# New Shingles: Defective Shingles or Bad Install?



## TTZip (Jan 11, 2012)

After a large hail storm we had here our roof was totaled and a new roof was installed. When the roof was first installed I noticed the shingles are not laying flat which I know is not normal. They told me it would go down after a little bit. Well now we are 2 months after install and it doesn't look like anything has happened. Below are picture I took a few minutes ago. If larger images are needed I have full size 5184x3456 images available.

If it makes any difference it looks like this throughout the house some areas worse than others, but it's everywhere. Also I am located in Texas and the shingles were installed in reasonably warm weather and we have had plenty of sunny days and warm weather since.

The shingles used are GAF|ELK Timberline and I have many pictures of the install if needed. The old shingles were removed and so was the old felt paper with new 30lb felt paper installed.

Also note it is a bit harder to see in some pictures due to the sun hitting it head on so there is no shadow cast.

I should also mention that a GAF representative has already been out here to look at the shingles, but all he did was take pictures like I did and said he will have a full report in a while. That was around 2 and a half weeks ago now. Still nothing.


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## MJW (Feb 7, 2006)

A warranty claim will take some time, just keep on top of them every couple weeks.

Those shingles look old and dry. This can happen with almost any brand, but seems to happen more with those. They pump out a ton of shingles every year and they may sit in a lumber yard for a few years before they are used.

On the other hand, I have recently used some of their newest shingles which are very thin and brittle.

We put on another brand of shingles yesterday here in MN. It was 50 degrees and sunny yesterday. Today it is 25, windy and snowing. They are already laying flatter than what yours are in those pics.

In TX, they should have sealed down in one day, maybe two.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Shingles should definitely have laid down flat at this point if they were going to.

I will be interested to see what the GAF rep says.


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## dell1956 (Jan 5, 2012)

wooww, looks ugly, sorry, I also had a very bad installation here in TX, just praying to have a very good windy day so I can call the company back since I have a bunch of shingles just holding with one nail, or maybe my insurance.. but yeah those don't look good, also look for nails around your roof and under the shingle, check for overdriven nails, check your valleys and starter course.. good luck


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## ben's plumbing (Oct 6, 2011)

not a good looking job at all .....I wonder why the installer did not question the condition of the shingles as they were being installed clearly more than just being cold.....eagerly waiting for the rep...sorry to see you have this issue...ben


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## dell1956 (Jan 5, 2012)

ben's plumbing said:


> not a good looking job at all .....I wonder why the installer did not question the condition of the shingles as they were being installed clearly more than just being cold.....eagerly waiting for the rep...sorry to see you have this issue...ben


cause they don't care... they just want to do the job, get paid by square..


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Most look like they were nailed to low on the shingle.
Some were installed to tight to the wall so they buckled.


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## titanoman (Nov 27, 2011)

Architectural shingles always look a little rougher than 3-tab as far as laying down flat because they are at least 2 ply, but that's ridiculous.
Looks like they were jammed together too tight, and they are too tight to the walls it looks like also.

Sent from a Samsung Galaxy S2


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## cocobolo (Dec 16, 2008)

TT, your shingles look very similar to a brand we get here in Canada, in fact the design looks identical.

See if you can get a wrapper off one of the bundles of shingles, and it will tell you exactly how they are supposed to be installed. Failing that, you should be able to get the proper installation information from the company's website.

The shingles here are called Harmony, and are made by BP, but, as I say, they look as though the pattern is identical to yours.

While these shingles never actually lay dead flat because of their multiple layer construction, they certainly shouldn't look as bumpy as your roof does.

They are intended to have an irregular appearance.

I see one or two shingles which appear to be buckled up against an adjoining wall. That's just because they didn't leave any space between the shingle and the wall. You could cut off an inch or so from the end of the offending shingles and that would take care of that.

The view that you have looking at the end of the roof shows the shingles as they typically look, and that may be a hint to part (or all) of the trouble. The end looks fine, which suggests that the shingles may have been laid too tightly together.

Once you get your hands on the installation instructions, you should see that there is a very specific order in which the manufacturer directs how these shingles are to be laid. It appears from your photos that these directions have not been followed.

Do you know how many nails they put in each shingle? Were you able to observe them doing the job at all? Do you know if they used a gun for the nailing, or did they do it by hand?

It also looks as though one of the shingles was cut but it's in the middle of a row. That shouldn't be. I hope I'm wrong on that one.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Thread closed at OP's request.


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