 2009 CertainTeed Paid Warranty Claims for the premature failure of Presidential shingles
   due to continued problems with excessive granular loss, brittleness, cracking and splitting.  In addition to the clear
   and consistent pattern of premature failures, it's important to note CertainTeed recently admitted they can provide
   no examples - not even one - of Presidential installations lasting over 20 years in the Seattle area. [5]

SHOCKING BEHAVIOR

   Consumers should Not be Shocked that major asphalt manufacturers (like CertainTeed) are currently selling
   shingles with a history of premature failure - CertainTeed has been selling defective shingles for a very long time.
   They are currently negotiating settlement on the largest (600 million) class action lawsuit in the history of roofing
   due to the premature failures which resulted from the continued sales of defective shingles for almost 30 years. [6]

   Never assume the sales of defective asphalt shingles were limited to just a few years, or just a few isolated products.
   Sales of defective shingles have been widespread and pervasive - At times it has been the norm, not the exception.
   For more information on the continued sales of products known to fail prematurely, see Selling Defective Shingles

   And never expect full disclosure of information on sales of defective shingles from asphalt manufacturers or roofers.
   Despite the history of premature failure of Presidential shingles and the documented claim payments, CertainTeed
   has admitted that corporate, regional and legal personnel conspired with local roofers to prevent consumers
   from receiving information about Presidential failures - They even DENIED knowledge of any of these claims. [7]

                    Between myself, CertainTeed's Sales Manager for the Northwest Region, Greg Palandrani,
                    and other persons (not to mention our legal department and outside counsel), CertainTeed
                    has invested an extraordinary amount of time and effort in our attempts to repair the damage
                    done...  Specifically, I explained that as CertainTeed's Territory Manager for that region,
                    I knew of no claims of Presidential or Presidential TL shingles failing prematurely.

   Consumers should Not be Shocked that asphalt manufacturers and asphalt roofers simply deny the existence
   of documented claims.  And consumers should Not be Shocked to learn they are currently selling shingles with
   a history of claim payments.  CertainTeed has admitted they EXPECT Presidential shingles to fail prematurely. [8]
   And CertainTeed's "certified" roofers have admitted they EXPECT Presidential shingles to fail prematurely. [9]
   The only problem is... They rarely (if ever) admit these actual expectations to their prospective customers.

PRESIDENTIAL DESIGN (Cheap 3-Tab Material)

   While CertainTeed, and many asphalt roofers, like to present the Presidential Shake and Presidential TL as being
   "superior" roofing products, actually both of these shingles are made from some of the cheapest (3-Tab) material.
   The Presidential and Presidential TL are both made from essentially the same material CertainTeed normally uses
   to produce the very inexpensive XT25 shingle - Which is its very bottom-of-the-line 3-Tab shingle.  [10]

   Apparently when the material is called "XT25" CertainTeed expects a 25 year lifespan, but when the same material
   is re-named "Presidential" or "Presidential TL" CertainTeed then expects this material to have a 50+ year lifespan.
   Based on the shingle design, the historical performance and the documented warranty claims, we "expect" the XT25
   to fail BEFORE 20 years - which may account for the documented failure of Presidential shingles BEFORE 20 years.

   CertainTeed Paid Warranty Claims for premature failure of XT25 shingles BEFORE they even started to produce
   the Presidential line of shingles (from the defective XT25 material).  For more than 15 years CertainTeed has been
   paying warranty claims for premature failure of XT25 shingles and for 10 years CertainTeed has been paying claims
   for the premature failure of Presidential shingles.  [11]

   At this point, the only question is: Why is CertainTeed continuing to sell these defective products,
   and why are asphalt roofers not disclosing this very information to unsuspecting consumers?
   And, the answer may have something to do with profitability.

PRESIDENTIAL DESIGN (Dual & Tri-Laminates)

   Even with the documented history of warranty claims for defective XT25 and Presidential shingles, CertainTeed
   tells uninformed consumers the Presidential is "expected" to demonstrate superior performance, and last 50 years,
   because its a "dual-laminate" design - meaning there are two layers of the (3-Tab) XT25 material bonded together.
   And the Presidential TL is a "tri-laminate" design consisting of three bonded layers of 3-Tab material .

