Roofing Shingles

Roofing shingles are individual elements which are installed overlapping to form a weather resistant roof covering. Each individual shingle is normally a flat rectangular shape and when installed is laid on the roof in rows with only bottoms overlapping. A single layer is installed to achieve a water-resistant finish. When you install the roofing shingles you do so starting from the bottom edge of the roof and from there work your way up to the top. The bottom of each row must overlap the row below it by approximately a third of its length. To finish the ridge of the roof you use shingles which have a plastic underlay.

In the past the ridges were capped using copper or lead sheeting but this method has now become obsolete with the introduction of the shingle with plastic underlay. Roofing shingles are manufactured using a variety of different materials such as wood, slate, asbestos-cement, asphalt and ceramic. The asphalt shingle is produced using a bitumen-soaked paper which is covered with aggregate. Wood and paper-based asphalt shingles have become less popular in recent times because of their increased risk as a fire hazard. The most popular in the United States and Canada is the fiber-glassed asphalt shingle which is commonly used in most domestic roof installations.

Asphalt Roofing Shingles

The asphalt shingle is the most widely used type of roof covering. This is because they are fairly low cost and simple to install. There are two types, organic and fiberglass. The organic variety is a paper material which has been soaked with asphalt to make them waterproof. Then a top coating of adhesive is added to enable ceramic granules to then be embedded. There are algae resistant shingles available. The algae resistance is achieved because some of the granules contain copper or tin which helps to prevent any moss growth and any discoloration of the roof caused by algae.

Fiber glass roofing shingles have a fiberglass reinforcing mat which forms the base layer. The reinforcement mat doesn’t provide any of the waterproofing properties. The mat is manufactured from wet, random laid fiberglass which is bonded together using urea-formaldehyde resin. The reinforcement mat is then finished with a coat of asphalt containing mineral fillers. This then makes the roofing shingle and fiberglass waterproof. We used to use asbestos reinforcement paper but fiberglass reinforcement has now replaced it. The reinforcement normally ranges between 1.8 and 2.3 pounds/square foot.

Slate Roofing Shingles

The slate shingles are formed from a fine grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock which results from a shale type of sedimentary rock which is made from clay or a volcanic ash through low grade metamorphism. This process forms a foliated rock. Slate is usually a gray color and this is especially true when used in volume on large roofs. Slate doesn’t only form in a gray color. It can actually be found in a variety of colors and this can be true even from a single local region. North Wales is famous for its slate mines. The slate in North Wales can be found in a variety of shades of gray as well as purple, green and cyan. The slate can then be used to form roofing slate, which is also commonly known as roofing shingles.

Wood Roofing Shingles

In the early days of settlements in North America trees were in plentiful supply and were extensively used for most aspects of construction. This also included wooden roofing shingles because they were very lightweight, could be made using the simplest of tools and were very easy to install. They were very common within the Colonies but during the same period thatch, slate and tile were the most commonly used roof covering in Europe. Scandinavia has a long history of using wood shingles right up until the 1950s. There are various very distinctive patterns which exist throughout North America which were originally derived by the English, Dutch, Germans, and the Scandinavians.

Shake Roofing Shingles

The shake shingle is made from split logs. When the shakes have been used as a roof covering for a house this is then known as a shake roof. This makes for a very distinctive and appealing look. The shake is commonly made from Western Redcedar in North America. In Central Europe and Scandinavia the shake is typically made from Pine trees. There are a fair number of differing types of shakes. The main difference between shakes and the other types of wooden shingles is that shakes are made by splitting logs while typical wood shingles are made by sawing on all four edges.