How To Split Wood Roof Shingles

The singles are installed so they cover the spaces between the shingles in the row below.

How to split wood roof shingles.

If more than two fasteners are installed shakes and shingles may not be able to swell and shrink freely and may split as a result. Thisoldhouse asktoh subscribe to this old house. Splitting is part of the natural aging process. When a wood shingle splits you can see the red color of the wood on the inside of the shingle and if the split has been there a long time the inside of the shingle changes from red to gray.

Wood shakes are also thicker than wood. The gray is caused by natural weathering and oxidation of the wood. Cut down the center of the back of the shingle and snap it in half with your hands. Tom silva shows the apprentices how to properly install wood shingles.

All shakes and shingles will eventually split. A typical wood shake shingle is red on the inside and gray on the outside. Split a shingle in half vertically for the first shingle in the third coarse of shingles. Wood shingles are generally sawn on both sides to form a smooth tapered profile shape.

This will create the staggered pattern similar to traditional bricks. If necessary remove the. Wood shakes are split on one or both sides to form a textured grain appearance. To make the initial split start the blade of the froe into the wood with a few solid blows from your mallet then apply lateral pressure on the handle to widen the split.

Splits caused by hail have an indentation along the split. City roofing ordinance 165047 effective august 25 1989 restricted wood shake and shingle roofs for new construction and replacement over 10 of the roof surface. 1 split the defective shingle along the wood grain using a hammer and chisel as shown in the photo at the top of the page and pull out as many pieces of the shingle as you can. Contrary to popular belief wood shingles and wood shakes are not the same thing.

The tools you ll need to split the shingle from the bolts include a froe metal wedge 8 12 long with an eye in one end to hold a handle and a wooden mallet made of hardwood with a knot for. The los angeles municipal code 91 1504 1 excludes wood shakes and shingles from the list of approved roofing materials that can be used in the city of los angeles. With the 20 year period for replacing all wood shingle roofs with less fire prone material nearing its aug. 14 2012 deadline 128 homes have yet to make the transition.