New Jersey’s weather makes this problem even worse because the UV rays and the temperature changes throughout the year fade shingles at different speeds on different parts of your roof. A product line that got discontinued 5 years ago already looks different from the replacement version that the same manufacturer sells right now. And since most big-box stores only stock the latest inventory, it can be pretty hard to find a match!
A close match is worth the effort though, and it’ll save you some money and keep your home looking great. Matching your shingles correctly means you only have to repair the damaged section without showing the work to every neighbor and future buyer. Professional roofers in New Jersey run into this issue all of the time, and they know which suppliers still have some older inventory sitting around and which discontinued lines have solid alternatives and when it makes more sense to get creative with the material transfers or intentional design accents instead of spending weeks on the hunt for the exact same shingle.
Let’s talk about this – there’s a lot to go over!
Find Your Current Shingle Type and Brand
A match for your existing shingles can be pretty simple when you know what to look for. Most shingle manufacturers stamp some type of identifying information right on their products – what you’ll find varies with the brand and the age of your roof.
A quick word of caution – we don’t want you to climb up on your roof to investigate this yourself. Leave that part to a professional who knows what they’re doing and has the right safety equipment. When a roofing contractor inspects your shingles, they’ll check for markings or codes printed on the underside. The shape and pattern of the shingle tabs will tell them plenty too. The surface granule texture is another big clue, and shadow lines along with dimensional features can help narrow down the exact product.
Shingle styles and what’s available on the market change as time goes on. Products that were installed a couple of decades ago might not be manufactured anymore. Most suppliers keep records about discontinued lines and can usually point you toward alternatives that match your existing roof well.
Photos will help a lot when you talk to the roofing suppliers. Natural light makes shingles look different based on the time of day, so take a few shots at different times if you get the chance. Multiple photos give the suppliers a much better sense of what your roof actually looks like in everyday conditions.
Your local roofing supplier probably has records of which products have been popular in your area over the years. They can help you work out what’s currently on your roof and recommend products that are available that will blend in well with what’s already there.
How simple it is to find a match depends on your goals. Sometimes the exact same product is still on the market and readily available. Other times, you’ll be looking at close alternatives that work just as well. A skilled roofing professional can talk with you about the options and help you choose what makes the most sense for your home.
Options for Your Old Shingle Lines
The newer versions usually have plenty in common with what they replaced. Up close, there could be minor variations in the color or in how the texture looks. But from ground level, the blend is usually smooth enough that nobody will spot it. Companies know homeowners need to patch roofs without replacing everything, so they design their new lines with backward compatibility in mind.
A solid starting point is to contact a handful of roofing suppliers in your area. They take care of the discontinued product matching as part of their everyday business and they’ll have recommendations for workable alternatives. Different suppliers keep different inventory and have relationships with manufacturers, so if you check with a few shops, you increase your odds of success.
Sometimes a supplier will have old stock sitting in their warehouse from past projects. Clearance inventory like that can turn out to be a perfect match for what’s on your roof. An experienced roofer can also help. They usually know which suppliers keep older materials on hand.
After you check all of the local options, a workable alternative still exists if nothing comes close enough. A lot of homeowners choose to replace an entire section – like one full slope or a side – instead of just patching the damaged areas. When the whole section uses the same new shingle, it keeps it looking consistent even when it doesn’t quite match the rest of the house.
One more option worth checking – homeowner’s insurance policies sometimes cover costs related to discontinued material matching. What’s covered changes a lot from policy to policy. But a quick call to your insurance agent could save you some money if the match gets hard to track down.
Take Shingles from the Hidden Areas
When the hardware store doesn’t have shingles that match your damaged roof, the answer could already be sitting on top of your house. Many contractors actually harvest undamaged shingles from hidden areas and move them to the visible damaged areas instead.
The back side of chimneys makes a perfect donor place for this. Sections underneath dormer windows work out pretty well too. Any area that stays hidden from street level is fair game.
Just know that older shingles can be pretty fragile and might crack or break when you try to pry them up. It can work as a repair approach. But it does need a delicate hand.
Check with your city before you start any work like this. Some towns have preservation laws that govern the exterior appearance of homes, and those guidelines are usually stricter in historic neighborhoods.
Once the original shingles get moved to the visible areas, the newly exposed areas can be patched with newer replacement shingles that are close enough in their appearance. Small color variations won’t matter at all because those sections will remain hidden from ground level.
