Victorian Roofing Materials

Second only to wood as a natural traditional roofing material slateis a fine grained sedimentary rock that has topped castles and large buildings for centuries in europe.

Victorian roofing materials.

Of the inorganic roofing materials used on historic buildings the most common are perhaps the sheet metals. Imported from wales to colonial america for fire proof roofs in boston philadelphia and new york it was still slow to catch on for houses. The roofing material was typically composed of multiple layers of coal and tar over tongue and groove planking. Video of the day volume 0.

Wood clay and the beginning of the victorian era when the architectural design choices that have grown to be known as the victorian style emerged wood and clay tiles were the roofing materials of choice. For higher end buildings clay was typically used whereas wood was sought as a less expensive alternative. Galvanized sheet metal shingles imitating the appearance of pantiles remained popular from the second half of the 19th century into the 20th century. Victorian roofing has been operating for over 40 years in all types of roof tiling concrete and terracotta tiles.

This is because wood is susceptible to rot insect problems and damage. In varying degrees each of these sheet metals are likely to deteriorate from chemical action by pitting or streaking. As well as the contribution that a historic roof makes to an individual building equally important are the distinctive roofscapes of tile slate stone or thatch which are so vital to the unique character of many english regions. Our company is also a member of the victorian roof tiling association and victorian distributors association.

While in warmer parts of the country people tended to use wood roofing in colder regions people often used slate or metal. Wood roofing was used primarily for early victorian homes. To the design materials and skills used on traditional roofs even though few would fully comply with modern practice. Wood is cost effective and visually appealing but it is not a long lasting material.

Colonial revival and the bungalow styles in the 20th century assured wood shingles a place as one of the most fashionable domestic roofing materials. The biggest manufactured roofing innovation of the mid 19th century was the introduction of shingles and rolls of material composed of asphalt felt and a granular coating which came into wide use in the early 20th century because of their low cost fire resistance and ease of installation. Slate a more expensive and durable roofing material was also used for high class homes. Victorian architecture was primarily constructed with brick and mortar.