The Horizon Shingle by CertainTeed

damaged shingles

The Certainteed Horizon shingles are a 3 tab shingle that looks much like an architectural shingle. When architectural shingles first came out in the 70’s they were very expensive. At that point it became a choice, do you want a very nice architectural shingle that looks much better or a 3 tab that has been proven for years and looks pretty good? Most people would go with a 3-tab because architecture was considered a designer shingle and not on that many houses or businesses, plus they were expensive! The horizon shingle looks like an architectural because of its added cosmetic tab laid over the face of the 3-tab. It was a great idea actually! They look pretty good, except for the falling apart piece…. 

What year were CertainTeed Horizon shingles made?

damaged shingles

The organic Horizon shingles were made from 1987-1996, however, they made their asphalt fiberglass counterpart from 1996-2009, which looks identical to the organic shingles. When CertainTeed introduced the horizon shingle back in 1987 they first made it from organic materials. This was a HUGE mistake! Over time the shingles started to fall apart and thermal blister. Because of this fact, the shingles also damage very easily with wind or hail. When dealing with hail it’s often very difficult to determine if the shingle was damaged by hail or if it is just the shingle thermal blistering. Insurance will often deny hail claims on horizon shingles. 

shingles to be repaired

Wind on the other hand is a little different. What also made the horizon shingles by CertainTeed stand out is the prominent black shadow line at the top of each tab. It looks great, and again, another great way to pull off that architectural look… However, it makes it tough to spot shingles that are creased by the wind. Usually, the damage is noticed a bit too late when a tab or two is missing and you finally notice it laying in your yard… In this case, you can pretty much count on much of your roof having creased shingles. 

In North Carolina, there are many roofs that still have the horizon shingle. Most of the Horizons in North Carolina is the fiberglass type which was not a part of the class action lawsuit… However… I have been on many fiberglass horizon roofs and witnessed thermal blistering. It makes me wonder if perhaps the fiberglass horizon had the same problem as its organic counterpart but simply held together better and therefore never made it into the class action suit… of course, this is all speculation, but.. they are indeed blistering and certainly susceptible to easy wind and hail damage. 

cracked shingles

To sum things up:

CertainTeed is not a bad shingle company, they just made some honest mistakes. If your contractor wants to put CertainTeed back on your home it’s not a bad idea. Just be sure to choose a good shingle that a reputable roofing contractor recommends and has a great track record with. 

ALL Shingle manufacturers have made mistakes: 

Much like Toyota, Ford, Dodge, Honda, etc. They all have recalled parts. This doesn’t mean you boycott them and never buy again, quite frankly that would not leave many choices. It’s how the manufacturer handled the recall that matters. I say CertainTeed did a pretty good job although the fiberglass version of the original horizon deserves some attention at this point. 

What does this mean for me?

If you have the Horizon shingle on your home whether it’s fiberglass or not, it’s almost certain that you have some type of damage. Get a roof inspection from a licensed roofing contractor who knows the history of the shingle and can perform some brittle tests and also see if you have damage to your roof. Roof Central is VERY familiar with the Horizon shingle and offers FREE roof reports. 

Give us a call today or fill out the contact form on this page and we will get back to you 🙂

Article By: 

-Justin Woodruff, Owner