Shingles Made from Recycled Tires

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. The green mantra is on everyone's minds these days - including those in the roofing industry. Leading companies such as Rubbur Concepts and EcoStar have begun using post-consumer recycled tires to manufacture roof shingles. Like all new products, there are pros and cons of using rubber shingles in place of traditional roofing material such as slate or wood.

Rubber roof shingles are made from rubber powder which is ground from old tires. In liquid form, the ground rubber is poured into molds that resemble wood and slate shingles. As a result, the recycled shingles have a similar aesthetic to the natural ones, but are lighter, cheaper, more flexible, and more durable. Where slate shingles can be damaged in transit or during installation, rubber shingles will not be. The lighter rubber shingles can also save homeowners money by eliminating the need for special or reinforced roof framing.

Most rubber shingles come with at least a 30 year warranty, and some manufacturers, such as EcoStar, offer a 50 year or lifetime warranty. EcoStar, who markets their shingles as a luxury product, has nine colors and six styles in their product line.

The biggest disadvantage to rubber shingles made from recycled tires is their smell. Old tires smell, new tires smell, and many consumers report an unpleasant odor during the installation of rubber shingles. They also report, however, that after few weeks, the smell dissipates. Another disadvantage of recycled roof shingles comes from the natural flexibility that can cause some minor issues at installation; however, an experienced roofer should be able to install the recycled roof shingles without any problem.