IKO Shingles. Do They Really Set the Standard?

Several of the top brand name shingles in roofing are GAF, Certainteed, Owens Corning, BP and IKO.  I love Owens Corning, GAF and Certainteed. IKO.....not so much.

In our business, I see a lot of roofs. I have also repaired a lot of roofs but the one I have repaired the most are the shingles made by IKO. In fact, I would venture to say more than 90% of the roof repairs we have repaired are IKO!

IKO has had BIG problems over the last 15-20 years and I mean BIG!!! There have been several types of shingles produced by IKO that have caused major problems for the company and homeowners who who had IKO shingles installed.

Some 20 years ago, IKO produced an organic shingle. It all sounded good. I mean, a green friendly shingle? Come on....what's not to like about that? Well, the problem was they literally decomposed at a rapid pace after they were installed! The result? A whole lot of ticked off customers and one BIG class action lawsuit against the company. Feast your eyes on the picture below!

The roof below was a mere 15 years old and it looks like it's disintegrating into dirt right on the roof.

The next major problem IKO had happened around 2012 and in subsequent years. On the back of all shingles is a tar line that works as an adhesive to hold all shingles together. However, IKO produced a tar line on several brands that had a near 100% failure rate of adhering together. It was a catastrophe! In the last two weeks I have had to repair these two IKO roofs. 

I was able to show these customers that almost none of their shingles are adhering to one another. IKO has definitely had its problems in the past and there are MANY people who are upset with IKO. Here are some reviews from a website called Top Class Action about IKO shingles:

My house was new construction in 2006. IKO Chateau shingles. Roof is deteriorating awfully and just got an estimate for 25K
PLEASE HELP!   Jeff

My house built in 2006 and the IKO shingles on roof have been deteriorating for several years. Has been crumbling, pieces falling off the shingles onto my deck and yard for at least the last five years. They are lifting, curling and falling apart.
Any help in getting a settlement would be appreciated.  Paula from Calgary, AB

Our sad story is very similar to all the above, house built in 2012 with 30-year IKO Cambridge architectural shingles, and within 2 years shingles started blowing off when subjected to wind speeds well below half the wind speed rating. This is now an annual event with more shingles blowing off each year. Additionally, due to fading of the remaining shingles, it’s impossible to repair the roof without introducing significant aesthetic damage due to the patchwork appearance (i.e. new dark shingles that must be used to replace the old faded blown off shingles create unsightly patches on the rest of the faded roof), plus the repair cost. Is there any way to participate in this or another class action lawsuit? Rick

These comlaints are just the tip of the iceberg! There are many many more!

The most common complaints I hear from my customers about IKO are:

1. They blow off. This is true. I see it all the time! I see it every day I'm out working!

2. They curl prematurely! Also very true! 

3. The tar line sucks, they don't adhere. Also VERY VERY VERY True! Like the pictures above show.

Now that said, shingles can blow off if installed improperly. However, it has been rampant with IKO.

Now let's boil this down! Would I ever install IKO shingles on my roof? Unlikely! However, I might try them on a small outbuilding to see how they do. Especially the IKO Dynasty shingle which some roofers believe is a pretty good shingle. What do I have on my house? I put a new roof on 5 years ago and I have Owens Corning Duration shingles. They absolutely ROCK!!!

Because I buy so many bundles of shingles to repair IKO roofs, I have talked with distributors who sell IKO shingles. They assure me all problems with IKO shingles are solved and they are producing a great shingle. IKO is now a fibreglass shingle and the distributors have told me the nail line and tar strip are improved. If this is so, I applaud IKO. However, In my opinion, the jury is still out. As the saying goes, " "Once burned, Twice shy."

Sure there have been some tests done in the last one to two years that demonstrate IKO has made some improvements for the better. The long term, though, is the big question mark. Many of IKO's previous problems didn't show for 5-10 years or more. I liken IKO's problems to the early problems the Hyundai Motor Company had when they entered the Canadian market around 1982. The Hyundai vehicles were absolutely awful!! They broke down all the time and everywhere! The vehicles also had huge rust perforations within two to three years. I nicknamed it, "The decomposable car"! Hyundai essentially lost the trust of most people, including me. However, to Hyundai's credit, they re-grouped, made the necessary changes and began producing a pretty amazing vehicle! So much so, I bought my wife a new Hyundai Santa Fe in 2014 which we still drive today and love it! It's probably the most dependable vehicle I've ever owned! However, it took me 30 years to trust Hyundai again!