   By making such statements, CertainTeed must depend on the ignorance of inexperienced consumers because
   approximately 20% of exposed Presidential material is NOT the dual-laminate design - its a single layer of material.
   The same applies to the Presidential TL shingle, only part of the shingle is a tri-laminate design - the rest consists
   of just a single layer of the cheap (XT25) 3-Tab material.

   Since the weakest area of a shingle - not the strongest area - determines product durability, there is no reason
   to expect 50 years, or 40 years or even 30 years of durability from Presidential, or Presidential TL shingles when
   a significant portion of the product is just a single layer of the bottom-of-the-line (XT25) 3-Tab material. 

   And there is no reason to expect the problems of excessive granular loss to be solved by bonding another shingle,
   or two more shingles, to the bottom of a layer of cheap (XT25) 3-Tab material.  If past performance is any indication
   of future durability, we can expect both the XT25 and Presidential shingles to Continue to Fail BEFORE 20 years. 

PRESIDENTIAL RE-SALE WINDOW

   It's simply not enough for buyers to only know the "functional life" of a roofing shingle.  It's far more important they
   understand the aesthetic life - the age BEFORE shingles start to show obvious physical signs of imminent failure.
   Potential buyers expect to a Five Year Certification on roofing and normally require the replacement of roofing
   or payment of a negotiated "Roofing Allowance" whenever shingles do not pass a Re-Sale Inspection. [12]

   This is the critical "Re-Sale Window" for roofing products.  If the functional life of the (XT25) Presidential is 20 years,
   that DOES NOT mean the shingles can actually pass a Re-Sale inspection at that time. And determination of "failed"
   roofing is always based on the WORST portion of the installation - never the strongest.  It simply does not matter if
   the north-side of the roof is still in decent condition... when shingles on the south-side have already failed.

   Buyers must understand this Re-Sale Window because eventually they will become Sellers of that same roofing.
   Trying to sell a home with 15 year old Presidential shingles will be a problem - if all the prospective buyers want
   to negotiate replacement costs because areas of the roofing show obvious physical signs of imminent failure and
   the condition of the most worn areas of roofing cannot pass the necessary (5 year) Re-Sale Inspection.

Paying $20,000 for Presidential shingles today may just be your initial down payment
When it requires replacement costs of over $40,000 (inflation) to Re-Sell in only 15 years.
And it may be little consolation to receive a (12%) claim payment of $4,800 from CertainTeed.

   This is the problem of intentionally marketing roofing products with "Inflated" Warranties.  Whenever manufacturers
   provide warranties of 30 years, 40 years and 50 years to "sell" products with a documented history of premature
   failure BEFORE 20 years - Many innocent families will suffer financial loss.  [13] 

THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION

   Asphalt manufacturers can simply add the cost of projected claim payments to the initial product pricing to offset
   all the claims associated with expected premature failures.  This strategy allows use of "inflated" warranty periods
   (to increase market share) while still maintaining their desired profit margins.  This deceptive marketing strategy
   will be effective - for a period of time. 

   Eventually consumers will recognize the pattern of premature failures, the public awareness suddenly increases,
   Class Action Lawsuits are filed and manufacturers must change product names (again) so they can continue
   to claim the problem has resolved - because they are (now) selling "new and improved" asphalt shingles.

   Because most sales of Presidential (and Presidential TL), in the Seattle area, have occurred in the last few years,
   the general perception of product performance and durability is still very good.  However, since the earliest installs
   are now failing and being replaced, this perception will quickly change.

   Perception of quality for Presidential shingles, and Presidential TL, will evaporate
When the limited durability and long history of premature failure
Suddenly becomes common knowledge. 

   This is an important consideration for all the (current) buyers who are now coming into this scheme a little late...
   Do NOT expect the public to STILL have a good perception of Presidential shingles AFTER they start seeing
   all of the (premature) replacements of roofing installed only 15 or 20 years ago.

   In other words, consumers buying Presidential and Presidential TL shingles in 2010 should NOT expect the current
   perception about "50 year" and "Lifetime" asphalt shingles to continue.  And, having better informed consumers
   (and much higher replacement costs) may be important factors when it comes time to (re)sell their home.

