Will sun and rain change the miss color on our shingles?

Question

We had our whole roof replaced with IKO Architectural shingles last week because of larger than golf ball size hail in early June. We used a highly rated contractor that we've used a number of times in the past to replace shingles from wind damage and siding from another hail storm a few years back. Every time we were completely happy with them. They do excellent work, clean up after themselves and are very respectful of our home when working on it. Everyone we have dealt with this from this company we've dealt with has been very friendly and helpful. 
I've been sick with Bronchitis the last week and hubby was out of town. Because of our trust, I didn't come out to check the roof until it was completed and found the discoloration you'll see if the photos below. I shared one in black and white because it shows it better. 
I talked to the foreman, he said he'd call his boss. When I didn't hear back from his boss, they are usually very prompt. I sent him a text with photos. He got back to me shortly saying the foreman called one of the owners instead of him and he didn't hear about it until my photos. He apologized for no one calling me. He'd got info before he called and said the owner contacted the shingle company, they said that some of the shingles held more 'oil' from processing and in depending on sun and rain, the oils would wear off and match the rest of the roof within 3 to 8 months. If for some reason it doesn't the manufacturer would pay to replace the whole roof again. 
Not having any experience with this, I thought I'd check with the Pros here to see if this is true. 
Though I trust our contractors, we've never used this brand of shingles before and I don't want to wait up to 8 months to find out if our roof will look nice again. 
I'm hoping you can help me with this Bob. 
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com

Hannah V · Answer

@Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Hi Becky, Oils have noting to do with it. Roofing shingles are produced in lots. These lots have code numbers that assure that the colors match. The mixing and blending of the stones, the amount of color, the amount of chemicals can be ever so slightly off thus the reason for the color mismatch. So if you were to install a new complete roof, you would purchase from one lot number. When supplies are low, the lot number quantities are often not enough to complete a roof. Better roofers will mix the lots up using a few shingles from each bundle from each lot so there is no real pattern such as you have on our roof. What they did was use the same shingles from one lot, until they ran out of that lot number then started with another lot number that was slightly different. When that ran out, they grabbed another few bundles from the original lot, thus the pattern. Even though the roof color is the same and the shingles are the same type and style. The colors simply do not match. And never will. What the roofer is hoping is that the sun will bleach the colors so they will fade and blend better and that you will forget or simply be in a mind set that you will forget about it. If this was an insurance job, I would get the insurance company on the phone right away and tell them that your not accepting this job and that they need to fix it right away. The colors will never blend. The manufacture will not warrant a color on the roof if the lots are miss matched. And this is the case here. Tell them to tear if off, or provide a written letter from the manufacture, NOT the rep that sells them that they will replace if the color does not match. And that replacement will be for both materials AND labor. If they cannot provide that, and I doubt they can, tell them to remove and replace the roof with the same lot color on the entire house. I have dealt with manufactures reps before. Their goal is to sell shingles and will do what ever they have to in order to keep the roofer happy. After all these are the guys that buy his product. The rep cannot warrant or does not have the authority to warrant anything they sell. Only the engineers and manufacture can provide this warranty. If you read the directions they tell you to match the lot. This is the very reason that they say to do this. Here is the link to warranty. To get it you need to take several photos, remove two complete shingles of each mismatched color and ship them to the manufacture for analysis of their product. There is a number on their web site that connects you directly with the warranty department. I suggest you call them right away and ask them about installation and color differences. Most of this warranty is for roofs that are older and the colors change a lot. Your roof is new, and there should be a pretty good match right from the start. http://www.iko.com/residential/homeowner/usa-warranties/

Moxie · Answer

good response WE; I'm sorry to say for your roof that I concur.

Melissa Gutilla · Answer

I have never heard of that. I would make them redo it. I agree with everything Woodbridge said. We had our roof done 2 years ago November and just build a shed out back we bought the same shingles from the same company and they all match perfect so sun, rain etc makes no difference at all.

Z · Answer

@Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com 
Bob, that's the first thing I asked my contact from the roofing company was, 'did they check the lot numbers?', when I was giving the bull about the oils, supposedly this came from the manufacturer through his boss, one of the owners, who he'd called after getting my text with the pictures. 
 I also asked for written proof that the manufacturer would replace the whole roof, as I was told, if the colors did not match within the time frame given. They could not give one to me. 
 Thank you so much for your help Bob. I knew you'd be able to help me. I'll be calling IKO first thing in the morning as their offices are closed right now. After that I'll call the owner of the roofing company.

Gladys · Answer

Amazing! They had to have noticed a difference when they put them down, unless they had very dark sunglasses on. If they had used one color on one side of the house, and one on the other, I don't think it would have been noticeable, except from an airplane flying very low. Hope you get good results immediately, and hopefully they'll learn a lesson from it. Also hope you have had the last of the roofing damage from storms, but you're in the path. Stay safe!

Donna · Answer

we had the same problem and my husband put them on his is a roofer we called the co.they came out nad gave us 7,000.00 back .they have to look at them they took pictures and it was not a weather problem....our church was done maybe 15 years ago and it still looks like that they will not change if bad shingles....but do call the co.

Z · Answer

@Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com 
Bob, I contacted the insurance company and there is nothing they can do since they already paid us. I didn't even think about that. I left a message with one of the owners of the roofing company, which we've been very pleased with their work until now, to call me. I'll let you know what I hear.

