Weathered Wood Shingles Guide
Contents:
What Are Weathered Wood Shingles?
Popular “Weathered Wood” Asphalt Shingles
Weathered Cedar Wood vs. Asphalt Shingles
What Is Weathering and What Color Are Weathered Wood Shingles?
Popular Home Styles for Weathered Wood Shingles
What Color Siding Goes With Weathered Wood Shingles?
Contact Custom Shingles to Design Your Dream Roof
Wood shingles provide many benefits, including beauty, durability and insulation — and when they're weathered, their gray color gives your roof an even more distinguished look that works well with a variety of architectural styles. This article covers the truth about weathered wood architectural shingles as well as the advantages and applications of this timeless roofing material.
What Are Weathered Wood Shingles?
Weathered wood shingles are exactly what the name suggests — wood shingles that are weathered. The weathering occurs naturally when exposed to sunlight and moisture.
However, there is much confusion surrounding the term "weathered wood shingles," because the results that pop up in search engines are often asphalt shingles that resemble the shape of real wood shingles, which we will discuss below.
Popular "Weathered Wood" Asphalt Shingles
"Weathered wood" asphalt shingles contain no wood but rather imitate the dimensionality and color of true wood shingles. Some feature a shadow effect that further enhances their resemblance.
Asphalt shingles are the most commonly used roofing material, which is largely because they're the most economical roofing option, and the installation is relatively easy. They consist of fiberglass impregnated with asphalt and their surface features sand-like granules. Popular "weathered wood" brands include:
GAF
Timberline
Tamko
Landmark
CertainTeed
Atlas
Some pros of weathered wood asphalt shingles include:
They're widely available. You can find weathered wood asphalt shingles at most big box stores.
They're affordable. Asphalt shingles tend to be one of the more economical roofing materials.
They protect against fire. Fiberglass shingles are known to offer decent fire protection.
They can be wind-resistant. Three-tab shingles are rated to withstand wind speeds up to 70 miles per hour, and architectural shingles can withstand winds up to 110 miles per hour.
They require no extra support. Because they're light, no additional structural support is needed.
They come in various styles and colors. Asphalt shingles are highly customizable and can easily match many home styles.
The installation can be DIYed. Homeowners with the experience and appropriate equipment can install asphalt shingles themselves.
Asphalt shingles are not without their drawbacks, however. The cons include:
They're not made of real wood. Although weathered wood asphalt shingles are shaped like wood shingles, they lack the charm of authentic wood.
They have a relatively short lifespan. Asphalt shingles tend to have the shortest lifespan of any material. Less costly asphalt shingles may only last 10 or 12 years in sunny, hot regions.
They have a high lifetime cost. As they must be frequently replaced, the cost of asphalt shingles over a lifetime is higher than that of many other roofing materials.
Replacement can be more costly and wasteful than you might think. If your roof has multiple layers of asphalt shingles and you want to replace the top layer, you must remove all the layers. This creates an additional expense and lots of waste.
They're susceptible to cracking. Asphalt shingles subjected to rapid changes in temperature may crack. If your attic is not well ventilated, it may trap heat and also cause your asphalt shingles to crack.
They're susceptible to weather-related damage. Asphalt shingles can be damaged by hail, snow and sleet and may need to be repaired or replaced more often than other types of roofing materials.
They're not environmentally friendly. Although asphalt shingle manufacturers often advertise that their products are recyclable and can be used for paving, there are actually few recycling facilities that accept them. Considering that, along with the fact that asphalt shingles must be replaced relatively frequently, asphalt shingles are not the most environmentally friendly choice for your roof.
Mold and algae growth can occur. Shingles in shady areas of your roof may experience mold growth unless they are treated with anti-stain or anti-algae treatments.
True Wood Shingles
True wood shingles, which are most commonly made of cedar, southern pine or redwood, can be used for a variety of applications. We offer Wallaba, teak and many different types of cedar shingles.
Wood has been the roofing material of choice for hundreds of years and remains popular today. Wood shingles, unlike shakes, are sawn on both sides, which gives them a smooth, refined appearance. They're great for those wanting their home's exterior to express its unique character in an affordable way. Advantages of true wood shingles include:
They're beautiful. Wood has a natural beauty that cannot be replicated by synthetic products.
They retain their dimensions. Cedar is a low-density wood that experiences minimal shrinkage and can retain its original dimensions in humid climates.
The installations last a long time. Cedar shingles lie flat, stay straight and are good at holding their fastenings, meaning they'll last a long time.
They're highly resistant to harsh elements. Cedar wood shingles contain natural preservatives that help them resist moisture, insect damage and UV rays. They're also less likely to experience moss growth than many other types of roofing materials. Cedar shingles can also be treated to be resistant to fire and fungal growth and be even more insect- and moss-resistant.
