Shingle is the generic term for a roofing material that is in many overlapping sections, regardless of the nature of the material

WHAT IS A ROOF?

A roof is part of a building envelope. It is the covering on the uppermost part of a building or shelter which provides protection from animals and weather, notably rain or snow, but also heat, wind and sunlight. The word also denotes the framing or structure which supports that covering.

What are roofing materials?

Roofing material is the outermost layer on the roof of a building, sometimes self-supporting, but generally supported by an underlying structure. A building's roofing material provides shelter from the natural elements. The outer layer of a roof shows great variation dependent upon availability of material, and the nature of the supporting structure. Those types of roofing material which are commercially available range from natural products such as thatch and slate to commercially produced products such as tiles and polycarbonate sheeting. Roofing materials may be placed on top of a secondary water-resistant material called underlayment.

Underlayment

The roof underlayment or most commonly known as "felt paper" is the first layer of waterproofing materials that goes before the shingles or roofing materials. It is mainly a roll of paper or fiberglass saturated with asphalt and other waterproofing materials.

There are many new types of underlayment and it can be difficult to know which underlayment to choose.

The most common as we said before is the regular felt paper.

The felt paper is typically used in most roofing jobs as a release between the two materials; wood and asphalt.

Roofers started using felt years ago on roofs to help prevent the damaged caused from sap leaking out of the wood and breaking down the back of the asphalt shingles and causing them to deteriorate.

That really is not a problem anymore because builders now use plywood. Another big reason why they started using the felt was because the outside heat and the heat of the attic combined would practically melt the asphalt shingles to the wood. So it made it easier to have that extra layer of felt, for the next roofer when they would do the tear off and install the next roof.

In many occasions felt also would work as a lightweight protection against any damage on a stormy day. If a shingle or a tile breaks or blows off during a storm, the roof would be protected by the layer of felt paper.

It will have some protection that will resist the driving rain temporally and give the homeowner some time for to get that damaged section of the roof repaired.

Other examples of underlayment materials include:

· Tar paper and felt paper

· Synthetic underlayment

· Ice and water shield

· Insolation (Dens deck)

· Fire Sheet

Drip edge

Drip edge is a metal installed to the edges of a roof deck, after the roofing material is installed. The metal may be galvanized, steel, aluminum, charcoal, white (painted or not), copper and possibly others.

Types of roofing materials

There are a lot of materials that can be used as roofing materials.

The weatherproofing material is the topmost or outermost layer, exposed to the weather. Many materials have been used as weatherproofing material and others for decorating and styling:

Thatch is roofing made of plant stalks in overlapping layers

· Wheat straw, widely used in England, France and other parts of Europe

· Seagrass, used in coastal areas where there are estuaries such as Scotland. Seagrass as a longer life than straw. Claimed to have a life in excess of 60 years.

· Rye straw, commonly used in a barn.

· Raffia palm leaves: A well-organized raffia palm leaves are mainly used as roof houses in Nigeria especially among the Igbos.

· Rice straw, commonly used in Eastern Asia.

· Water reed, commonly used in Ireland for Thatching.

 

Shingle is the generic term for a roofing material that is in many overlapping sections, regardless of the nature of the material.

· Wood shingle, shingles sawn from bolts of wood such as red cedar which has a life expectancy of up to 30 years. However, young growth red cedar has a short life expectancy and high cost. Also in the eastern United States white cedar and some hardwoods which were very durable roofing found in Colonial Australian and American colonial architecture, its use is now limited to building restoration. All wood shingles benefit by being allowed to breathe (dry out from below).

· Shake (shingle), Are different than wood shingles in that they are split on one side and sawed on the back side. Commonly referred to as "resewn Shakes". A cedar shake is NOT the same as a cedar shingle.

· Slate. High cost with a life expectancy of 80 to 400 years. See the article slate industry for an overview including names of quarries. Some of the famous quarries where the highest quality slate comes from that are available in Australia are Bethesda in Wales and areas of Spain.

· Asphalt shingle made of bitumen embedded in an organic or fiberglass mat, usually covered with colored, man-made ceramic grit. Cheaper than slate or tiles. The reduced cost of this particular style of roofing is especially apparent in its application and removal. Installation is very streamlined and a rapid process. Depending on the size of the roof and the experience of the crew, it is possible to remove old shingles and apply new ones on 2-3 houses in one day. Life span varies. Use only on slanted roofs.

· Rubber shingle, alternative to asphalt shingle, slate, shake or tile. Made primarily of rubber, often recycled tire-derived rubber. Other typical ingredients include binders, UV (ultraviolet light) inhibitors and color. Warranted and designed to last at least 50 years in most cases.

· Asbestos shingles. Very long lifespan, fireproof and low cost but now rarely used because of health concerns.

· Stone slab. Heavy stone slabs (not to be confused with slate) 1–2 inches thick were formerly used as roofing tiles in some regions in England, the Alps, and Scandinavia. Stone slabs require a very heavyweight roof structure, but their weight makes them stormproof. An obsolete roofing material, now used commercially only for building restoration.

· Solar shingle

Metal shakes or shingles. Long life. High cost, suitable for roofs of 3/12 pitch or greater. Because of the flexibility of metal, they can be manufactured to lock together, giving durability and reducing assembly time. For a discussion of copper system shingles, see Copper in architecture Wall cladding.