National Sheet Metal Roofing Co.

“ Gentlemen:—I take great pleasure in giving my unprejudiced opinion of Walter’s Metallic Shingles. I have been using them for the last three years, and have never had any fault found with them of all the roofs that I have put on, and I have had good practical tinners proclaim to me that they consider it the best tin roofing they have ever seen. It is the roof for me when I am building myself. Any person adopting this roof, by giving it a coat of metallic paint every five years, I will warrant them to have a tight roof for two generations. ”

“ To a casual observer mortar is mud, but to a builder who understands the chemistry of mortar it is a compound of water, lime and sand, and when properly prepared forms an indestructible cement. Fresh slacked lime, when brought in contact with clean, sharp sand, adheres strongly to the surface of each grain, and forms the silicate of lime. ”

“ Shingles made from wood have been common all over the world for ages. Their particular form has remained unchanged because many years’ experience has proven it to be the most durable and surest safe-guard against storms. What is true of wood for roof covering is equally true of metal for the same purpose. The first metal roofing made in America was tin sheets, laid shingle fashion, the overlapped edges of which covered the nail heads which were used to fasten them to the roof boards. ”

“ Mark, we say the best of pigments, for many pigments are the reverse of protective, and are really destructive to both the vehicles and the material which they are supposed to protect. For example, coal tar and all its products, whether called dead oil, asphalt, rubber, etc., are of the class just described, and their use at any price, especially for covering sheet-metals, is a wanton waste of money. Extended experiments have demonstrated that there is no better pigment for metal than a good iron ore ground to an impalpable powder. ”

“ It is always best to have good sized down pipes. As a rule, for down pipes from hanging gutters, let the circumference of the pipe equal the girt of the gutter, and the gutter should be large enough to convey the water which falls on the roof during the heaviest storms. Use only curved elbows where a turn in the pipe is to be made, and at the foot or discharge end. Curved elbows are now made by machinery; they are stronger, more durable and cost no more than the common hand-made acute kind. ”

“ Now, a kitchen can be so constructed that even with the largest size family-stove or range in use, it will be as comfortable as any other room in the house, and at an expense not to exceed the cost of the stove or range used. To do this, build of brick a large open fire-place, say from three to twelve inches broader than the length of the stove or range to be used, and from front to rear deep enough to receive the same. It is best to set an ordinary cook-stove with the side to the front, so that the oven door can be convenient. ”

“ It is generally known to builders and roofers that the greatest amount of wear upon all kinds of roofs is in the valleys or gutters. Therefore, that part of the roof, whether covered with slate, tin or wood shingles, should be of the best material, and free from the annoying possibility of cracking.
This trouble is always caused by expansion and contraction of the metal. The usual method is to make the valley of the desired length, and, after shaping to the roof-boards, to nail each side firmly. The result is, with the summer heat, a buckle is often formed at some point between the two ends. ”

“ By consulting experienced and unbiased painters you will learn the fact that there is no vehicle pigments at all approaching linseed oil in effectiveness and durability, especially for exposure to the weather. A good paint must be both hard and elastic. It requires hardness to prevent abrasion and wear, and elasticity to prevent cracking from expansion and contraction. Nothing but linseed oil will give these qualities, for, strange as it may seem to many in these days of novelties, the pigments really add but very little to the effectiveness of paints. ”

“ All builders of experience are aware of the expensive repairs necessary to keep a slate roof in good order, but perhaps the most inconsistent thing connected with the whole roofing business is the fact that nineteen-twentieths of all the houses covered with slate have gutters lined with the same material of which our shingles are made, while slate was used for covering because of its supposed durability. ”

“ The carelessness displayed in chimney construction is astonishing. As the work is hid from view on completion, be watchful during the process of construction from the ground up. All chimneys should, if possible, extend above the apex or comb of roof, and should be built of good hard burnt brick, and no woodwork should be allowed to enter within five inches of inside of flue, and not within twelve inches anywhere near the fire-place. ”

