Asphalt shingle

Description

Flat-cut shingles prepared from asphalt Roofing felt coated with fine mineral particles. The first asphalt shingles, attributed to Herbert Reynolds in 1903, were cut from rolls of asphalt felt in shapes that imitated wood shingles. Asphalt shingles were composed of rags, Cotton, and Paper that were saturated with Asphalt, filled with minerals (powdered stone, Slate, Asbestos, or oyster shells), then pressed into a continuous sheet. The sheets were coated with mineral or colored-ceramic granules, the cut into the desired shape. The early shingles were made in dark colors, such as black, green, or red. Asphalt shingles quickly replaced wood shingles when their fire-resistance properties were promoted. By the 1920s, large numbers of colors and cut patterns were available. In the 1970s, glass fiber reinforcements were added to asphalt shingles. This resulted in thin, lightweight shingles with better durability.

Synonyms and Related Terms

"bardeau bitumineux (Fr.);

Resources and Citations

• Mike Jackson "Asphalt Singles", in Twentieth-Century Building Materials, T. Jester (ed.), McGraw-Hill: New York, 1995.

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996