Southlake has a lot of stone and brick homes with steep hip roofs, turrets and dormers. Many owners want the look of slate without the weight, cost and framing work of real stone. CertainTeed Belmont is one of the shingles I get asked about most for those homes.
I’m Blake Snow. I’ve been roofing for 30 years, and Snow Roofing & Exteriors is certified with CertainTeed. We already wrote about Grand Manor on Westlake estate homes. This post is about Belmont: what CertainTeed publishes about it, how we install it, and when I’d point a Southlake owner to Grand Manor instead.
What Belmont is
CertainTeed’s Belmont technical data sheet describes it as an asphalt shingle designed to look like natural slate. It has a base shingle with multi-positioned tabs on top for real depth. Belmont uses a fiberglass mat, ceramic-coated granules and two rows of sealant on the back to resist blow-off.
| Spec (CertainTeed) | Belmont | Grand Manor (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall size | 18” x 36” | 18” x 36” |
| Weather exposure | 8” | 8” |
| Shingles per square | 50 (4.167 bundles) | 50 |
| Approx. weight per square | 275 lbs | 418 lbs |
| Build | Base shingle with multi-positioned laminated tabs | Two full-size, one-piece base layers with random tabs |
| Impact | UL 2218 Class 4 | UL 2218 Class 4 |
| Fire | Class A (ASTM E108 / UL 790) | Class A |
| Wind | ASTM D3161 Class F and D7158 Class H; 110 mph standard, 130 mph with special install | 110 mph standard, 130 mph upgrade |
| Minimum slope | 2” per foot (best look at 9” per foot and up) | 2” per foot (best look at 9” per foot and up) |
Sources: Belmont product page, Belmont technical data sheet (10/26), Grand Manor product page, Grand Manor data sheet.
The data sheet also lists ICC-ES ESR-1389 and ESR-3537, Miami-Dade product control approval, Florida Product Approval FL5444, and says Belmont meets TDI requirements.
Belmont vs. Grand Manor: which fits your Southlake home?
Both are CertainTeed luxury slate-look shingles with the same size, exposure, impact rating and core warranties. The difference is thickness and look.
- Belmont has a crisper, more tailored slate look. At 275 lbs per square, it’s the easier fit for most existing homes, including additions and homes where the framing was sized for a standard shingle.
- Grand Manor is CertainTeed’s “super heavyweight” at 418 lbs per square. It’s thicker, with deeper shadow lines and a heavier, more rustic estate look.
On a 50-square Southlake roof, that’s about 13,750 lbs of Belmont vs. 20,900 lbs of Grand Manor, before underlayment and accessories. Most well-built homes handle either one, but I check decking and framing on every luxury shingle bid.
My rule of thumb: on a stone French-country or Tudor-style home where the roof is the main feature, Grand Manor’s depth reads better from the street. On a transitional or traditional brick home, or when weight or budget matters, Belmont gives you the slate look without overdoing it. Bring both sample boards to your HOA and look at them in daylight, on your street, from where people see the house.
The install rules that matter (straight from the data sheet)
Belmont isn’t a regular architectural shingle, and CertainTeed’s own page says installation has special fastening, steep-slope and flashing requirements because of the product’s thickness, design and weight. Here’s what’s in the data sheet:
- Low slopes: allowed down to 2:12, but 2:12 to under 4:12 requires additional underlayment.
- Very steep slopes (over 21:12): CertainTeed requires eight spots of roofing cement under each shingle and one extra fastener in each laminated tab. Southlake turrets and steep front gables often hit this. Ask your roofer how they’ll handle it.
- Hips and ridges: use Cedar Crest or Shangle Ridge in a matching color. The 30-year algae warranty depends on using CertainTeed hip and ridge.
- Wind upgrade: the 130 mph wind warranty upgrade needs CertainTeed starter and hip and ridge. We put the exact accessory names on the bid.
- Ventilation: shingle warranties limit coverage on poorly ventilated decks, so the quote should spell out intake and exhaust.
Blending Belmont with Carriage House
Here’s a detail most Belmont articles skip. CertainTeed’s data sheet says Carriage House shingles can be blended into a Belmont roof, often as a few courses in the middle of the roof, the way old slate roofs used decorative bands. The exposure of the last Belmont course before the Carriage House courses usually has to be shortened by about 2 inches because of the Carriage House diamond-cut height. It’s a great look on a Southlake turret or a long front slope, but it has to be laid out before the first bundle goes up.
Belmont’s warranty, in plain English
From CertainTeed’s Belmont page:
- Lifetime limited transferable warranty against manufacturing defects on residential homes
- 50-year limited transferable warranty for group-owned or commercial buildings
- 10-year SureStart protection, CertainTeed’s early-years coverage
- 30-year StreakFighter algae-resistance warranty
- 15-year, 110 mph wind warranty, upgradable to 130 mph
Like every shingle warranty, it covers manufacturing defects, not hail. Hail is an insurance question. That’s also why our own workmanship warranty is written separately: from 10 years up to lifetime, depending on the job.
Class 4 in Southlake: what it does and doesn’t mean
UL 2218 Class 4 is the top rating in a lab impact test using steel balls. It’s a good reason to pick Belmont over a standard shingle in hail country. It doesn’t make a roof hail-proof. Ask your insurance agent whether your policy offers a credit for a Class 4 roof, and keep the invoice and wrapper showing the exact product. For more on impact ratings across brands, see our Class 4 impact-resistant shingles page.
What goes on our Belmont quotes
- Exact product (Belmont) and color, with a sample board for your HOA
- Starter, hip and ridge (Cedar Crest or Shangle Ridge) by name
- Underlayment, including extra layers on any low-slope sections
- Steep-slope fastening plan for turrets and gables over 21:12
- Flashing metal at walls, chimneys and valleys
- Ventilation plan
- Decking and framing check
- Free digital photo report, and our workmanship warranty from 10 years up to lifetime, depending on the job
Related reading
- CertainTeed Grand Manor on Westlake estate homes
- CertainTeed Presidential Shake vs. Presidential TL
- Our CertainTeed Belmont page
- Want real stone? See natural slate sources compared.
Talk to us about Belmont in Southlake
We install CertainTeed Belmont, Grand Manor and Presidential Shake in Southlake, Westlake, Colleyville, Keller and across DFW. We’re certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical Roofing Products, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and many other roof manufacturers. We’re BBB A+ rated, with 5.0 stars on Google at all three offices: Bridgeport, Decatur and Rhome. Request a free inspection or call (817) 733-9228.
