Embracing Rubber Modified Products

“As a roofing business owner in Denver, Colorado, Kyle Shirley understands and embraces the innovative roofing products that can be found through the commercial and residential new construction and roof replacement industry. One such innovation making inroads in the roofing industry is the use of rubber modified roofing products derived from recycled tires. But the roofing industry is not alone – industries from recreation to road construction have turned to rubber modified asphalt products for use in many types of applications.

One such innovation making inroads in the roofing industry is the use of rubber modified roofing products derived from recycled tires. But the roofing industry is not alone – industries from recreation to road construction have turned to rubber modified asphalt products for use in many types of applications.

According to Shirley, the use of rubber modified roofing products that are made from recycled tires are actually more often used in residential roofing applications. The idea came from a new Canadian roofing product manufacturer (GEM, Inc.) in the early 2000s and was initially slow to succeed.

‘But after they gained mainstream success, one of the major asphalt shingle manufacturers, Malarkey Roofing, took a liking to the idea and began using recycled tires in their own products in 2019,’ Shirley said. The GEM Inc. products are rubberized/synthetic roof shingles and the Malarkey products are rubber-modified asphalt shingles.

‘The use of rubber not only makes sense from a material reuse perspective, but the roofing products that result are some of the most durable in the entire industry,’ Shirley said.

In recent years Shirley and his team at Sol Vista Roofing have noticed more specific requests from customers for the two known products that use recycled tires.”