SBS-modified products fit the bill: They’re less brittle than standard asphalt, so they will bend rather than break, and are less likely to suffer impact damage. Some insurers are incentivizing homeowners who use impact-resistant shingles. “In some cases we have seen double-digit increases.” “Homeowner insurance rates have gone up by more than twice the national average in recent years,” she says. Roof damage is the second biggest cost, according to Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. Take Colorado, often called “hail alley,” where insurers have paid out $10 billion in hail damage claims over the last decade. Another is insurance rate hikes-especially for homeowners in areas prone to high winds or hail. SBS’s growing popularity begs the question: Why now? Part of the answer is a general trend toward higher-end roofing products. Jeff Herbert GAF uses the increased impact-resistance as a selling point for its Timberline ArmorShield II line But Alex Pecora, the company’s director of residential product marketing, says that sales have been strong enough that it recently expanded to 14 additional states and provinces. When CertainTeed rolled out the NorthGate line last year, it limited distribution to the Northwest and Hawaii. The disruption has been slow despite the technology being available for 30 years, demand has only seemed to really pick up in the last few, and manufacturers are proceeding cautiously. It’s somewhat of a stealth disruption in that these shingles are estimated and installed like any other asphalt shingle. He goes so far as to call SBS modification “a disruptive technology” because of the performance it offers. Combining them gives you something strong that’s also stretchy and will recover like a rubber band,” says Greg Malarkey, senior vice president at Malarkey Roofing. “Styrene is strong and hard butadiene is a rubbery chain. Those advantages are thanks to the properties offered by the styrene/butadiene blend.
Stan Bastek, director of marketing at Atlas Roofing, says that his company’s StormMaster shingles achieve a Class 4 impact rating. For instance, GAF says that its Timberline ArmorShield II earns a Class F wind rating from Underwriters Laboratories (the best score possible) and is warrantied against wind gusts of up to 130 mph.
The main calling cards of SBS modified products are better resistance to wind and hail. CertainTeed, for instance, says that when tested against standard asphalt, its SBS modified NorthGate shingle showed “a 40% improvement in tear strength, a 40% improvement in nail pull-through resistance and a 15% increase in granule retention.” Manufacturers claim that altering the asphalt makes the shingle tougher. The end result is more flexible, can be installed in lower temperatures, and retains surface granules better than standard shingles. Manufacturers then blend it with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymers to add rubber-like characteristics. These products, which now are offered by at least five manufacturers-Atlas, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey, and GAF-begin with the standard asphalt used in roof shingles. The category has been enjoying a surge of popularity, with new manufacturers entering the game in recent years. SBS polymer-modified asphalt roof shingles aren’t new: Malarkey Roofing’s Alaskan polymer shingle was introduced in 1986, followed by Atlas’ StormMaster in the early 90s. Malarkey Roofing Products® Malarkey Roofing promotes its SBS polymer-modified Windsor line as a heavyweight designer shingle
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