A lot of the slate-look shingle roofs in Westlake, Trophy Club and the Park Cities went on in the 2000s, when designer asphalt shingles were taking off. Some of those homes have a product that isn’t made anymore: GAF Grand Slate, or its sister line Grand Slate II. If your roof is one of them, that matters the moment you need a repair or have a hail claim.
I’m Blake Snow. I’ve been roofing for 30 years, I’m certified with GAF, and I’ve handled tens of thousands of residential claims. Here’s what Westlake homeowners with a discontinued GAF slate-look shingle should know.
What GAF said when it discontinued Grand Slate
In a customer notice dated March 25, 2013, GAF said it had discontinued Grand Slate and Grand Slate II shingles in all colors, effective immediately, in all areas. GAF gave color demand and changing preferences as the reason. The notice also said there was no exact replacement, although GAF offered its Lifetime Designer shingles in complementary designs and colors as alternatives.
That last line is the important one. When the manufacturer itself says there’s no exact replacement, “just swap in a few new shingles” stops being a simple answer.
How to tell if your roof is Grand Slate
The best proof is paper: the original roofing invoice, the builder’s selections sheet, or a shingle wrapper left in the attic or garage. Ask the previous owner or the builder if you can.
Without paperwork, an experienced roofer can narrow it down from the shingle’s shape, size, exposure and color pattern on the roof and in the attic. If an insurance claim depends on the answer, a sample can be sent to an independent lab for identification. I don’t guess at a product name on a report; a vague name like “GAF slate shingle” is one of the most common reasons a claim stalls.
Why repairs on discontinued shingles are hard
A good repair needs three things to line up: the shape, the size and the color. With a discontinued designer shingle, any of them can be off:
- Shape and size. A different shingle line has a different cut, exposure and nailing area. Forcing it into an old pattern can look patched and may not seal properly to the shingles around it.
- Color. Even an old bundle from a warehouse may not match a roof that has weathered in the Texas sun for 15 or 20 years.
- The old shingles. Older designer shingles can be stiff and brittle. Lifting them to slide in new pieces can break more than you fix, especially in cold weather.
None of that means a repair is impossible. A small wind tear on one slope, fixed with matching salvage or leftover bundles, can be the right call. It just has to be judged on your actual roof, not on a product name.
After hail: the matching question
When hail hits a roof with a discontinued shingle, the claim usually turns on a few questions:
- What exactly is the product? Identify it with paperwork or a sample.
- What did the storm actually damage? Slope-by-slope photos and honest hit counts. Being discontinued doesn’t make a lightly hit roof a total loss, and I won’t write it up that way.
- Can a reasonable match be found? If not, a repair may leave the roof looking like two different roofs.
- What does your policy say? Policies differ on matching. Read yours, or ask your agent, before you decide anything.
Every inspection we do comes with a free digital photo report, so you and your adjuster are looking at the same evidence. Our storm damage page walks through how inspections and claims work.
In Texas you generally have one year from the date of loss to file a claim, but check your own policy, since some differ. Get the roof inspected first, and file only if the inspection finds real damage.
If you replace: picking a current slate-look shingle
GAF’s current Designer collection includes Camelot II and Slateline, both made for a slate look, plus Grand Sequoia and Woodland for a wood-shake look. Our GAF designer shingles page compares them. GAF’s own guide says to look at several full-size shingles before choosing a color, and I agree: colors on a screen never look the same as on your roof.
If you want to step up from asphalt, a Westlake home with a slate-look roof can also move to synthetic slate or real slate. See our slate- and shake-look shingles page, our synthetic vs. real slate guide, and our slate roofing in Westlake page.
Check with your HOA
Many Westlake and Trophy Club neighborhoods review roof color and style. If your replacement product or color is different from what’s on the house now, get the architectural committee’s sign-off before work starts. We can bring samples and product sheets for that review.
Get your roof identified and inspected
If you think your roof is GAF Grand Slate, or any discontinued shingle, let us look at it before a storm forces the question. We’re certified with GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning, Atlas, Johns Manville, Carlisle, Tropical, Mule-Hide and Enviroshake, and we’re A+ rated with the BBB. Request a free inspection or call (817) 733-9228.
