Why Shingle Color Matching in Nashville Gets Harder Over Time

When you have a few missing shingles on your roof replaced, you might be surprised to see that the new ones don’t quite match the rest of the roof. What happened? This is a common issue for roof repair projects in East and Middle Tennessee. The realities of shingle manufacturing, along with the inevitable fading of color under the intense summer sun, mean it’s nearly impossible to achieve perfect shingle color matching. To learn more, and to understand what a roofer can do about it, keep reading.

The Challenge of Proper Shingle Color Matching

When you hire a contractor for roof repair in Nashville, you expect that the problem will simply disappear when the job is done. The roofer will replace missing shingles and take care of any other damage. But when you look up from the street, all the shingles don’t look the same. Why?

As it turns out, perfectly matching replacement shingles to what is currently on the roof can be difficult, if not impossible. Fortunately, an experienced roofer like Mobley Brothers Roofing and Renovation LLC knows how to minimize the visual differences while also ensuring the roof is in great physical condition.

Need a repair done and want to make sure the fix isn’t obvious? Call (615) 645-2185 to get in touch with our shingle-matching experts.

What Gives Asphalt Shingles Their Color?

Asphalt itself is a dark, uniform shade of black and isn’t responsible for the wide variety of colors represented in today’s shingle products. Instead, there is a layer of mineral granules embedded on the top of the shingles that are colored with dye in the manufacturing process. These granules not only give the shingles color but also serve to protect the underlying asphalt from UV radiation.

Manufacturers experiment with many different blends of colors to find designs to send to the market. While much time and effort goes into the planning and creation of the shingles, variations in production batches mean that even two shingles from the same product line can look slightly different. So, if you purchased a shingle today that was exactly the same as one purchased a year ago, it might not look as similar as you would expect.

What Happens to Shingle Color Over Time?

The clock of change starts to tick for a shingle as soon as it is installed on a roof. The primary driver of that change is ultraviolet, or UV, radiation. Exposure to UV rays breaks down the pigmented coating on the granules, causing the colors to lighten, dull, or shift in tone. In the roofing business, this is often referred to as weathering.

In addition to the changes brought on by UV rays, the sun and heat in East and Middle Tennessee will also slowly dry out the oils in the asphalt under the granules. As that oil dries up, the granules start to loosen and will wash away during times of rain. With roughly 50 inches of annual precipitation, this factor plays a bigger part than many people realize.

When combined, these two factors lead to drastic changes in shingles over time.

Why Different Parts of the Roof Age Differently

All asphalt shingles will fade over time. But they don’t all fade at the same rate. In fact, it’s likely that different parts of your roof will weather at different rates, and in different ways, based on a number of factors.

• Sun exposure and orientation. South- and west-facing slopes usually get more direct sunlight over the course of the year. Shingles on those surfaces tend to fade faster than those facing the north or east.
• Shade from nearby trees. If you have any trees on your property that are large enough to block out the sun, the parts of the roof that fall under the shade will age more slowly. Those portions may also develop algae staining as a result of getting less sun, leading to further color changes.
• Moisture and drying conditions. Shaded sections of the roof may stay damp longer after rain or morning dew. That can make algae or other surface staining more noticeable, creating additional color differences between roof slopes.
• Roof pitch and drainage. Steeper slopes get rid of water faster during rainy periods, whereas shallower slopes hold onto that moisture longer. This is another variable that can end up impacting the way the shingles in Nashville age.

How Nashville Weather Makes These Issues More Pronounced

The climate in East and Middle Tennessee can be particularly hard on shingles. Our area’s powerful summer sun combines with high humidity to create harsh conditions. While those conditions are hard enough on humans trying to stay comfortable, they make even more of an impact on your roof.

Another factor that impacts the condition of your roof’s shingles is the dramatic difference between summer heat and winter cold. The freeze-thaw cycling that the climate creates stresses the bond between asphalt and the granules, promoting further granule loss over time.

Together, Nashville's sun exposure, rainfall, and seasonal temperature changes contribute to the weathering of older shingles.

How Your Roofer Can Reduce the Contrast

Once shingles have aged on your roof for a few years, achieving a perfect, completely invisible match is practically impossible. With that said, there are some tactics that can be used by experienced roofers to make the finished repair look natural.

• Sourcing the closest possible match. A quality contractor will compare available shingle options for the repair to find the one that best matches your current roof.
• Pulling shingles from less visible areas. It may be possible to source existing shingles from parts of the roof that aren’t as visible. Then, new shingles can be used to replace those that were pulled up. The mismatch will still exist but will not be as readily noticed.
• Blending across a large area. Even if only a few shingles need to be replaced, you might want to expand the area. This helps give that portion of the roof a cohesive look. This adds some cost to the project but can significantly upgrade the finished appearance.
• Proper Seaming. Experienced roofers in Nashville know how to align shingle courses to reduce visual seams between new and old sections.

Contact Mobley Brothers Roofing and Renovation LLC Today to Solve Your Roofing Challenges

Whatever challenge you are facing with your roof, finding the right contractor is the first step toward solving it. This includes repairs that require color-matched shingles. We understand how Nashville’s weather impacts your roof and what steps are necessary to help the repair fade into the background. With Mobley Brothers, you’re always in good hands. As a GAF Master Elite Certified roofing contractor, you’ll be partnering with the best of the best when you call us at (615) 645-2185.

Want a roof repair that fades into the background? Let our master roofers lend you a hand. Contact us by phone or form to schedule roofing service in Nashville.

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