Alliance installs architectural shingles, impact-resistant Class 4 systems and premium designer asphalt roofing throughout North Texas—with the installation details and attic ventilation that help a roof perform the way it should.
Modern asphalt shingles are a layered roofing product. A fiberglass mat provides reinforcement, asphalt provides waterproofing, and mineral granules protect the asphalt from ultraviolet light while creating the roof's color and texture.
The broad roofing category. Asphalt is the waterproofing material used around the fiberglass reinforcement in modern shingles.
A common trade term for shingles made from a composition of materials—typically fiberglass, asphalt, mineral fillers and protective granules.
A dimensional shingle style designed to create more depth and visual variation than traditional flat three-tab shingles.
A construction term for shingles made with layered pieces bonded together. Most modern architectural shingles are laminated shingles.
For most homeowners, asphalt and composition describe the general shingle category, while architectural, laminated and dimensional are commonly used for the layered style that dominates residential re-roofing today. They are related terms—not four completely different roofing materials.
For most North Texas homes, the decision comes down to three useful categories: a quality architectural shingle, an impact-resistant upgrade, or a premium designer shingle.
This is the default residential asphalt roof most homeowners picture today: laminated construction, dimensional appearance, broad color selection and a reasonable upfront cost.
Class 4 is the highest UL 2218 impact-resistance classification. Many impact-resistant shingles use polymer-modified asphalt or other reinforcement strategies to improve resilience, but the exact technology varies by manufacturer.
Designer shingles use heavier builds, deeper shadow lines and more distinctive patterns to imitate slate, shake or other high-end roof styles.
The brand name matters, but the details that affect installation matter even more. On a laminated shingle, fasteners need to land where the product is engineered to be nailed and penetrate the intended layers.
Our crews install thousands of fasteners on a typical roof. A wide, reinforced and clearly visible nailing area helps installers stay consistent. We also pay attention to laminate bonding, granule retention, how a shingle handles hot-weather foot traffic, wind performance and the overall roofing system around the field shingle.
Duration's SureNail technology uses a wide, visible engineered fabric strip across the common-bond area. In our own hot-weather installation experience, Duration also handles crew foot traffic and granule retention very well, which is a major reason it is our preferred standard architectural shingle.
Highlander uses Malarkey's larger “The Zone” nailing area and NEX polymer-modified asphalt. The product is currently UL 2218 Class 3—not Class 4—but we like the nailing target and the resilient asphalt technology.
Landmark is a widely used laminated architectural shingle with CertainTeed's NailTrak nailing area. Product ratings and warranty options vary by Landmark version, so we match the exact product to the homeowner's priorities.
This is Alliance Metal Roofing's contractor preference based on installation experience—not an independent laboratory ranking. Product specifications change; always verify the exact current product data and warranty.
A premium shingle cannot make up for a bad roof deck, poor fastener placement, weak flashing or an attic that cannot breathe.
Alliance generally prefers removing the old roofing materials down to the wood deck so hidden conditions are not buried under another layer.
We check decking around penetrations, valleys, eaves and other vulnerable areas, replacing wood that is rotten or no longer structurally sound.
Underlayment, flashings, pipe penetrations, starter and ridge components need to work together—not just the field shingles.
Fasteners need the right placement, depth and pattern for the exact shingle and roof conditions. A good nailing zone only helps when it is actually used.
A balanced attic system brings outside air in low through soffit or other intake vents and lets warm, moisture-laden air escape near the roof peak. One problem we routinely find is blown-in insulation or accumulated debris blocking the soffit intake, which starves the exhaust vents of replacement air.
Lomanco commonly recommends 1 sq. ft. of net free ventilation per 300 sq. ft. of attic floor area when the 1/300 ratio is permitted, divided about equally between intake and exhaust. Local code and attic conditions can require different ratios, including 1/150.
For homeowners who want to stay with asphalt but improve impact resistance, Class 4 is one of the most important upgrades to compare.
The Class 4 test uses a 2-inch steel ball dropped from 20 feet onto multiple locations of the roofing specimen. The material must avoid the failure criteria defined by UL 2218. Class 4 is the highest impact classification in that test.
