Stamped shingle project: A traditional example in Washington DC

This stamped shingle project in Washington DC illustrates the restoration of an embossed tin shingle roof. These stamped shingle roofs are usually 90 to 130 years old. The style came into vogue after the Civil War and declined in the late 1920s. This project shows the beauty of a strong color scheme of the home siding capped with a neutral roof tint.

The new owners of this home wanted to know if they should keep the roof or replace. They liked the idea of preserving a distinctive feature of their old house. The stamped shingles, or embossed tin roofing, possessed a design that added to the charm of the home.

The passing of time may cause some separation, but rarely cause leaks. Even when protrusions have been removed, the roof surface can be be repaired. The owners decided on a light grey, a traditional color for this type of roofing.

Roof edges are the best indicators of the condition of the roof. This roof is in extremely good shape, not even requiring a replacement lip addition.

The trick for identifying early deterioration of a stamped shingle roof is the wear on the drip edge. If there are jagged, rusty line on the edge of the roof, then the roof has begun to wear, therefore requiring a lip addition. This roof’s edge showed only some “winkles” that comes with age. Any 100-year-old lady has wrinkles

A common characteristic of older roofs are the overhangs at the bottom of a peaked roof line. This particular design suggests a higher status compared to most stamped shingle roofing work.

Dormers are quite common with either standing seams or soldered surfaces.

Unfortunately for the appearance of homes, the introduction of cables and wires detract from the home’s clean look. Some historical districts require underground connection, but not in this instance.

Squatters need to be investigated. In this case, the owners evicted furry critters with long tails.


Work completed on a stamped shingle tin roof

The crew performed straight forward restoration work on this stamped shingle roof. Pressure washing cleaned the roof surface. Then, the guys applied a strong primer to retard rust. Finally they brushed down two coats of a light grey acrylic from Andek Corporaiton. Detail work included applications to the drip edge and other minor flashing work.