LENEXA, KAN. – Back in 1999, after two years of working on the “recipe” to create durable synthetic products, DaVinci Roofing Materials, LLC was incorporated in Kansas. Now, 20 years later, DaVinci Roofscapes® has risen to a leadership position in the composite roofing industry — and is ready to take a step forward into the composite siding industry.
During the past two decades DaVinci has made numerous advancements. The first installation of DaVinci Slate was in 2002. DaVinci then introduced composite shake shingles in 2005. Now, during its 20th year anniversary, DaVinci has advanced its roofing selection to include a seventh roofing product line — Select Shake.
“The timing is ideal during the start of our third decade of operations to launch a new and even more realistic shake roofing tile plus a shake siding product,” says Michael Cobb, president and chief marketing officer at DaVinci Roofscapes. “Our technical advances are moving swiftly forward and we envision DaVinci continuing on this growth trajectory for many years into the future.”
Relying on Composites
Whether used on the roof or for siding, composite tiles from DaVinci are engineered to stand up to extreme weather conditions. Each product has a Class A fire rating, Class 4 impact rating and resists fading, splintering, cracking, pests and high winds.
Designed for years of worry-free beauty on a home or commercial building, DaVinci products authentically replicate the look of natural slate and shake materials. Made of virgin resins, UV and thermal stabilizers plus a highly-specialized fire retardant, the composite products are crafted with the highest degree of color control and consistency in the manufacturing process.
Make Room for DaVinci
In the beginning, DaVinci operated out of a 10,000-square-foot space in Kansas. Staying true to its “Made in America” roots, the company expanded operations in 2006 to an 81,000-square-foot leased location. As the company grew, so did the need for more space. Less than 10 years later, in 2014, DaVinci acquired a 173,000-square-facility in Lenexa, Kansas to house their manufacturing, distribution and administration offices.
“Our company has established a solid footprint of steady growth during the past 20 years,” says Cobb. “By focusing on fine-tuning our composite product, working with our valued customers and partners, and responding to the needs of the consumer for a durable roofing product, we’ve been able to make our mark in this industry.”
Responsible Manufacturing
The leaders at DaVinci have been interested in far more than manufacturing superior composite roofing shingles for the past two decades. They set their environmental sights on creating their product while generating zero landfill scrap. That goal was reached in 2017.
Starting in 2012 DaVinci began reprocessing internally generated scrap. Since that time the company has recycled and reused 5,955,000 pounds of composite scrap. In 2018 alone DaVinci reprocessed 926,000 pounds of waste into starter tiles while reducing the scrap generated in the manufacturing process by an additional 2.2 percent since 2016.
“Our goal is zero percentage of scrap going into a landfill,” says Bryan Ward, vice president of operations at DaVinci Roofscapes. “We are always looking for ways to recycle and reuse every single piece of waste in our plant.”
The Many Colors of DaVinci
One of the ways DaVinci has stood out during the past two decades is by offering a wide assortment of realistic colors (plus custom colors) for its roofing tiles. The addition of color consultant Kate Smith, with Sensational Color, has allowed the company to support the one-on-one color selection needs of consumers.
“You can’t talk about our company’s history without thinking about color,” says Cobb. “The realistic colors we’ve been able to achieve — from deep slate grays to shades of clay and dark mountain blends — appeal to so many people.
“We’ve promoted ‘top down color’ on the home for many years. This thought process suggests looking at a house exterior as a unified color palette that creates distinct curb appeal for the home.”
In 2018 DaVinci took its most advanced color step with the introduction of the Nature Crafted Collection. Three distinct colors — Black Oak, Mossy Cedar and Aged Cedar — reflect different progressive aging processes found on real shake shingles.
“The DaVinci Nature Crafted Collection is our most ambitious foray into color development in our company’s history,” says Cobb. “Our proprietary process technology enables us to recreate the natural warmth and softness of a patina previously only created by time and exposure to the elements.”
The realistic Nature Crafted Collection Colors are available on several DaVinci shake product lines and the new DaVinci Hand-Split Shake Siding.
DaVinci currently offers three composite shake tile options: DaVinci Multi-Width Shake, DaVinci Single-Width Shake and Bellaforté Shake. In their slate profiles, the company offers DaVinci Multi-Width Slate, DaVinci Single-Width Slate and Bellaforté Slate. The company’s newest products, DaVinci Select Shake and DaVinci Hand-Split Shake Siding, are scheduled for launch during the first quarter of 2019.
The experienced team members at DaVinci Roofscapes develop and manufacture industry-leading polymer slate and shake roofing systems with an authentic look and superior performance. DaVinci leads the industry in the greatest selection of colors, tile thickness and tile width variety. The company’s reliable products have a limited lifetime warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. All DaVinci high-performing roofing products are proudly made in America where the company is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Roofing Contractors, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.
