The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-11-20
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Painting shingle Roofs.

Painting shingle Roofs
A writer in the InduStrial GOnthty !
discusses the subject Of painting shingle
roofs in this wise: If it Is an economi-
cal practice to paint any other part OF
an architectural structure, mos assured
Iy il is a commendable practice to paint
shingles. We never could understand
why certain builders have persisted III
advocating not to paint shingles, except
we Judge them to be Influenced Dy hler-
cenary motives. Every intelligent Duiiu,
or Is aware of the fact, that shingles ana
siding, when not painted. viii wear OUT
very much sooner than if they had been
protected by a generous covering ol
naint Hence, reasoning from selfish
policy, it is better not to paint shingles,
because the paint will promote their dur
ability, and whatever promotes their
durability tends to diminish the labors
of the craft, and thus curtails the reve-
nue. of civil architects.
The house in which tine writer was
born was covered with shaved pine shin
giles in the year, 1906, at which time the
roof received a generous coat of oil
paint made of linseed- d-oil and Venetian
red. After twenty years had elapsed,
another coat Of paint, nearly black, was
applied. Since that period no paint has
been applied, and it is now a good roof
for an old one 1t does not leak, and
the only repairs on it have consisted of
a shingle added here and there, where a
portion of poor shingle was worn out.
If the roof had not been painted the
butts of most of the courses would have
been a good even after the lapse of
100 years.
Some one once suggested that, if the
roof is painted, the paint will cause the
water to back up beneath the next course
of shingles above, which will thoroughly
saturate the two courses, and thus the
decay of the roof will be hastened.
That is unmitigated nonsense. There is
not a word of truth in the assumption.
On the contrary, when the surface is
painted, the water will glide away so
quickly that it will not be drawn back
between the courses of shingles half so
readily as it will be when no paint has
been applied.
The true way to paint a roof is to ap-
ply paint of some kind to both sides of
the shingles. Ii is quite as important
that the under side of every shingle be
covered with paint as the surface, to
prevent the water from being drawn up
between the courses by capillary attrac-
ton. If good shingles are painted on
both sides, and good paint be applied to
the roofonce in ten years, it will contin-
ne leak-tight for more than a hundred
years.
When it is not desirable to save the
water for drinking, coal-tar is an excel
lent and cheap paint for preserving
shingles, and it will pay well to smear
roof with this material once in four or
five years. When roofs are not painted,
moss is liable to collect at the butts of
every course of shingles, which promotes
their decay more rapidly than alternate
rain and shine. When oil-paint is used
for painting shingles it is always better
to employ some light color rather than
black, as the apartments of the attic
story, beneath black roof, are liable
to be uncomfortably hot in the summer;
and, more than this, as black paint alb
serbs more heat than any other color,
neither the paint nor the shingles will en-
dure as long as if the roof had been
covered with some light-colored paint.
A metallic roof covered with light
colored paint will last much longer than
if it had been painted with black paint
The most economical paint for a roof is
a generous coat of coal-tar once in a
few years; but coal-tar will color the
water for five years after a coat is ap.
piled to the roof