Suzanne · Answer

too bad you can't publish the roofer's name and warn people. Maybe you can contact the Better Business Bureau. Maybe there's an Angie's List you can post on. AND I don't think you are too picky. Maybe too nice though.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

This is not because the roofer is bad or did anything really wrong. The installers normally get matching lot numbers when a roof that size is shipped, and they nail it on. You really cannot see this difference when your up close to the roof installing it. Its not that simple. I would think the roofing contractor might have a recourse with the supplier sending him a roof with different lot numbers on it. At least the supplier should have told him to check and mix the singles so you would never see the difference. The bottom line on this is the roofer is on the hook, what will make him or break him is his willingness to fix the issue at hand.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Read the warranty carefully. And get in writing about the labor and materials side of this. Manufactures do not warrant labor, only materials. 
I hope I am wrong, but this is not the first time I have seen this and it had nothing to do with oils in the product. Keeping fingers crossed.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

MY thoughts are if its from the same lot, every package should be exactly the same. Why would one bundle have more oils in it then another if its from the same materials? AS long as you get in writing that the roof color will blend in a few days and if it does not that the roofer will replace it at no cost to you. Enjoy the rest of the summer. 
If indeed its oil, however, where is it going to go? Does it wash off with rain, or simply dry up in the sun. Will it harm plants, shrubs? After all its a petroleum product.

Jeanette S · Answer

Becky, I don't blame you for your concern. If you are paying thousands of dollars for a job to be done, you expect there to at least be a supervisor who knows how to select the product. A few minutes at the beginning of this project...just check the numbers on the bundles....and this could have been avoided! This is just sloppy management. You can bet that close up and on top of a roof the workers could not tell the difference.

EastHillRestorations · Answer

I don't think you're being too picky or mean. This type of discoloration on a new roof is not acceptable. Hopefully it will blend with a little time, but that seems an odd theory to me. Best of luck.

Z · Answer

Update. The manufacture is paying our roofing company to remove two shingles from the light and dark sections, replacing them of course, while testing the samples. If they find they were of a different lot or that the testing proves they will not soon match, they will pay our roofers to replace the roof with no cost to us.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Cannot wait for the answer!! How they are going to tell is interesting at best. Its the gravel on the top of each shingle that determines its shade. I assume they maintain samples of each shingle lot to use as a match to others. Keep us Posted.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Did the roofer ever provide you with a written warranty on labor if the shingles did not match like he said?

Gladys · Answer

Hang in there, Becky! Hopefully the manufacturer is a Hometalk viewer/participant and knows we've all got your back on this one! -)

Gladys · Answer

Touche' Becky!!!!

Katie Lloyd Mansfield · Answer

I hope this works out. This is not acceptable!

Z · Answer

Update for @Bob. 
 The roofing manufactures have been out a few times to take pictures of our roof keeping track of any changes. I haven't taken the time to take new pictures, but it is fading. Not enough for my liking yet, but there's a definite difference. I'll let you know any further development.

Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com · Answer

Thanks! They are stalling. Send a letter from your attorney saying it must be fixed as soon as the weather warms up. You should not have to wait for the roof to blend.

Larry Smith · Answer

Hey @Z I am very sorry for what you had to go through. It is surely a bad experience to pay for a new roof and then have it not done right. Regarding your question about what one should protect their roofs from you can just check my post here: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/what-should-i-protect-my-roof-from-part-1-6899136 I hope that it is of some help to you. Best regards and I hope all is well with your roof !

Larry Smith · Answer

I am really glad you managed to resolve your problem. Wish you all the best :)

Jason C Hardy · Answer

They are supposed to blend the shingles pulling from 3-5 bundles at a time as they are installed. As far as l know there is no more lot number to go by any more because it is all done by computers instead of how it was done int he past.

Leigh · Answer

I just had my roof shingled in September with timberline HDZ shingles - I saw the finished roof and looked good pewter Grey - I look out occasionally a part of the roof from my bathroom and the times I’ve looked out everything looks good I happened to look out today and almost half of the roof on both sides is a light faded color and the other half is the pewter gray I don’t know when this happened or how this happened but I’m really upset as I spent over $4000 on re-shingling it

Johnavallance82 · Answer

If it is a new roof and the Roofer used a different batch, the colour may well be different. He needed to buy and have delivered the right amount of tiles in the right batch number. He should re-do it! If he refuses, maybe take him to court. If he says I tiled the roof and that was my contract complete. - get legal advice.

If you have no luck, you could always have the roof Coloured and sealed, I had it done on a bungalow roof after I had the roof extended and the colour didn't match! Colour never faded or collected moss whilst I lived there and infact it still looks good today some 12yrs later.

Mogie · Answer

Asphalt shingles are made of (as their name implies) asphalt. While the material is designed to withstand the elements, it is susceptible to color fading. This is due to prolonged exposure to UV light (sunlight). The drier the climate, the quicker the colors will fade over time.

Some shingles will also face more quickly than others. In general, the darker the shingles, the more you will notice the change in color over time. If you are choosing a shingle color for your home, it’s best to consider the colors based on how much your roof is exposed to sunlight. This will depend on where your home is located and how shaded the roof is. If you have more mature trees on your property, they may provide some shade at certain times of the day.

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