Shingle (roofing)

“ STANDARD CHARCOAL ROOFING TIN SHINGLES.
Our Standard Charcoal Roofing Tin Shingles are made of such brands as “Mansel,” “Dean,” “Worcester,” “P. T. L.” &c., and guaranteed to be first-class, well-coated plates, perfect in finish. Next comes our Galvanized (re-dipped) shingle; this is our Standard Tin Shingle, taken after it is made and dipped into melted zinc, adding a second coat of fully twenty pounds on each square, giving with the tin, a more durable coating than that used on galvanized iron, making it absolutely rust-proof and saving painting. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The same rules that govern the laying of slate or the common wood shingle along valleys, or about chimneys and dormer windows, are applicable to ours, except the tin shingles are bent up against the sides of chimneys, which cannot be done with wood or slate. ”

“ Gents:—We have used almost all kinds of Metallic Shingles manufactured, but find the Walter’s Shingle makes the best roof of any we have found. They make a tight, ornamental and durable roof, and have never given us a particle of trouble, and we are glad to recommend them to any one wanting a first-class metallic roof. ”

“ After nailing the Gable End Finish to its place, press the left-hand edge of the first shingle well under the fold of the Gable End Finish, and before nailing it hook two or three shingles with the top edge on a line with your chalk line; then remove the loose shingles, and nail the first one which is held to its proper place by the Gable End Finish. ”

“ The roof should be sheathed with seven-eighths by four-inch material; where exposed to view, with five-and-one-half-inch beaded flooring. Where deck framing is required, posts and purlins are necessary, size according to weight to be carried.
Where shingles are used for roofing, they should be laid four and one-half inches to the weather for sixteen-inch shingles, with two nails to each. It is best that shingles should be dipped in stain, oil, or paint before they are put on the roof. The durability of shingles is not increased by being painted after they have been laid. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Should anything fall on our shingles it would probably dent them without causing a break; but should it perforate them, the shingles can be replaced by another, or a leak can be soldered, and fire from an adjoining roof cannot more than injure the paint. They will cool off rapidly, retaining their shape. ”

“ 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. ”

“ When [63] our shingles turn up against the sides of chimneys or brick walls, insert flashing by sawing out the mortar joint above the line of tin work; where the upper edge of our shingles butts against the brick wall, as they do on the lower side of chimneys, cut them off on the line where the chimney comes to the roof, and use a strip of tin bent in this manner. (See Cut F.) The upper end at A is to fit in mortar joint. The lower edge, B, is nailed to the sheathing before the shingles are put on. ”

“ A more thorough way is to nail thin strips of wood of a uniform length directly over the ridge and at right angles to it. These strips are thin enough to bend readily. Five or six layers are fastened in this way, and then, more firmly to secure them to the roof, two long narrow strips of wood or bamboo are nailed near the two edges of this mass, parallel to the ridge (fig. 65) .
Fig. 65.—Ridge on shingle-roof in Musashi. [pg 83] The shingled roof is the most dangerous element of house-structure in the cities. ”

“ Proslate for a siding is warmer than clapboards or shingles. It acts as a blanket.
GENERAL USE. As a permanent all round roof, we believe that Proslate represents the best material for the money yet made. It is good enough for residences, factories and railroad buildings. Shingles are unsatisfactory and cannot be used on flat roofs, porches, etc., and slate is too expensive. Proslate fills every requirement of a good roofing, well made with an extra weather surface, economical—permanent.
Florian Sound-Deadening Felt
This material is used between floors as an insulator against sound. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Our shingles are free from the many accidents to which slate roofs are liable, such as cracking from shrinkage of wood-work to which they are attached; breaking, caused by necessary repairs to the valleys or chimneys ”

“ Tiles, plain and fancy, and slates, have to a certain extent superseded wood shingling, but the wood will always be used where it can be found in plenty, as machines will now turn them out complete faster than they can be hauled away. A shingle is a thin piece of wood, thicker at one end than at the other, having parallel sides, about three times as long as it is wide, having generally smooth surfaces and edges. All these features are now given to the shingle by modern machines. ”

“ In the first place, there never has been a shingle roof which has not required patching at more or less frequent intervals. The patch, usually a fresh, uncolored shingle, becomes startlingly conspicuous when set among its older, weather-stained neighbors. When the shingles are painted, repairs can be [19] made as often as necessary, and a coat of paint on the new pieces preserves the harmony of color and does not flaunt their newness. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ We are aware that shingles made from well-matured timber, straight-grained, free from sap and wind-shakes, full length, hand drawn to five-eighths of an inch at the butt, four inches wide, and carefully put on make a good, durable roof. ”

“ For roofing some non-absorbent material is best. Wood shingles are possibly the most common in this country, although they are rapidly being replaced with composition shingles. The wood shingles are somewhat absorbent and are inflammable. ”

“ Therefore all churches, and the houses of the more substantial inhabitants of the towns, have shingle roofs. In many parts of New York province, where the white cedar does not grow, the people, however, have their houses roofed with cedar shingles, which they get from other parts. To that purpose great quantities of shingles are annually exported from Eggharbour and [177] other parts of New Jersey, to the town of New York, from whence they are distributed throughout the province. A quantity of white cedar wood is likewise exported every year to the West Indies, for shingles, pipe staves, &c. ”

“ If this covering is used, instead of nailing laths across the rafters, it is proposed to cover the whole roof with similar boarding to the back, and upon this it is a simple thing to nail the shingles, placing them just as tiles might be placed. Whilst nailing them on, it will be necessary to have some person within to hold a heavy hammer against the place, otherwise the vibration will jar off the shingles as fast as they are fixed. A 3⁄4-in. board, rather wider than half the length of the shingles, should first be nailed along the eaves to make up the required thickness. ”

“ Because there are no cross seams or joints where rain or moisture can settle and cause decay.
Because we furnish with our shingles, at moderate cost, Valleys, Gable Strips, Ridge and Hip Coping, that not only improves the finish of exterior, but assists the workman to an extent that lessens the cost of applying. ”

“ Just as storms can make trouble below stairs, roof and eaves may develop faults. Where the roof is of wooden shingles, one of the usual causes of leaks is a cracked shingle. When this chances to be directly above a slight space left in laying the roof for expansion between the shingles of the next course, rain, instead of flowing off the roof, runs through this crack and wet plaster results. ”

“ 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. ”

“ This lath is to project beyond the outside rafters 9 inches or 1 foot. There must be a shingle lath at the top of each rafter, no matter how near [420] the next one may come, and sometimes the whole roof is covered with boards as a support for the shingles, instead of lath.
Begin shingling at the lower end of the rafters, allowing the first course to project an inch beyond the first lath. To insure the end of the roof being straight, it is best to saw the lath after it is nailed to rafters.
The first course of shingles should be double—i. e., one over the other, joints broken. ”

“ Gentlemen:—I have used about sixty squares of your metal shingles this year, and can say they excel any roof I have used. They are light, tight and cannot help being a life-lasting roof, if they are taken care of. ”

“ 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. ”

“ One of our exchanges mentions an experiment which was made twenty-seven years ago, of dipping shingles into hot linseed oil prior to nailing them on the roof: and although they have not been painted, they are said to continue perfectly sound as when first put on. They were of the common pine, and as much exposed as roofs in general. This instance may be sufficient to establish the fact that shingles thus prepared, will last longer without painting than they could possibly be preserved by painting in the usual way. ”