“ For houses of moderate cost we think nothing is equal to solid colors for inside walls. Let the colors be light and cheerful, and the rooms of different shades. (See page 48) .
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If you are interested in Roofing, send for our Price List and Discount Sheet, which is special to the trade. We are pioneers in the introduction of practical metal shingles, and no imitator has yet produced their equal. Our goods are largely used throughout the United States and Canadas; are used by the Government and Railroads; approved by the Fire Insurance Companies, and many leading Architects and Builders. ”

“ THINGS ARE ONLY GOOD OR BAD BY COMPARISON. Walter’s Patent Metallic Shingles Compared with Slate.
Our shingles are not one-sixth the weight of slate, which greatly reduces the cost of the frame-work of roof. They readily conform to the shape of a roof, which slate will not do. Slate is not thoroughly fire-proof, as heat from an adjoining building on fire will cause the slate to crack, which would destroy the best roof in a few minutes, leaving the sheeting exposed. ”

“ If your cistern is dug in a clayey soil, there is no use of brick lining; but if in gravel, sandy or rocky soil, line the inside with hard, well burnt brick, and do the work well; using for mortar equal parts of hydraulic lime and clean, sharp sand. When completed, plaster the inside carefully with the same mortar. If the walls are clay plaster immediately on the sides and bottom, without lining with brick.
No roofing material is better for collecting chemically pure water than tin, and none so bad as wood shingles. ”

“ Everything that breathes—and what living thing does not?—needs a change of air to remain in a healthy condition. Leaves are the lungs of plants, and, deprived of this change, soon assume a delicate, sickly hue. ”

“ When the mortar is dry lay the floor in the usual manner. It takes a long time for fire to burn through a floor laid in this manner, and sound is deadened completely by the mass of non-conducting mortar and the double floors. For fire-proofing and deadening partitions in an effective way, build a four-inch brick wall between the studding. A nail driven every ten or twelve inches in the side of the studding, on the line of the mortar joint, will hold the wall firmly between the studding. Where brick is scarce or expensive, sun dried brick made from stiff clay is a good substitute. ”

“ Perhaps the most difficult fixings about a house to adapt a second time are the stairs. Yet I have known where a man has so managed to put up new buildings that the old stairs taken from another building just suited. ”

“ The subject of painting sheet-metal roofs is one of great importance, says the Builder, Decorator and Wood-Worker, not only on account of the protection afforded, but because the material, when properly colored, can be made pleasant to the eye when placed in exposed positions. ”

“ The Tin Roofers’ mallets, seamers, tongs, and sliding over the roof, do more real damage to the surface of tin plate than several years’ wear. We entirely overcome this difficulty, as no part of the exposed surface of our Tin Shingles are struck with a mallet or hammer in applying them. Again, where metal plates are put together in continuous sheets, moisture, which condenses underneath for want of ventilation, settles in the cross-seams and causes decay, and the ordinary metal roof when removed invariably shows this to be the case, while the other part of the plate shows no perceptible wear. ”

“ Another important point to be observed in the painting of sheet-metal is that the paint should not be too thick, as it is the linseed oil that is to be depended on to furnish protection, and as the action of the air on the surface of the exposed oil gives it a particularly hard surface, two thin coats of paint are much more durable than one thick one. ”

“ Our Steel Plate Shingles are made from sheets of Bessemer steel rolled as smooth as tin plate, they are painted the same as the Standard Shingles, and when laid on a roof cannot be distinguished from them. They should be painted every five years with pure linseed oil and oxide of iron (brown mineral) . They will not bear neglect; in this respect they differ from shingles made from tin plate. The price is somewhat less, but the greater durability of the Tin Shingles is worth more than the difference in price. ”

