History
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Featured1886 - Standard Paint Company Founded
The Standard Paint Company was founded in a remodeled sawmill in Bound Brook, N.J. Among its 18 employees was a young chemist named William Griscom, who focused his creativity on developing new ideas for asphalt compounds.
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1892 - Introducing RU-BER-OID
In 1892, Griscom and Standard Paint created ready-to-lay asphalt roofing and changed the roofing business. Since it was similar to rubber, Standard Paint called their easy-to-use asphalt rolls RU-BER-OID roofing.
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1904 - Embedded Color Granule Techology
Standard Paint perfected the embedding of colored granules in its asphalt coating, a method still used today.
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1912 - First individually cut asphalt shingles
Griscom and Standard Paint introduced easy to install, inexpensive, and weatherproof individual asphalt shingles. They’re made from rag felt, hand-dipped in asphalt.
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Featured1921 - Standard Paint becomes The RUBEROID Co.
Based on the success of its roofing line, Standard Paint changed its name to The RUBEROID Co. in 1921.
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1933 - The First Interlocking Asphalt Shingles
In 1933 The RUBEROID Co. introduced Tite-On shingles, an inexpensive, attractive alternative to older roofing methods and became the model for the success of asphalt shingles to this day.
Today’s most popular shingle: Timberline®
In 1967, RUBEROID engineer, Phil Bottoli laminated two strip shingles together to create a shingle of extraordinary strength and aesthetics. The Timberline® Shingle became North America’s best-selling shingle. The same year, RUBEROID merged with GAF and adopted the GAF name.
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FeaturedThe 70s’ and 80s’ - The Entertainment Years
For a period in the 1970s and '80s, GAF was a leading provider of film and cameras, becoming the official film of Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as the manufacturer of the famous View-Master.
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1983 - The Sam Heyman Era
Sam Heyman was elected Chairman & CEO of GAF in 1983. His vision included heavy investment in the company's manufacturing network and attracting the best employees. With a seven-fold sales increase in three decades, his leadership helped GAF become the industry's largest roofing manufacturer.
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Featured1991 - High Definition Shingles
A new proprietary granule application technique enabled GAF to create unique shadow and color patterns on the upper and lower shingle layers, which results in a shingle with exceptional depth, dimension, and color.
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2003 - Self-adhered TPO membranes
To help reduce commercial roof installation costs, GAF introduced the industry's first self-adhered thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membranes. They install quickly and eliminate the need for messy adhesives or hot asphalt.
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2005 - Energy-effecient asphalt shingles
Advances in granule coloration technology allowed GAF to create energy efficient shingles that reflect sunlight to reduce unwanted attic heat build-up.
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2007 - GAF acquires ElkCorp
GAF acquired ElkCorp, a leading residential roofing manufacturer, and soon introduced Advanced Protection Shingles — a technology that maximizes durability while eliminating unnecessary materials overall. The new shingles were the first in the industry to pass two key wind uplift tests and a new long-term performance test.
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Featured2010 - Solar-grade TPO membranes
Everguard Extreme® became the first TPO membrane that could withstand the high temperatures of peel and stick solar panels and soon found wider use for any demanding application.
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2011 - Lifetime Limited Warranty on all laminated shingles
GAF became the first roofing manufacturer to offer a Lifetime ltd. warranty on all of its laminated shingles. The following year, GAF offered a Lifetime ltd. warranty on the entire GAF roofing system.
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2015 - GAF acquires Quest
In 2015, GAF completed the acquisition of Quest Construction Products, including United Coatings
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2016 - Timberline HD® Reflector Series™ Shingles
Shingles offered California homeowners a wider variety of rich color options to comply with Title 24 cool roof requirements.
2022 - GAF Energy Timberline Solar®
GAF Energy, a GAF business unit, launched the world's first nailable solar roof, Timberline Solar®. GAF Energy offers affordable, integrated rooftop solar options for residential customers to bring "Energy from Every Roof."
You can see what GAF is up to today on the RoofViews blog
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The History of GAF: 139 Years of Roofing Firsts
The history of GAF charts 139 years of firsts. From the 1892 invention of ready-to-lay asphalt roofing to the 2022 launch of the world's first nailable solar shingle, GAF has set the pace for roofing innovation—and continues to do so today.