CertainTeed vs GAF Shingles: An Honest Comparison From a Contractor Who's Installed Both

CertainTeed vs GAF Shingles: An Honest Comparison From a Contractor Who's Installed Both

I've installed both CertainTeed and GAF shingles. Thousands of squares of each over the last 19 years. I've seen how they go on, how they hold up through Minnesota winters, and how each company handles things when something goes wrong. So when I'm asked "which one is better?" — I have an opinion, and it's based on what I've actually seen on roofs, not what I've read in a brochure.

We carry CertainTeed. We're ShingleMaster certified with them. I'll explain exactly why we made that choice — but I'll also tell you where GAF has legitimate strengths, because you deserve the full picture.

The Physical Difference You Can Actually Feel

Pick up a CertainTeed Landmark shingle and a GAF Timberline HDZ side by side. You'll feel the difference immediately. The Landmark is heavier — about 235 pounds per square compared to GAF's 220. That might not sound like much, but across an entire roof, that's 15 extra pounds of material per square protecting your home.

The Landmark Pro is even heavier at 270 pounds per square. That's 50 pounds more material per square than a Timberline HDZ. You can see the difference in the thickness of the shingle. More material means more weather protection, more impact resistance, and a longer-lasting roof.

I'm not going to tell you that heavier always means better — but in Minnesota, where your roof takes hail, ice, wind, and temperature swings from -20 to 95 degrees, the extra mass matters. The thicker shingle holds granules better, resists impact better, and stays flat on the roof longer.

Wind Warranty — Read the Fine Print

Both shingles start at 110 MPH wind warranty out of the box. That sounds equal, but it's not.

CertainTeed's Landmark can be upgraded to 130 MPH with their starter strip and hip-and-ridge products. That's a meaningful upgrade for Minnesota — we get straight-line winds that would surprise people who think tornadoes are the main threat.

GAF's Timberline HDZ can be upgraded to an unlimited wind speed warranty, but here's the catch: you need four qualifying GAF accessory products installed, and the warranty is only for 15 years. After that, you're back to standard coverage. CertainTeed's 130 MPH upgrade lasts the life of the warranty.

I'd rather have a solid 130 MPH rating for the life of the roof than an unlimited rating that expires in 15 years. Your roof needs to perform in year 20 just as well as year 5.

The Warranty Everybody Ignores Until They Need It

Both companies offer limited lifetime warranties. Both offer enhanced warranties through certified contractors. But there are real differences in how those warranties work in practice.

CertainTeed's SureStart protection covers 100% of material and labor costs during the initial coverage period — no proration. Their warranty transfer to a new homeowner is free, which is a real selling point if you ever sell your house. And through a ShingleMaster contractor like us, you get access to CertainTeed's strongest warranty tier.

GAF's warranty is solid too — I won't pretend it's bad. Their Golden Pledge warranty through Master Elite contractors offers 25 years of workmanship coverage. But the transfer policy is more restrictive (one-time transfer), and in my experience, CertainTeed has been easier to work with when warranty situations actually come up.

And that's the part nobody talks about — how the company handles a claim when something goes wrong. I've been through the warranty process with both manufacturers, and CertainTeed has been more straightforward. That matters more than what's written on paper.

The Lawsuit Situation

I'm going to address this directly because if you're doing your research, you're going to find it anyway.

GAF has faced multiple class action lawsuits related to shingle failures. The most notable involved their Timberline shingles produced at their Mobile, Alabama plant, where homeowners reported premature cracking and failure. There's currently an active investigation by Migliaccio & Rathod into premature failures of GAF architectural shingles — complaints include shingle slippage, delamination, and early failure on roofs that were marketed as "lifetime" products. Multiple homeowners have reported warranty claims being denied.

Does that mean every GAF shingle is bad? No. Millions of GAF roofs are performing fine. But when I'm choosing which product to put my company's name behind, the legal history matters. CertainTeed doesn't have the same track record of class action lawsuits, and that factored into our decision to carry their products.

Color Selection and Curb Appeal

This one's subjective, but I'll say it: CertainTeed's Landmark line looks better on the roof. The color blends are deeper and more dimensional. They offer 24 color options in the Landmark line alone compared to GAF's 22 — not a huge difference in count, but the quality of the color blending is noticeably better.

Where CertainTeed really pulls ahead is in their premium lines. The Landmark Pro and Presidential Shake lines have a depth of color that you just don't get from a standard architectural shingle. When a homeowner wants their roof to be a design element — not just weather protection — CertainTeed has more options.

Pricing — Yes, CertainTeed Costs a Little More

I'm not going to pretend CertainTeed is cheaper, because it's not. CertainTeed Landmark runs slightly higher per square than GAF Timberline HDZ. On a typical Minnesota home, that difference works out to a few hundred dollars across the whole roof.

The question is whether that difference is worth it. I think it is — for the heavier shingle, the better warranty transfer, the cleaner legal history, and the color quality. But I understand that budget matters, and I'll never pressure someone into spending more than they need to.

Why We Chose CertainTeed

We used to install GAF. We switched. Here's why:

The shingle is heavier and more durable. The warranty program through ShingleMaster is strong. The company doesn't have a trail of class action lawsuits. The color selection is better. And when something goes wrong — because eventually something always does — CertainTeed has been more reasonable to work with.

We're also Malarkey Emerald certified, so we carry two premium shingle lines. Between CertainTeed and Malarkey, we can cover every budget, every aesthetic, and every performance requirement a Minnesota homeowner might have. We don't need GAF to fill any gap in our lineup.

That said, if you already have a GAF roof and it's performing well, there's no reason to panic. A properly installed GAF roof can last a long time. But if you're choosing a new roof and you're comparing these two brands, I'd steer you toward CertainTeed every time.

The Bottom Line

CertainTeed wins on weight, thickness, color quality, warranty transferability, and legal history. GAF wins on initial price point. For a difference of a few hundred dollars on a roof you'll live under for 25+ years, I think the choice is clear.

Give us a call at 952-206-6339 if you want to talk about your roof. We'll give you a straight answer, a fair price, and a LIFETIME workmanship warranty on the install — regardless of which shingle we put up there.