Let’s start with the good news: the roofing problems with asphalt shingles? Solved. Thanks to modern polymer-modified technology, today’s shingles can finally stand up to the expectations homeowners have always had: durability, longevity, and real storm protection.
Products like StormMaster® Shake now deliver wind resistance up to 150 mph, shrug off 2-inch hail, and come with lifetime warranties that actually mean lifetime. And here’s a bonus most folks don’t think about: every roof you don’t have to replace early keeps over 5,000 pounds of old shingles out of the landfill. Longer-lasting roofs don’t just protect your home; they protect the planet, too.
But to understand why this matters, you need to know where shingles went wrong in the first place.
Asphalt shingles were first invented in 1903 by Henry Reynolds in Grand Rapids, Michigan, right in our own backyard. By the 1930s, they were the go-to material for American homes: affordable, resilient, and easy to install. Back then, they were built with organic felt mats and high-quality asphalt that gave them true staying power.
But starting in the 1980s, manufacturers began chasing lower production costs. Organic bases were swapped out for fiberglass. Asphalt quality dropped due to refining changes that removed essential weather-resistant compounds. What was once a trustworthy product quietly became a weaker, thinner version of itself.
The result? Shingles started failing, and fast.
As more and more shingles cracked, curled, and failed years ahead of schedule, frustrated homeowners took action. Major lawsuits hit the industry hard, exposing issues like false marketing, defective materials, and denied warranty claims. Some manufacturers paid out millions in settlements, but the bigger damage was to homeowner trust.
Instead of overhauling the product across the board, many manufacturers responded with tighter warranties and more fine print. They still sold budget-tier shingles with little durability and many contractors kept installing them, hoping no one would notice until much later.
Not every manufacturer ignored the problem. One major breakthrough came in the form of polymer-modified asphalt, specifically, SBS, styrene-butadiene-styrene, compounds that restored flexibility, weather resistance, and impact durability to the shingle design.
That’s how products like StormMaster® Shake were born. These shingles resist UV damage, stay flexible in extreme temps, and handle storms like they were designed to because they actually were. This technology brought the roofing industry back to where it should’ve been decades ago: making products that last.
After seeing too many failed roofs, some just 10 to 15 years old, we stopped accepting the industry’s excuses. We don’t just slap the cheapest shingle on your house and call it a day. We educate our customers on every roofing system available, and more than half of them choose StormMaster® Shake once they see what it offers.
Is the shingle polymer-modified (SBS or Core4™ technology)?
What’s the brand’s track record for warranty fulfillment?
Does lifetime coverage really mean full replacement or just a discount?
How long will this roof actually last under your conditions?
At Storm Master Exteriors, we don’t dodge those questions. We won’t tell you every roof has to be polymer-modified. But we will tell you the truth: it’s the option we trust the most when performance actually matters. Because when we say we’re protecting your home, we mean for the long haul, not just until the warranty loophole kicks in.
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