Most homeowners hear “warranty” and assume it is one thing. It is two different things, and the difference between them decides who is responsible if something goes wrong after your roof is installed.
Two warranties, two different promises
The first is the manufacturer’s warranty, which covers the shingles themselves: defects in the material, how long the product is expected to perform. CertainTeed’s SureStart PLUS program, which our ShingleMaster post explains in detail, is this kind of warranty.
The second is the workmanship warranty, and it covers something different: the installation itself. A shingle can be a perfect product and still fail if it was nailed wrong, flashed incorrectly, or installed with poor ventilation underneath. The workmanship warranty is the installer’s promise that the labor, not just the materials, was done right.
What Hearthstone Restoration’s workmanship warranty covers
Our lifetime workmanship warranty backs the installation itself for as long as you own the home. If an installation-related issue shows up, whether that is a flashing detail, a ventilation problem, or a fastening issue, it is covered under our own promise, separate from whatever CertainTeed covers on the material side.
This matters because installation errors are one of the most common ways a homeowner ends up unprotected. Our post on what voids a roof warranty explains how a manufacturer warranty can be voided by incorrect installation even when the shingles themselves are fine. A workmanship warranty from the installer is what protects you when the two warranties would otherwise leave a gap.
Why this is tied to certification
A workmanship warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it, and the company standing behind it is only as accountable as its certification requires. Hearthstone Restoration’s certified CertainTeed ShingleMaster status means our installation practices are held to a manufacturer-verified standard, which is part of why we can offer a lifetime workmanship promise rather than a short-term one.
What “lifetime” means here
Lifetime means the length of time you own the home, not a fixed number of years that expires quietly in the fine print. If a workmanship issue surfaces in year three or year fifteen, the same promise applies.
How this fits into the bigger picture
If you are comparing roofing companies, our new roof checklist is a useful reference for the full list of questions worth asking, including what warranty is offered and by whom. A workmanship warranty is one of the clearest signals of how confident a company is in its own installation.
What this looks like in practice
Evidence before opinions. A free drone inspection documents your roof’s condition before any work begins.
Measured exactly. An EagleView aerial measurement report on every project.
One manufacturer, mastered. CertainTeed exclusively, installed by a certified ShingleMaster company, with SureStart PLUS 4-Star coverage on the material side and our lifetime workmanship warranty on the installation side.
A build you can watch. Drone updates through the project and a full walkthrough at the end.
👉 Request your free drone inspection and ask about the workmanship warranty directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a manufacturer warranty and a workmanship warranty?
A manufacturer warranty covers defects in the shingles themselves. A workmanship warranty covers the quality of the installation. You need both to be fully protected.
Does Hearthstone Restoration offer a workmanship warranty?
Yes, a lifetime workmanship warranty covering the installation for as long as you own the home, in addition to CertainTeed’s SureStart PLUS material warranty.
Can an installation error void my manufacturer warranty even if the workmanship warranty covers it?
The two are separate. A workmanship warranty protects you from the installer’s side of a problem, which is exactly the situation where a manufacturer warranty can otherwise leave you exposed. See our full breakdown of what voids manufacturer coverage.
What does “lifetime” mean in a workmanship warranty?
For Hearthstone Restoration, it means the length of time you own the home, not a fixed expiration period.
How do I find out what my workmanship warranty covers?
Request an inspection and ask directly. A company confident in its own work should be able to explain its warranty clearly, with no fine print surprises.
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