How to Match Architectural Shingles
Architectural shingles can add a lovely aesthetic quality to the facade of your home. Finding replacement shingles for your roof can be time consuming, particularly if you did not install the original roof or oversee construction of the home. Finding matching replacement shingles will not require any special skills and can be accomplished fairly easily with a digital camera, the Internet and by making a few phone calls. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Digital camera with zoom function, or piece of shingle for matching purposes
- Phone
Instructions
-
-
1
Place a call to the previous owner of the home to ask if he or she has information regarding the shingles. He or she may recall which contractor installed the roof.
-
2
Take photos of your roof with your camera. Be sure to take several photos, and use the zoom function if you have one to get a closeup of a shingle. If you have a shingle sample from your actual roof, skip this step and use the sample shingle instead.
-
-
3
Call the roofing contractor to ask if he has a record of the installation of the roof. If it has been more than five years, he may not have that information available, but he should recall what types of shingles his company was using at the time your shingles were installed.
-
4
Make a trip to the office of the roofing contractor who installed your original shingles, and ask for the manager on duty.
-
5
Show the sample photos or shingle sample you have brought with you to the manager, and explain your situation. Tell the contractor you are certain they installed the roof but that the record of installation no longer exists. If the manager is uncertain as to who the manufacturer of the shingles is, ask to speak to someone in their company during the period that the roof was installed.
-
6
If the company is unable to determine the exact source of your shingle, ask them to determine the material, approximate color and to speculate as to the manufacturer brand.
-
7
Use the Internet to locate the company name(s) provided by the roofing company. Visually examine each shingle sample provided on the manufacturer websites to determine whether your shingle matches.
-
8
Contact the manufacturer to request a sample shingle in the mail to compare yours.
-
9
Place an order for the shingles that match your sample.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Have a professional roofing contractor install your shingles. If you are inexperienced, installing shingles can be dangerous.