“ It is of the greatest importance that sheet-metal roofs, especially those made of iron, should be protected from the action of the elements, as when so protected there is hardly any limit to the time they will last. In order that the paint should be effective, it should be applied before the iron has had an opportunity to rust, and the first coat should be of the best quality and applied in the best manner ”

“ We were the first to manufacture a full line of Valley, Hip and Ridge Coping, Gable, &c., to enable the builder or roofer to use them at a reasonable price, and are the only factory in America prepared to furnish such trimming in any quantity; and while they are not absolutely necessary, they greatly lessen the amount of labor and cost of laying, besides adding a finish to the roof not otherwise obtained, so that the saving in labor will pay the additional cost. ”

“ It is the broad, thin, split or sawed shingles, found in all markets, which we contend are more expensive than our metal shingles. These do not last, on an average, more than fifteen years, and after [27] ten years the repairs are a continual expense until removed and replaced with new material, which is not often done until some of the woodwork is badly damaged, and ceiling cracked and stained from frequent leakages. On the other hand, tin shingles will last for any length of time, if painted once in every five or six years, and show no perceptible wear. ”

“ The man of colors and brushes is always ready to promise quick work (and we are free to say the mysteries of his trade are equal to any reasonable emergency) , and is apt to humor his employer’s impatience, and meekly submits to his wishes knowing that his employer’s hurry is his gain. House-builder, did it ever occur to you that first-class inside painting is a slow process? Think of this; after the first coat is laid, it should stand long enough to become thoroughly dry, dry enough to be sand-papered. The second coat should be a little heavier than the first or priming coat. ”

“ Remember, no cleats or springs are necessary in using our shingles. The lock is simple and perfect, with corrugations across the top, and bracing corrugations across the exposed end of the shingles, which stiffen and hold the shingles firmly to the underlying courses. They are easily applied, and any one who can lay a wood shingle can lay these. We furnish them in four sizes, made from charcoal roofing tin, painted both sides and unpainted, galvanized tin plate, which is superior to galvanized iron, cold rolled copper, and steel plates. ”

“ We advise against the use of our shingles on roofs of less pitch than five inches to the foot, unless the lap is increased. As a rule, we think any roof that can be walked over with safety is too flat for shingles of either wood or metal.
Cut F.
Should there be a gutter formed at the eave, let the shingle rest on it as you would in using the ordinary wood shingle. ”

“ All such roofs first show decay in the cross seams, and this, while the body of the plates shows no sign of decay. Our shingles have no cross seam, and are sufficiently ventilated to prevent condensation of moisture; while a glance at their construction shows at once that the difficulty caused by contraction and expansion is successfully overcome. Our shingles do not require the skilled labor which is necessary to lay the flat lock or standing groove metal roofing, while the time required to lay a given surface is much less. ”

“ While a rain-proof roof can be made with our shingles, our system, as well as all metal or slate roofing should not be put upon open sheathing. If walked upon the metal will not support the weight, and bends out of shape, and the roof is blamed. ”

“ It is not wise to employ men who have nothing but their strength to recommend them. As a rule they are like bears—have more strength than knowledge, and lack of the latter is often an expensive desideratum. ”

“ Our form of metal roofing has no cross-seams, and has sufficient ventilation to prevent the condensation of moisture underneath, making it by many years the most durable form of metal roofing ever offered to the American people. ”

“ Now construct a sliding sash with double strength glass, and balanced with weights, with the upper end of sash inside the draught flue, and the lower end to reach within a foot of the floor, and about four inches from the side of stove. You will readily perceive that the heat from the stove inside the flue will constantly cause a strong draught between the bottom of the sash and the floor, which will prevent heat from escaping into the kitchen, keeping it as cool as any room in the house. ”

“ I consider a roof of this material far superior to the ordinary tin or iron, both in beauty of design and solidity of construction, and see no reason why it should not supersede slate, as it is far less costly, requires a lighter frame, is just as much fire or storm-proof, and equally durable if kept painted. ”