Anatomy of an invention: ShingleLayment

Peter Barrego, a PrimeSource director of specialty products, was told to “rethink the black color” when he was coming up with a synthetic underlayment idea.

“Why?” he asked his engineer.

“Lighter colors are the trend in building envelopes,” was the answer. “Consider white. It’s cooler.”

That conversation marked the beginning of what is known today as Grip-Rite ShingleLayment. The product was further fine-tuned by comments Barrego overheard about neighborhoods in a storm-damaged area—marred by a “sea of blue tarps.”

“I thought, ‘If people wanted to get away from a sea of blue roofs, why not print shingles on it?’” Barrego told Home Channel News.

As a woven polypropylene, the synthetic underlayment can be exposed to the elements for longer periods than traditional felt paper, helping reduce the blue tarp effect while providing performance benefits.

The Grip-Rite ShingleLayment was introduced in September. Storm-damaged areas are the prime markets for the durable, lightweight roofing product, which comes in a standard installer print as well as a patented shingle-print pattern.