Important: this is an impact rating, not a guarantee against real-world hail. Wind ratings and wind warranties are separate product specifications.
Many impact-resistant shingles use polymer-modified asphalt such as SBS or other reinforcement strategies. The goal is more flexibility and resilience under impact, but not every Class 4 shingle is constructed the same way.
An impact-resistant asphalt shingle is still an asphalt roof. Heat, UV exposure and time matter, which is another reason correct ventilation and installation remain important.
The Texas Department of Insurance says qualifying impact-resistant roofing may be eligible for premium credits, with Class 4 receiving the highest impact classification credit. Each insurer decides its own discount amount and documentation requirements.
As asphalt shingles age, they often become drier and less flexible. In our inspections, roofs around the 12–15 year range frequently begin showing noticeably more brittleness, although actual aging varies widely by ventilation, orientation, product, installation and storm history. Keeping a roof cooler and properly ventilated can help preserve the conditions it needs to perform over time.
There is no single expiration date. A quality architectural shingle roof can often provide 20+ years of service under favorable conditions, and some roofs go longer. North Texas heat, hail, ventilation and workmanship can change that timeline considerably.
Eventually, repairs can reach a point of diminishing returns. When shingles become brittle, repeated spot repairs may cost money without restoring the overall roof's remaining life. That is when it makes sense to compare the repair cost against replacement instead of automatically patching one more area.
A roof does not have to leak the day after a storm to deserve a closer look. Hail can shorten a shingle's remaining service life by damaging the surface and, in stronger impacts, bruising or fracturing the shingle.
Mineral granules shield the asphalt from ultraviolet light. Hail impacts can displace granules and expose more asphalt to weathering. But not every dark spot or area of granule loss is hail damage—normal aging, foot traffic and manufacturing conditions can look different or similar.
A trained inspection looks for consistent impact patterns, bruising, mat fracture and collateral evidence rather than assuming every mark came from hail. The roof may continue shedding water initially even when an impact has reduced its expected service life.
Before opening a claim, know your deductible and get an honest roof evaluation. Insurance does not replace roofs simply because they are old, worn or affected by a manufacturer defect.
If you do have storm damage, document it and review your policy promptly. Claim-reporting and repair deadlines can vary by insurance company and policy, so do not assume every homeowner has the same one-year window.
If you are replacing an asphalt roof, ask one uncomfortable but useful question: Do I want to do this again in 15 or 20 years? If the answer is no—or if repeated hail replacements have already become frustrating—it is worth pricing stone-coated steel alongside asphalt before you make the decision.
Budget, how long you expect to own the home, whether the property will stay in the family, storm exposure and your tolerance for future replacement cycles all matter.
Compare Stone-Coated Steel vs. Asphalt →They are commonly used almost interchangeably. “Laminated” describes layered shingle construction, while “architectural” or “dimensional” describes the resulting style and appearance. Most mainstream architectural shingles today are laminated products.
Usually not in everyday residential roofing conversation. “Composition” is a broad trade term for the composite materials in the shingle; modern fiberglass asphalt shingles combine a fiberglass mat, asphalt, mineral components and surface granules.
No. Class 4 means the product passed the highest UL 2218 impact classification. Real hail varies in size, shape, density, wind speed and angle, so no asphalt shingle should be sold as hail-proof.
They may. Texas allows insurers to offer impact-resistant roofing credits, but the amount and documentation requirements vary by company. Check the actual savings with your insurer before choosing a product based on the discount.
Removing the old roof lets us inspect the deck, identify damaged wood and evaluate penetrations, valleys and flashing conditions before the new system covers everything back up.
It depends on attic area, vent Net Free Area and local code. Lomanco generally recommends a balanced system with about half intake and half exhaust, often using a 1/300 ratio when permitted. Some conditions or codes require 1/150, so the roof should be calculated rather than guessed.
Product specifications, warranties and insurance rules can change. Alliance field observations are identified as such. Always verify the exact product documents, local code and your own policy before making a final decision.
We can look at the roof, ventilation, deck conditions and your goals, then compare standard architectural, impact-resistant and premium options without pushing you into more roof than the house needs.
Get a Free Roof Quote → Call (817) 914-3279