A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

   On the issue of failed / failing roofing, it's important to understand that "expert" opinions will reflect the fundamental
   perspective of those expressing the opinion.  And often the difference between the perspective of (roof) Sellers
   and the perspective of (roof) Buyers can be quite extreme.  The perspective of sellers and buyers differs because
   their financial interests are diametrically opposed.

All roofers claim to have the best product
and all roofers claim to provide the best installation.
Obviously, that cannot be True.

There is always an adversarial relationship between buyers and sellers
roofing buyers should never expect full disclosure or unbiased information
from asphalt manufacturers, asphalt distributors/suppliers or asphalt roofers.

   Sellers (like CertainTeed) may consider roofing "failed" when shingles pass their functional lifespan and threaten
   damage from leaking.  Buyers (homeowners) may consider "failure" to occur whenever the shingles are past their
   Re-Sale Window and require either replacement or payment of a "Roofing Allowance" in order to sell their home.*

   Sellers (like CertainTeed) may consider a certain percentage of premature failures to be acceptable because the
   cost of paying claims is already built into the shingle price - and very few failures get submitted as warranty claims.
   However, most buyers (homeowners) will consider ANY premature failure to be unacceptable - especially when the
   warranty payment is just a small percentage of actual replacement costs... and failure was expected by the Seller.

                  * Based on product design and proven performance, there are only two (2) conventional
                  fiberglass shingles that we find ANY evidence of typical durability beyond 20 years.  These
                  shingles are NOT popular products (in the Seattle area) as most roofers don't tell consumers
                  about the history of premature failures - and the very limited durability of fiberglass shingles.

Do you want to get the BEST VALUE on your roofing project?
You will need Full Disclosure and Unbiased Information.
Contact us for Specific Advice on your Project.
Free Consultation Anywhere in U.S.

Seattle RoofBrokers

 __________________________________________________________________________________________

   [1]  By "history" we do NOT mean 100% failure - Please see Definitions
   [2]  Declaration of Adam Hughes, CertainTeed Legal Counsel, May 28, 2010
   [3]  Roofing warranties are just marketing tools that don't indicate either the quality or the durability of shingles
         and warranty payments are often only a small fraction (8% to 15%) of the actual replacement costs.
   [4]  The Presidential, and Presidential TL, have always been a "fiberglass" design and the premature failures of
         fiberglass shingles have typically been the result of excessive granular loss, brittleness, cracking and splitting,
         blistering, curling and buckling, weeping, seal failure, etc.  Please see: The History of Asphalt Shingles
   [5]  Declaration of Robert Gardiner, CertainTeed VP of Marketing, April 26, 2010.
   [6]  Negotiations allow a maximum of $34 or $74 per square (prorated) for replacement of defective shingles. 
         However replacement costs in Seattle area are approximately $300 to $600 per square for typical installations.
         A 30 square replacement could get $500 or $1000 compensation for actual replacement costs of $15,000.
   [7]  Declaration of Mark Ivers, CertainTeed Northwest Territory Manager, March 3, 2010.
   [8]  Declaration of Mark Ivers, CertainTeed Northwest Territory Manager, April 23, 2010.
   [9]  Declaration of Michael Haight, CertainTeed "Certified" Roofer, April 26, 2010.
 [10]  Declaration of Husnu Kalkanoglu, CertainTeed VP of Research and Development, April 26, 2010.
 [11]  Claim payments are the result of premature failures.  If a shingle is failing prematurely there will be claims and,
         therefore, claim payments.  While it is true that many (maybe even most) premature failures are never reported,
         when "25 year" and/or "50 year" shingles are failing within 15 years, there will definitely be claim payments.
 [12]  Certification of (at least) five more years of functionality is normally required - by the lender - before approval
         of a mortgage loan... unless a price reduction ("roofing allowance") is negotiated to provide for the needed roof
         replacement after closing on the mortgage.  The "Re-Sale Window" of roofing must include this 5 year period.
 [13]  Please see The History of Asphalt Shingles and Selling Defective Shingles in Seattle to understand why this
         author believes CertainTeed was fully aware they were selling defective shingles, why they have no (financial)
         reason to change business strategy now and how their current use of 50 year and "lifetime" warranties provides
         clear indication that nothing has changed... and nothing will change.
   __________________________________________________________________________________________

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      The information above is presented for educational purposes only.  The commentary and all contents reflect
      the professional opinion and experience of the author alone and are subject to error or change without notice.
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