roof shingle color match question

[BillyBadAss 197]

Had some roof issues that required replacing some sections of shingles. 

The replaced shingles are much lighter than the existing (roof about 9 years old). 

Roofer says he can't really match the old color, and that the new will darken as they weather and get a bit moldy, etc. like the old. 

I wouldn't expect them to be a perfect match, but I would think you could get closer than this. What says the Surl? This guy just being lazy or is it really that hard to match? 

imgur

[El Diablo 4232]

Paging @ROFL BOX , @ROFL BOX to the white courtesy phone.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

Dye lots matter a lot. Slim chance of a true match a decade later.

My issue would be with the roofer not telling you and recommending everything from the left edge to the raised part be replaced so that whole area is the same shade and the shade change happens at the roof angle change. ROFL BOX can tell you if there is a major price difference in doing an extra 2-3 squares once on site.

Edited November 14, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Meh, get a can of Krylon.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3873]

^^^

Or try spraying with a Wet-n-Forget type zinc spray that kills/retards mold and see if the colors come closer in shades.

[Gil Bang 26230]

roofs can be painted.  It's done all the time. 

[El Diablo 4232]

23 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

roofs can be painted.  It's done all the time. 

 

[ROFL BOX 6655]

1.  I have no idea what you were charged, but it would obv. cost more for time & parts to replace everything else on that slope.

2.  I always inform my customers that there will be a difference in color.

NOTE:  Due to the age of the existing shingles & in combination the manufacturer's guidelines to not mix lot numbers & production runs, any new or replaced product will be obvious.

  That's an example of the language I commonly insert into my estimates or contracts where we are only doing a small amount / area.

There's even 1 company, Atlas, that has an entirely different look to their shingle in the "Weathered Wood" color (every manufacturer has a W.W. color, but 2 of them don't look @ all like any other variety & Atlas' version is the most different looking).  Around 4 years ago Atlas totally changed their design for WW & you simply cannot get the same shingle any longer.

That said, give it 8 or 9 years & it will still look a bit different from the rest of the roof due to the original shingles aging to where they are now 17 or 18 years old vs. the recently installed ones only aging (& suffering algae) by 8 or 9 years.  Additionally, most shingle manufacturers are now doing an AR blend in their shingles (Algae Resistance) & that means the new shingles that you just had installed MAY (maybe, maybe not) have the AR thing & that would slow down the algae by around 5 or 6 years.

[BottleRocket 659]

 

[BillyBadAss 197]

Thanks for the perspective folks.  I really just didn't know what was reasonable.   Like if there are 50-billion shades of shingle color and it's relatively easy to get a close-ish match and this guy just had a extra square in the truck and threw it on to pocket a few extra bucks..    OR   yeah, it's pretty hard to get very close on a 9 year old roof. 

 

[Jkwellborn 7032]

Usually shingles fade if they were dark to start with. If they are getting dark it’s from algae I would think.

 

I can’t see your pic cause tapa. But yeah, getting a match on shingles that have sat in the sun for 9 years is gonna be tricky.

[horn4life 3838]

The only FIX suggestion I have is one I somehow know about relating to replacing brick, and having the mortar look too light against the aged mortar.  Try brushing on some buttermilk on the new shingles.  Supposedly the buttermilk aids in the aging process.  Can't personally affirm this works but it would seem to make sense.

[phdhorn 6225]

Go up there and piss on it a few days. The uric acid will turn it darker in like a week.

No, really.  I read it on the Internet - twice!

[deadshank 24654]

19 hours ago, horn4life said:

The only FIX suggestion I have is one I somehow know about relating to replacing brick, and having the mortar look too light against the aged mortar.  Try brushing on some buttermilk on the new shingles.  Supposedly the buttermilk aids in the aging process.  Can't personally affirm this works but it would seem to make sense.

The buttermilk thing works on clay tile roofs. We've done it a few times in Houston.  Buttermilk and a light dusting of dirt /dust plus overnight humidity will "patina" a new roof and make it look old in short order.  It works on clay but not so great on extruded concrete tiles. Never tried it on shingles or slate.