They're easy to work with. Cedar wood shingles consist of lightweight, long lengths with straight, fine grains and uniform textures. These features make cedar shingles easy to saw, cut and nail.
They accept many types of finishes. Cedar shingles accept a wide variety of finishes, from paint and solid coatings to stains and fine oils. These finishes can be most efficiently applied at the mill where they are cut. By staining your shingles, you can both prolong their life expectancy and make the roof look brand new.
They work with a wide range of architectural styles. Wood shingles can enhance the appearance of Tudor, Cape Cod and various other home styles.
They're strong. Cedar is considered to be one of the toughest woods in the world, meaning that it will help improve your roof's structural strength.
They insulate. Cedar insulates naturally, meaning that it will help keep cool air inside during the summer months and warm air inside during the cold months. This will keep your home more comfortable, and it will also help you save on heating and cooling costs. Its insulation value is twice that of asphalt shingles.
They enhance your curb appeal. In addition to its many practical advantages, cedar shingles give your home a natural, timeless appearance that will boost your home's curb appeal, especially as they weather and become gray.
They last a long time. Cedar can last 30-50 years — significantly longer than asphalt shingles. This quality makes cedar competitively priced compared to asphalt options.
Weathered Cedar Wood Vs. Asphalt Shingles
For the environmentally conscious homeowner, cedar shingles are the eco-friendly choice. Real wood is biodegradable and will decompose in time without releasing harmful toxins. Asphalt roofing is not sustainable — asphalt shingles are made from tar, fiberglass and other harmful petroleum products that are neither recyclable nor biodegradable.
Real cedar wood shingles age and weather very differently from “weathered” asphalt shingles. While many asphalt options are shaded in an attempt to mimic the look of real wood, they still have a granular texture that looks synthetic. Asphalt shingles also lack the natural color variations and wood grain present in cedar shingles.
While sun exposure will weather wood roof shingles to a lovely gray patina, it will only fade the color of asphalt options. Unlike asphalt, real wood shingles shift colors over the years. The aging process varies depending on environmental factors, but most cedar shingles take at least a year to weather to a distinctive silvery gray. It's no surprise homeowners love the subtle natural tones and detail found in real wood shingles for their coastal, cottage and historical roofs.
What Is Weathering And What Color Re Weathered Wood Shingles?
"Weathering" refers to the natural process that occurs when wood is exposed to the elements over time and experiences several chemical and physical changes. These changes ultimately lead to natural wood shingles taking on a gray color.
Some people are under the impression that weathering is the same as decay, but the two processes are different. Decay occurs when moss or fungi grow on the surface of the wood. This tends to happen when the wood's moisture content is exceptionally high.
During the process of weathering, sunlight is the primary factor that causes the changes to occur on the wood's surface. Additional factors may include wind, moisture, heat, cold and abrasion caused by particles blown by the wind. However, it is the sun that is the primary cause of weathering in wood.
Sunlight that falls in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum is what most affects the wood's surface, and after just a few days of sunny weather, a photochemical reaction will begin to occur that will change the wood's outside layer. Sunlight in the UV spectrum contains enough energy to break down and change the wood's structure, which explains why, if you plan to paint your siding, it must be painted right when it's installed.
Once the weathering process has begun, it doesn't continue at a constant rate. The chemical changes that take place in the wood serve as a natural preservative that protects the wood for many years. Although the grain structure of certain types of wood may not allow this to occur, wood with tight grains should last for many years when exposed to the elements.
Popular Home Styles For Weathered Wood Shingles
Weathered wood roof shingles work well with many architectural styles, especially those built in a period or rustic style. Discover some of the most common house styles paired with wood roof shingles.
1. Cape Cod
Cape Cod homes are commonly found in coastal areas in the Northeast and have been around since the 1600s. They usually feature one or two floors, a roof with a steep pitch, multi-pane windows and wood siding. The style was originally inspired by the thatched cottages in England, although the roofs were made steeper and the chimneys were made larger to deal with the harsh winters in the Northeast. Cape Cod homes today also feature dormer windows and windows that flank the front door.
2. Colonial
When many people think about colonials, a regal mansion may be the first thing to come to mind. Colonials date back to the 1800s, when settlers started to experiment with different home designs, with a heavy focus on symmetry. This style of architecture has remained particularly popular on the East Coast, especially from Virginia to Maine.
Characteristics of these homes include multiple floors, wood or brick exteriors and evenly spaced windows with shutters. The first wave of colonial homes was between the years 1800 and 1945, during which time they were designed by professionals and featured elaborate details and durable materials. After 1945, they became popular in suburban areas and adopted a simpler look.