It will be the same with IKO shingles. It will take major changes, a determination to make as good a shingle as GAF, Certainteed or Owens Corning, and decades to earn the trust of most roofers and consumers. So, if I do the same thing with IKO that I did with Hyundai, I'll start buying and installing IKO shingles in 2052 when I'm 92 years old! Until then.....I'll likely refrain.

If you would like a quote for a new roof or roof repair, eavestrough, fascia, soffit or siding contact us at 905-966-2564 or visit our websites www.theeavestroughcompany.com or at www.peakroofing.ca

Alu-Rex...Setting the Standard for All Gutter Protection Systems.

                                                                      

The Eavestrough Company has been in business now for 15 years. In that time I've seen a lot! Since I'm in the eavestrough business, it has been interesting to me to see the evolution of numerous different types of gutter protection systems.

There are only a few different types of gutter protection systems. When I first got into the business, the rage was all about foam filter inserts. The big names were Gutter Filter and their rival, Gutter Filter Canada. The foam filters were such a popular thing that Costco could not resist and got into the market. Within a few years and after millions of feet installed, this product was proved to be what it was....total garbage. The sun beat the product to shreds and it clogged badly.

Also popular were the reverse curve gutter protections. I bought a house that had this product on it. The product name was Leaf Guard.  I was very interested to see how it worked. In light to medium rains it worked fine. In heavy rains the water ramped right over the top and onto the ground. I also found that small debris reverse curved right into the eavestroughs and then you couldn't easily clean it out. After one year, I was eager to get this product off my house. 

Then there are the micro-mesh gutter guards. In my opinion, these products are total gimmicks. I would give the actual product a passing grade but for some reason, all these companies seem to think they can make a $4 to $5 product and sell it for $30-$60 per foot. They are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!

However, it all the years I have done business, the one company that has been rock solid in it's business practice, gutter protection design, integrity, and honesty has been the Alu-Rex Company. Back in 2001, two brothers, Guy and Stephane Brochu (who owned their own gutter company), designed and built the product and company.  

I have been installing the Alu-Rex products for 15 years and, in my opinion, there is no product like it. The product they designed is simple and extremely effective. In fact, it has been so effective MANY companies have attempted to copy their design. Smart Screen, Flex Point, AM Aluminum Gutter Guards, Leaf Tek, Kaycan and numerous others have come up with their own version of this gutter protection system.

However, none of these compare to Alu-Rex in quality, effectiveness, and a company that actually stands behind their product. It's why it is now the only product I sell. 

Why do I think Alu-Rex products are the best? There's a host of reasons but let me state a few:

1. The product is simple and it keeps all debris out of the gutter so it can blow off the eavestrough.

2. The product is made out of very sturdy aluminum and will not collapse or deteriorate.

3. The warranty is SOLID (40 years!) and the Company actually stands behind the product.

     To illustrate how great this company is, I was called out to a house by a home owner who could not get ahold of the original company that did their install. When I went out to the house I notice the product had been installed incorrectly and the original company, who was now out of business, had married up Alu-Rex Gutter Clean with a small amount of an ineffective knock off product. The knock off product had allowed a ton of debris to slip under it and clog the gutters. I contacted my Alu-Rex sales rep, Andrew,  and explained the situation to him. Alu-Rex and I worked to get everything fixed and repaired properly for this customer. I love Alu-Rex because they are serious about customer satisfaction!

4. The product is sold at a great price! Seriously, call us and see! Unlike other gutter protection products, you won't feel like you have to second mortgage your property to have it installed!

5. It handles a ton of water! I have never seen a rain this gutter protection can't handle! It can handle a torrent! 

I could go on and on. No gutter protection is perfect but, in my opinion, Alu-Rex is pretty close! In closing, you might want to watch the Alu-Rex You-Tube videos to see how awesome this product is! 

By the way, before watching the videos, if you would like a quote for eavestrough, fascia, soffit, siding or Alu-Rex gutter protection products, call us at 905-966-2564 or visit our website at www.theeavestroughcompany.com. Now watch these awesome videos!