For smaller repairs it can keep more money in your wallet. In some cases it might even help you to put off a full roof replacement for a few more years. Just remember that even factory-fresh shingles from the exact same manufacturer won’t be a perfect visual match to what’s already up there. Years of sun exposure change the color and texture of roofing materials, and rain and temperature changes also affect how they look over time.
A licensed roofer (like us!) will be able to review if it makes sense for your goals and can take care of the work the right way if it does.
Where to Find Your Specialty Materials
Matching shingles to your existing roof is harder than it looks. The big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s have plenty of products on their shelves. But most of what they carry are the newer versions that won’t look right next to your weathered roofing. So you’ll need to search around at some other places.
Regional building supply stores should be on your list. These businesses work directly with local contractors and that means they keep older product lines around (or at least know where to find them). Their websites don’t always show everything they have access to, so plan to actually go in and talk with a staff member on the floor.
Lumber yards with a few branches can be a big help here. Their computer systems let them look up what’s sitting at other locations in your area. All you have to do is ask them to run a search across their entire system and see what pops up.
Salvage yards and building material resale shops are also worth a check. They get leftover materials from renovation projects all of the time and that means there’s always a chance another homeowner returned just what you need. Nonprofit building supply stores work in a similar way, except their stock comes from donations. Online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist deserve a look too. Contractors usually post extra materials that are sitting around after jobs wrap up. Local buy-and-sell groups can connect you with homeowners who have leftovers taking up space in their garage.
Make a quick phone call before you drive anywhere to confirm they have what you’re after. Stock moves pretty fast at these smaller operations. Take one of your existing shingles with you if possible – it makes the whole matching process much easier for whoever’s helping you. Also plan to check back every so often at some of the resale places since fresh materials come through their doors every week.
Turn Your Repair into a Design Feature
Finding shingles that match an older roof can be hard, especially if that original style isn’t made anymore. Rather than hide the difference between the old and the new materials, a roofing professional can help you turn the repair into a design feature that looks intentional.
Roofing contractors know how to arrange new shingles in certain patterns rather than scatter them randomly across the surface. Horizontal bands or geometric shapes can make the repair look like it was planned from the start – not like a quick patchwork fix. A dormer or addition to your home creates a natural break between the old and the new construction. This is a perfect place to introduce different shingle patterns and it won’t look odd or out of place at all.
Many older homes already have multiple shingle styles as part of their original character anyway. A skilled contractor can work with those existing patterns to keep the home looking the way it does as they complete the necessary repairs. When you place the contrasting shingles in the right spots, it adds some visual interest.
This creative approach calls for input from a licensed roofing professional who knows the local building codes. They can recommend the materials and techniques that meet the safety standards and still give you the look you’re after. What starts out as a basic repair project could turn into an opportunity to make your home look even better, as long as you have an experienced contractor to take care of it.
Contact Our Team Today to Start Your Project
Mismatched shingles can be frustrating. The problem is usually solvable when you know what options are actually available. Sometimes the exact product you need is still sitting in a supplier’s warehouse somewhere. Other times, a creative way to fix it ends up working even better than trying to find a perfect match that isn’t around anymore. You won’t have to replace your entire roof just yet. What matters most is working with roofers who get both the technical side of roofing and the realities of matching materials that could have been decades old.
The best strategy is to take your time and look at all the options that you have available. Many homeowners rush toward the priciest answer when there’s usually a middle ground that saves money and still delivers the results you’re after.
When it comes to those results, we’ve been helping New Jersey homeowners solve these exact kinds of roofing puzzles for over 3 decades now at Magnolia Home Remodeling Group. Whether it’s urgent storm damage that needs immediate attention before the next rain or routine maintenance planning that will help your home stay protected through another decade of harsh Northeast seasons, our team brings the technical expertise and the creative problem-solving skills that turn tough repairs into fixes that will last for years. We have strong relationships with specialty suppliers throughout the state, and we keep detailed records of what products and techniques work best in different neighborhoods and architectural styles. Yes, we’ve successfully tracked down those impossible-to-find discontinued shingles more times than we can count over the years!
Give us a call for your free estimate and consultation, browse through our large project gallery to see how we’ve handled similar challenges for other homeowners or download our full homeowner’s guide to roof maintenance – whatever resource helps you feel most confident about taking the next step toward protecting your home and your investment.
