Roofing Accessories
Layerlock Technology
To understand what GAF’s Layolock technology is and the benefits it brings to a homeowner getting a GAF roof, it needs to be understood how non-GAF shingles are manufactured. Traditionally, architectural shingles consist of two main parts, the laminate, and the actual architectural shingle. When shingles are being made, these two components are bonded together by an asphalt-based adhesive. GAF’s Layerlock technology was designed to increase the bondage strength in place of a traditional adhesive. The problem with only relying on a adhesive to hold the shingle components together is that over the shingles lifespan the adhesive starts to become more and more ineffective, increasing the likelihood of separation.
The concept behind GAF’s Layerlock technology is that during the manufacturing process, dimples are installed on both the laminate and the architectural component of the shingle. These dimples work to mechanically lock the two parts of the shingles together, just like how a zipper interlocks two sides of a jacket together. For the interlocking mechanism to be effective, GAF had to increase the area width during the manufacturing process so that more of the Layerlock dimples could be applied to the shingle, increasing the overall bondage of the two components. This adjustment in manufacturing also increased the nail strike zone area by 600%. This is beneficial to both customers and contractors. Having an enlarged nailing area makes the installation of GAF shingles fast and efficient for contractors, while reducing the chance of a shingle misapplication, giving the customer further peace of mind that their warranty won’t be voided.
Dura Grip™ Adhesive: The Hidden Strength Protecting Your Roof
When most people think about a new roof, their attention goes straight to the shingles and the nails that hold the shingles in place. — the visible outer layer that gives the roof its look and style. Shingles are important, but the reality is that the real strength of a roofing system often comes from the parts you don’t see. A roof is a system of interconnected layers, and every layer plays a role in keeping your home dry, secure, and energy efficient.
One of the most important but often overlooked components is the adhesive that holds each shingle firmly in place. Without it, even the best shingles in the world could fail under the pressure of wind and weather. That’s where GAF’s Dura Grip™ Adhesive comes in. It may look like a simple strip, but it’s engineered with advanced science and decades of testing to give homeowners one of the strongest defenses against wind and water.
What Exactly Is Dura Grip™ Adhesive?
One of the important roofing technologies that GAF have pioneered with is their Dura Grip adhesive technology. Every shingle that comes off the GAF conveyor belt has the Dura Grip adhesive applied to it. The application takes place on the underside of each shingle. To the naked eye, Dura Grip looks like a long, dark strip that runs along the bottom edge of the shingle. However, beneath that simple appearance lies a proprietary formula designed specifically by GAF for long-term roof protection.
The Dura Grip adhesive actually relies on nature to unleash its full protection potential. After the shingles are installed, the heat from the sun starts to melt the adhesive strip. This reaction causes the shingles to bond together. This bonding is important for multiple reasons. The cohesion starts to form an extra seal that works in tandem with GAF’s Layerlock technology to form a monolithic bond with the microgranule surface of the nail strike zone area of the shingle, increasing durability, strength, and wind uplift performance. The cohesion of the Dura Grip also turns the shingles into a unified interlocking roofing system, rather than, individual shingles held together only by nails.
This uniformity is a big reason why the Dura Grip Adhesive increases wind resilience tremendously. Wind is the most destructive forces your roof will face. It is also the main cause of damage to a roof. Wind gusts get underneath shingles prying them upwards. Once a shingle starts to loosen it will simultaneously lift up. That lifting decreases the wind resistance by exposing more shingle area to the wind. Overtime this will lead to your shingles tearing apart or fully disconnecting from the roof entirely, commonly referred to as missing shingles. This leaves your home susceptible to leaks.
The cohesion that Dura Grip Adhesion provides to a roof works to prevent wind damage from the beginning. Because the Dura Grip adhesive is located near the edge of each individual shingle, it melts and spreads to the shingles around it. Dura Grip™ Adhesive is specifically designed to lock shingles in place and resist this lifting effect caused by strong winds. It is because of the durability that the Dura Grip adhesive brings to GAF shingles, that GAF shingles have been able to pass the two toughest wind resistance tests in the roofing industry:
· ASTM D3161, Class F – Rated for wind speeds up to 110 mph.
· ASTM D7158, Class H – Rated for wind speeds up to 150 mph.
To showcase the true strength of Dura Grip™ and highlight the difference it makes for GAF shingles, GAF conducted its own rigorous testing. In 2020, the company built a full-scale model home and placed it inside a wind tunnel. On this test home, shingles were secured with nails only along the eaves, while the rest relied solely on Dura Grip™ adhesive. The structure was then blasted with Category 4 hurricane–force winds—and remarkably, the shingles held firm, proving the exceptional holding power of Dura Grip™.
