DaVinci Roofscapes Color Fade
Davinci Roofscapes Color Fade - Looks More Like Slate
I installed Davinci Roofscapes Single-Width Slate shingles on my home during the summer of 2015. I did this just before I wrote my exposé book Roofing Ripoff.
I created this post at the bequest of one of my newsletter subscribers who is considering purchasing DaVinci Roofscapes for her home. She asked me about color fade, cracks, wear, etc. She also wanted to know if there were any other companies that made shingles like DaVinci.
Fortunately, I ordered extra shingles when I re-roofed my home in 2015. I've stored these shingles in the original packaging and under a cover. The extra shingles have never been exposed to sunlight. I was stunned at the color fade.
The old wretched green asphalt shingles are on the left. The new DaVinci Roofscapes Slate is on the right. I had to do the roof in manageable sections since I was working alone. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter
Why I Switched to DaVinci Roofscapes
My 30-year warranty IKO asphalt shingle roof started to experience catastrophic failure after just 12 years.
These are the defective IKO shingles on my own home. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter - Founder - AsktheBuilder.com
Never again would I use asphalt shingles. I decided to use a material that I knew would outlast me and perhaps not need replacement for 75 years. High-quality plastic meets this requirement. That's why I decided to use DaVinci Roofscapes single-width slate. You can see my roof in the following video:
Do DaVinci Roofscapes Slate Shingles Fade in Color?
My slate shingles have experienced significant color fade. Active photons in ultraviolet light cause the color change. The photons are tiny invisible missiles that blast apart the molecules of the pigments in the virgin vinyl shingles. Fabrics, house paint, plastics, fiberglass, wood, etc. all suffer from color changes caused by UV light. It's normal.
How Powerful are UV Photons?
The photons are so powerful they can blast atoms from metal. Zinc coatings on metal roofs are destroyed by UV photons. This is why you see rusty metal roofs on barns, warehouses, and other utility buildings that often use zinc-coated metal panels.
Zinc atoms are blasted from the roof surface much like dirt and mud files through the air when an artillery shell explodes after hitting the ground. The zinc atoms are lying dazed and confused on the roofing. Rainfall washes the dislodged zinc atoms to the ground. After a decade or two of attack, enough zinc has washed off now exposing the steel to the elements.
Copper and lead flashings surrender atoms to the relentless photon attack. You often see a roof very clean beneath these metal flashings. Copper ions that wash across a roof act as a natural biocide to kill the ugly black roof algae you often see on roofs that have no copper on them.
Can Copper Extend the Life of Asphalt Shingles?
Copper can also extend the life of asphalt shingles. I was the first person in the world to make this discovery. I go into great detail about this in my Roofing Ripoff exposé book.
My finger is touching a Davinci Roofscapes slate shingle that has been hidden from the sun since it was manufactured in 2015. I did nothing to enhance or color-correct this photo. I shot the photo on February 7, 2024. The Davinci shingles to the right of my finger were installed in August of 2015. This roof surface gets intense sun after Noon each day. By 4 PM, this roof surface is in the shade created by huge oak trees just 40 feet to the west. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter
My Original Davinci Color Was Gray/Green
My original DaVinci shingles had a darker gray-green color. Now they've changed to a medium gray color like real slate. The roof now has a rich patina; each season it looks more and more like real slate.
Here's the full DaVinci Roofscapes shingle surrounded by others from the same manufacturing batch. I slid the darker shingle up under the row above so it wouldn't slide to the ground. The shingles show no other signs of visible wear. They're not cracked, curled, or brittle. No color correction was done to this photo. The photo was taken on February 7, 2024. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter
Brava vs DaVinci
You may have been considering installing DaVinci Roofscapes on your home. That's why you're here on this page.
After reading this, you may be saying, "Jeesh, with the color fade I don't know. Maybe I'll consider a different synthetic slate." If that's you, your attention may be drawn to Brava. To the best of my knowledge, they're the only real competitor to DaVinci.
The issue is since the Brava product is also made from plastic with pigments like DaVinci, it will undoubtedly fade under the relentless attack of the photons in UV light.
I'll repeat myself once more: My DaVinci roof looks stunning after eight years. I can't see any signs of wear. I'd reinstall it again, no doubt about it. That said, if you're looking at DaVinci, you may want to look at Brava just as you'd compare any other products with a competitor.
Here's an interesting photo. The shingle on the left is made by Brava. This company is the primary competitor to DaVinci Roofscapes. The Brava shingle is their Washington model. Keep in mind the Brava shingles will experience color loss, as did my DaVinci shingles. The photons in the UV light are powerful. What we don't know is at what rate it will happen. The dark streaks on the DaVinci shingle were caused by light snow that had gotten on the shingle moments before. The snow rapidly melted in the bright New Hampshire sunshine. Copyright 2024 Tim Carter