3. Tudor
This widely recognizable style originated in England and is characterized by its steep roof with multiple gables, half-timber framing, embellished masonry chimneys, window groupings and elaborate doorways. The walls of Tudor homes can be stucco, weatherboard, shingles and sometimes even stone. However, the most common materials for American Tudor homes were brick on the first floor, with the brick often laid out to form a complex pattern, and wood or stucco with false half-timbering on the second floor.
These homes were primarily built in wealthier neighborhoods in the early 1900s. As the Tudor home's steep roofs are well suited for snowy and rainy climates, they are popular on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
4. Bungalow
The Bungalow-style home is a product of the early-20th century Arts and Crafts movement, which defied the extravagance of the times and adopted natural materials like stone, brick and wood. Although many types of bungalow-style homes exist, defining features of all bungalow-style homes include a balanced but not symmetrical front exterior, low-pitched, exposed roofs with rafters or beams often showing and front porches or verandas with square, tapered columns, which are sometimes referred to as "bungalow columns."
5. Cotswold Cottage
Cotswold cottages feature exteriors inspired by the classic homes found in Southwest England's Cotswold Hills. These picturesque, cozy cottages vary in terms of layout and size, but most of them share certain hallmarks of the Old English style. The exterior walls are typically made of stone that comes in colors like gold, ivory, rust and sand. There are prominent windows along the first floor and gabled windows along the roof's eaves. Most of these cottages have chimneys, garages and gated fences.
What Color Siding Goes With Weathered Wood Shingles?
The trick to matching shingles to your home is looking at the color undertones in both your shingles and the house exterior finishes. Understanding the warm or cool nature of the hues, the undertones present in the colors and how your shingles will weather over time will help you design your dream fairy-tale home.
Look to old-world architecture as your guide. Cottage-style homes mix natural materials and colors found in stone, wood, siding and brick. Your shingles and exterior color choices should have some contrast so your architectural details are visible from the street while maintaining a softer, cottagey look.
Natural wood weathered shingles, which are gray, work well with house exteriors in practically any color, although a few colors work particularly well:
Brown: Most weathered wood shingles on house exteriors are primarily gray in color or have varying shades of brown in the shingles' undertones. Combining brown siding with brown shingles creates a cozy log cabin look ideal for mountain chalets and lodge-style homes. Create depth with a variety of browns — weathered gray-brown shingles, espresso brown siding and reddish-brown cedar planter boxes is a winning combination.
Beige: This warm neutral has remained one of the most popular exterior house colors for decades, and for good reason — its true neutral status makes it highly versatile, so it works with a wide range of house styles. Beige siding and stucco pairs beautifully with weathered wood shingles and works with virtually any accent color for doors, shutters and decorative details.
White: There's nothing more classic than a timeless white house, and what better to complement it than traditional wood shingles? Real wood shingles age perfectly with crisp alabaster columns, creamy off-white painted siding or lime-washed brick on colonial and Cape Cod homes.
Red: From vibrant cherry to deep wine, red is a quintessential siding color in Americana architecture. Gray-brown wood shingles sing atop a rich red cottage with white trim and gray stone accents. Our weathered wood shingles are the perfect historical touch for red brick homes, as well.
Gray: This cool neutral is a trending tone that has risen as one of today's most requested siding colors. If you desire a quaint, cottagey home, all-gray exterior finishes might read as too cold or too modern. Instead, pair gray siding with rolling brown-undertone wood shingles to warm up and soften your exterior. Adding warmth with wood offers a more historical look reminiscent of gray stone Tudors exteriors with warm wood accents.
If you're wondering what weathered wood shingles on house styles similar to yours will look like, browse our gallery for inspiration!
Contact Custom Shingles To Design Your Dream Roof
Custom Shingles would be happy to advise you on a cedar selection that will give your home's roof a weathered look.
Although homeowners, architects and roofers have had difficulty finding and producing custom wood shingles in the past, Custom Shingles drastically simplifies this process. We create roofs with a beautiful, professional, custom appearance that makes a bold statement. If you choose Custom Shingles, you'll enjoy the following benefits:
Efficiency: Even if you find a contractor who can bend and cut their own shingles, this often requires lots of painstaking labor. Our company makes shingles faster and better.
Experience: We have been providing premier decorative wood shingles for over four decades by cutting, shaping and steam-bending shingles and shakes for homeowners, builders and architects.
Flexibility: We provide customers with premium individual shingles, gable sections or pre-assembled fascia boards. We can also help with your design and installation by dispatching a team to your property or working with a contractor, architect or engineer in the area.
Our projects and products have appeared in Veranda, Vogue, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living and other leading publications.
If you need help on new construction, renovations or recreation projects, contact us using our form, and one of our knowledgeable representatives would be happy to help you. We look forward to hearing from you!