(NAPSA)—The Home Doctor offers answers on several building questions. Q: Lately I’ve been hearing a lot about roofing shingles that are impact resistant. What exactly does this mean and can this feature really make a difference in durability? Are other products available that offer impact resistance? A: Imagine someone dropping a two-inch steel ball from 20 feet above your roof. Wouldn’t it be nice if your home’s shingles prevented that ball from crashing through your roof into your homeor causing other extensive damage? Well, that’s what shingles with impact resistance are designed to do. Impact resistant shingles meet rigorous Underwriters Laboratory standards and are designated into impact-resistance classes based on their performance. Look for UL 2218 Class 4 shingles, which is the highest rating for impact resistance. Established roofing product companies such as CertainTeed haverecently brought this durable feature to market in such styles as Landmark™ TL IR and XT"30 IR asphalt shingles. To meet growing demand for “weather resistant” home products, other building products now also possess similar features. For instance, vinyl is a popular material for siding as some premium styles like insulated vinyl siding resist denting from hail, harsh weather and even the neighbor’s baseball. Other styles, including Impact resistant roofing shingles meet rigorous Underwriters Laboratory standards. the weather-proven CertainTeed Millennium”siding, are engi- neered to withstand exceptionally strong winds. Windows have also wised up to harsh weather. Like the other impact-resistant products, these windows have been tested against rigorous industry standards and are made to keep wind and debris from penetrating your home and causing extensive interior damage. Consider a nine pound 2 x 4 hurling toward your window at 34 miles per hour. If you knew that your windows would remain intact upon impact, wouldn’t you be relieved? Probably so. More likely, strong winds could toss a large tree branch your way, and you’d want your windows to stand strong against the hit. For more information about impact-resistant products or other home improvementtips, call 800782-8777 or go to the site at www.certainteed.com.
