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Most homes have roofing shingles, but most homeowners don’t spend much time thinking about them. Roofing Shingles provide a single layer solution to a leak proof roof. Roofing shingles are laid from the bottom of the roof, with each higher row overlapping the row below it. Traditionally shingles were made of wood and were capped at the top with a row of copper or lead sheeting. In modern shingle roofs this is replaced by a row of roofing shingles that includes a plastic underlay.

In the old days wood roofing shingles were considered good. But in time modern materials such as asphalt and asbestos cement replaced wood as common materials. Today fiberglass based asphalt shingles are the most popular roofing shingle used in the United States. The obvious issue with wood is fire, and fire is the reason wood and paper backed shingles are used infrequently in modern construction.

Most people have seen a special type of wood shingle, but wouldn’t be able to identify it. It’s called a shake, a wooden shingle made from split logs. Shake roofs were commonly used in building log cabins, and with many wood frame homes. They’re still in use today, most commonly cut on site then transported by helicopters, but it wasn’t always done that way. Shakes were tied into packs and transported by pack animals, or even people, before helicopters were invented. Often cut in hilly areas, they were carried down the slope with the help of a long line run from the bottom to the top. This line served as a hand hold so people carrying the shake packs wouldn’t fall.

Many people wonder what is the difference between a shingle and a tile. Tiles are generally made from ceramic. They’re brittle and ill suited to locations where tree limbs might impact a roof. Shingles are flexible and therefor better able to resist damage from tree limbs. Wood shingles rot, while ceramic tiles don’t, but modern materials such as the asbestos base for most shingles don’t rot. Another main difference is in the shape. Ceramic tiles have an “S” profile to allow them to interlock for strength while roofing shingles are flat.

Believe it or not slate is also used for roofing shingles. Slate can be easily split into thin sheets. Such sheets, the slate roofing shingles, make for an rustic look for a roof. Slaters, tradesmen trained to work with slate, cut and install slate roofing shingles. Because slate is fireproof and an electric insulators, qualities that make it excellent for roofing shingles, slate was used for early 20th century switchboards and relay controls for large electric motors. Imagine that, making a phone call on your roofing shingles.