Starter Strip Shingles Explained

Out with the old and in with the new, starter strip shingles are purpose-built to be installed along the perimeters of your shingled roof system. Welcome back to our blog series “Explained” where we’ve been taking our Knoxville homeowners down the rabbit hole of roofing products and trying our hardest to make boring topics somewhat interesting! Let’s jump right in:

In the past, three tab shingles were the widely accepted roofing product of choice for home builders and remodelers alike. Like everything else, product choices have improved leaps and bounds through the years. The “old school” method of using 3 tab shingles for starter, field application, and ridge caps are long gone, and for good reason!

Starter strip was designed for a very specific purpose, to offer a consistent sealant line that goes along all perimeters of the roof system. This top mounted sealant line glues the dimensional grade shingles at the gutter eaves and roof rakes to provide superior wind resistance compared to 3 tab shingles.

Most manufacturers require the installation of a starter strip shingle. Failure to have this product installed is a sure-fire way to have a manufacturers warranty claim denied. Let’s be realistic, if a roofing company is installing sub-par (and flat out wrong) products on your roof, do you think they’ll be in business a decade later when installation issues are coming to light…probably not!