HOUSE AND GARDEN 
January, i 
910 
2 9 
hardy material which wears faster than tin and is apt to give with 
the frost. Do not use paper under tin, as it invites condensation 
of moisture, and be sure that there is sufficient drip to the turn¬ 
down at the eaves and the rakes to prevent moisture from backing 
up under it. 
A tin roof in itself will soon deteriorate and become useless; 
it needs to be painted in order to last. Use the best of paint, 
and preferably a regular tin paint. It will cost about three 
dollars per square, applied, and will last about five years. It 
should not be put on, however, until all resin and grease are 
washed off and that means the new tin should be left to the weather 
for a short time, but not until it rusts. 
The modern pressed metal shingle made of galvanized iron 
makes a lasting roof. Be sure, however, that they are not made 
of steel, for the latter metal is usually not sufficiently well gal¬ 
vanized to stand the weather. 
Copper as a roof covering will hardly be seriously considered 
by most builders owing to its expense, which is about four times 
that of tin. Owing to its considerable expansion and contraction 
it should be laid in small sheets and it should never be soldered 
to another metal on account of the unequal expansion between 
the two. Naturally long lived, it is seriously affected by salt 
air and by the various gases to be found in the large cities. 
Slate is an old and tried friend. It has been used so long that 
it has tested itself out. On a steep roof it is excellent, although 
as the pitch decreases the rain is apt to work in under the butts 
and, in freezing and thawing, break the slate. This is its serious 
drawback, as the cost of replacing a single slate is all out of pro¬ 
portion to the area involved. Slate of the familiar gray-black 
tone costs but a little more than one-half the price of red slate. 
It is also stronger and less brittle. The ordinary size is ten by 
fourteen inches, laid five and one-half inches to the weather. 
Slate is laid on roofing felt, which insures a better bed with less 
liability of breakage, both in laying and in wear. 
When speaking of tile we generally mean the “Spanish 
tile.” The English type is little used and in size and shape is like a 
large slate, from one to one and one-half inches thick. Some¬ 
times slate of these dimensions is used as a substitute for tile. 
The cost is about two and one-half times that of the ordinary 
gray-black slate. 
Spanish tile makes a good roof, although it is heavy. Its 
usual color is a healthy brick red, but the same patterns are to be 
had also in green. What might be its great objection—that of 
taking in water at its joints—is largely obviated by bedding it in 
oil cement. The form of this tile has been imitated in copper 
and has the advantage of lightness together with the disadvantages 
of that metal—susceptibility to damage in certain localities. 
Spanish tile, obtainable in red and green, seems the one logical 
roofing for some types of country home 
The asbestos shingle, which is made of asbestos and cement 
is a comparatively new article. In its simpler forms it is like 
ordinary slate, but lighter. Its manufacturers claim for it a 
certain amount of elasticity, little tendency to cracking and less 
liability of exfoliating when exposed to fire than slate. In 
applying it is handled very much after the manner of slate. 
In the selection of a roofing material we must bear in mind, 
besides the initial cost, the lasting qualities, the non-burning 
qualities, the fire-resisting qualities and the cost of up-keep. 
Tin demands and shingles are the better for a periodical treat¬ 
ment; other materials are supposed to take care of themselves, 
fin soldered is non-burnable, but the solder melts under continu¬ 
ous heat. The standing lock joint therefore has the advantage, 
but it cannot be used on a flat roof. Slate will not burn, but it will 
crack and exfoliate under fire. Tile, being a fire product, will 
naturally stand more heat than slate. In the asbestos shingle, 
which is naturally non-combustible, the asbestos is an important 
factor, but the cement deteriorates under great heat. Whether 
its lasting qualities under such conditions are better or worse than 
tile we are unable to determine without comparative tests. 
The initial cost of the various roof coverings, laid and 
complete, per square, are not far from the following:—best 
(Continued on page viii) 
Thatch is very picturesque, but too 
unsanitary for modern America 
Slate is a trustworthy roof covering. It is obtainable in reds and 
variegated grays in addition to the common variety 
An English trick of roofing with slate 
is the use of graduated weatherage 
