Who Would Buy Armourshake® Shingles?

Like all the shingles offered by IKO, Armourshake Premium Designer Shingles have unique qualities that appeal to some very specific homeowners.

First and foremost, Armourshake shingles are built to be durable. With a double-layer of asphalt, they are essentially twice as thick as many other shingle brands. And with their three strips of sealant, they adhere to the roof better than shingles with fewer sealant strips.

This allows Armourshake shingles to stand up to some pretty nasty weather. In areas prone to hail, high winds, or both, Armourshake shingles are an excellent choice.

But that’s not the only reason people buy them. Certainly durability is important, but IKO offers other products with the same features.

Homeowners who specify Armourshake often do so for the way they look. With the deep cuts and contoured profile of these shingles, they mimic the look of wood shakes. This gives them a luxurious look that is different from what most people expect from an asphalt roofing shingle.

This makes Armourshake especially popular in regions where homes were traditionally built with cedar shake roofs. Replacing an old cedar shake roof with new cedar wood shakes is typically not practical. Armourshake asphalt shingles offer the weathered look and depth of cedar shakes in a modern roofing shingle.

But outside that geographic area, who else might be interested in Armourshake?

To help contractors find the right Armourshake customer, we’ve identified three types of homeowners who are likely to appreciate what these premium shingles offer.

The Joneses

These are the people everyone else is trying to keep up with.

They want the best of everything and won’t settle for less. They wear the best clothes, they drive fine cars, and their homes are well-appointed, inside and out.

Defining characteristics of their home might include large, sweeping roofs with a steep slope. Roofs like this can be a dominant factor in the curb appeal of the home, as they are highly visible.

To the Joneses, this gives them yet another canvas on which they can display their good taste. They will appreciate the richness, depth and texture Armourshake provides.

The Design Enthusiasts

These homeowners appreciate the finer points of architecture and design and even if others don’t see it, they know it’s there. That’s what is most important to them.

But it goes deeper than showing off. To them “the best” doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive. They see the intrinsic value of products that are designed to function at a high level and please the eye at the same time.

A defining characteristic of their home is the roof, but might have a few extra, complimentary details. They want their home to have some architectural significance.

They understand that their roof is the largest surface of their home. Like their granite countertops, they see an opportunity for a unique design treatment to this element of their home. They will appreciate the uniqueness of Armourshake’s trademark stair-step patterning, as well as its high functioning performance.

The Rustics

These homeowners are very different from the other two. They like the look of age and wear and tear. They appreciate durability and things that are well-made, but they don’t want them to look new.

They like things that stand the test of time and are “built like they used to be.” They don’t mind that patina-over-time or distressed finishes, for these things show character.

Their houses might be period-style homes — Victorians, colonials, arts & crafts — or they might indeed be authentic to a particular era. Whether their homes are modern executions of a traditional style or genuinely antique, that’s how they want them to look.

Rustics would appreciate Armourshake’s vast color palate with selections that provide a weathered look. They will also value the shingle’s contemporary interpretation of the traditional wood shake design.

The personas described above offer a pretty generalized view of homeowners who might appreciate the look and performance of Armourshake shingles. Of course, people are more complicated than that.

Some people might think like the Joneses, but don’t have the fancy cars and clothes. Some people are design enthusiasts about certain things, but not everything.

Developing an eye for who your potential customers are, and what is important to them, can be a very helpful tool in being able to offer them the products that are right for them. This is especially true for unique products like IKO Armourshake.