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by Kathy Ziprik, Staff Writer
Snickering aside, what does the word "virgin" bring to mind? Most people associate the word with "new," "untouched" or "pure." Those are exactly the features you should be looking for when selecting synthetic roofing.
Virgin polymers are the purest form of plastic. The polymers come directly from resin produced from petrochemical feedstock, like natural gas or crude oil. Because the plastic is made from virgin resins, its "first use" is to be formed into molds to create polymer roofing.
What are the benefits of using virgin resin roofing? Strength and performance. While it's perfectly fine to have unseen starter tiles made of recycled content, the exterior field tiles demand the dependability of virgin polymer.
"It's important to know that every time plastic is recycled by reheating and reforming it, the plastic loses some of its strength and performance predictability," says Bryan Ward, vice president of operations with DaVinci Roofscapes. "We use only virgin polymers for our field tiles so we can control the quality of the slate and shake roofing tiles we manufacture.
"For our starter tiles we'll recycle our own virgin waste tiles, grind them down and then heat them up. This way we know that the content of the starter tiles has only one pass through lifespan and we've been in control of it the entire time."
As with some other manufacturers, all the incoming raw materials at DaVinci are thoroughly tested and must match the company's stringent specifications or they won't be used. By specifying only pure polymer, the company is able to create strong, authentic-looking composite shake and slate roofing tiles that are backed by a lifetime limited materials warranty.
When shopping for synthetic roofing tiles, ask questions about tile content. Post-consumer recycled materials are the least dependable. Post-industrial recycled tiles are made from recycled scrap that companies have at their facilities.
Looking for other reasons to purchase virgin polymer roofing tiles? Consider this: synthetic roofing takes a beating from Mother Nature's fury unleashed over decades. A typical roof may be exposed to the sun's harmful rays, hail, high winds, impact and even fire during its lifetime. Polymer roofing can handle all that... and more. But, to make sure that you're offering your clients the best, most dependable form of polymer roofing, check out the content before you purchase. Only virgin polymers have the strength, beauty and reliability that lasts for decades.