Ridgeline Roofing was back in Hermann, Missouri, installing a new Tamko Titan XT roofing system in the popular Thunderstorm Grey color—right in the heart of Missouri wine country. With ideal weather conditions and a great customer, this project highlights how far roofing materials and installation techniques have come over the years.

Out with the Old: Common Installation Issues Found

As the crew removed the existing roof, they uncovered several common issues found on older systems:

• Improper nail placement, missing the common bond and reducing wind resistance
• Standard-sized shingles with smaller nail zones, making accurate installation more difficult
• Three-tab ridge caps, often cut manually and inconsistently installed
• Insufficient fastening, with many ridge caps only secured with two nails instead of four

These older roofing systems required more precision but often left room for error, especially when crews rushed the installation process.

In with the New: Tamko Titan XT Advantages

The new Tamko Titan XT shingles represent a major upgrade in both performance and installation efficiency.

Key improvements include:

• Expanded nailing zone, allowing for faster and more accurate installation
• Enhanced matting technology, providing better durability despite being lighter in weight
• High wind ratings, up to 160 mph with four nails, significantly outperforming older systems
• Metric sizing, designed for consistency and improved coverage

These advancements make Titan XT one of the most reliable choices for residential roofing, especially in areas prone to high winds and severe weather.

Breakaway Ridge Cap vs. Traditional Three-Tab

One of the most noticeable upgrades on this project is the use of modern breakaway ridge caps.

Unlike traditional three-tab ridge caps that had to be cut manually, breakaway caps:

• Come pre-sized for consistency
• Allow for proper four-nail installation per piece
• Improve both appearance and wind resistance
• Reduce installation time and human error

This small change makes a big difference in the overall integrity of the roof system.

Built for Performance and Curb Appeal

With its bold Thunderstorm Grey color and upgraded materials, this roof doesn’t just perform better—it looks better too. The combination of modern shingle technology and proper installation ensures this homeowner will have a watertight, wind-resistant roof for years to come.

A Better Roof Starts with Better Installation

Even the best materials can fail without proper installation. That’s why Ridgeline Roofing & Solar focuses on both—premium products and proven installation methods—to deliver long-lasting results on every project.

Thinking about upgrading your roof with modern, high-performance shingles? Let’s find out what system is right for you. Contact us today!

Hear Tim’s Thoughts

Video Transcript: "Hey Tim Yates Ridgeline Roofing and Solar I'm in Herman Missouri Michael's over here looking at some stuff up here
So I want to talk a little bit about these shingles we took off these are standards and
Obviously green these are old tanko and they
See the nail line and the laminate part of the shingle
So that's a common bond
That's where your nail goes right here. So back in the day you're nailing you only had that much
These kind of hit it, but even if you can see that right there, that's too high
It did not hit into the laminate
And then the ridge cap
Which is this was a three tab ridge cap and you can tell by the way it's cut it's dog-eared right there
So the ridge cap they make now
is breakaway and it's called breakaway and he has
You break it away
and there's your full piece of ridge cap now the advantage of this
Compared to the old three tab
Number one, you don't have to cut it
Number two
You see a lot of people nailing like this they put one here one here and then they nail the top
One here one here and they nail here on the next one
The other shingle comes over and they're nailing here and you're not getting four
Per piece of ridge cap you're only getting two so when you do these
If you nail here and here and here and here on your next one then you're getting four per piece cap
Obviously so we used to try to cut these things straight
But it didn't always work but I always had the guys double up the nails in the cap anyway
So anyway breakaway cap compared to three tab and then the shingles are just a little bit different
You know the metrics these are old standard size shingles and these are metrics and you can see
The nail line the guys put these on a lot faster than we used to
Because the nail lines are so much bigger but still got the common bond but it's got these extra fabrics and they uh
Actually, you can nail them a lot
a lot faster with those fabrics and this had a
Hundred and I think it was 110
With four nails 110 mile an hour and then it's like with with six nails. It was 130 you didn't see
Anybody five no back this didn't exist. So they've got a wind ready for five and those two now. So so 110 and 130 mile an hour
with
With six nails and this is
Just improvements 160 miles an hour
With four
So they also claim that these were heavier the mattings different in these now when these came out they were like, oh, I think something lighter
Well, yeah, but the matting it better. So that improved in a couple of definitions
So anyway, we're gonna get this cleaned up for tonight
And uh get out of here. So if you have any questions about your roof residential or commercial, please give us a call. Thank you"