Roofing shingles are the most popular and most common roofing materials used all over the country. If you have a shingle roof or you are planning to get one and you are interested in how shingles are made, here are some facts:
- The raw materials – shingles are multi-layer materials, composed of a base made from fiberglass or organic felt made from cellulose, wood fibers or recycled paper. The main ingredient of shingles is the asphalt, then comes the surface layer made from mineral granules that ensure the product’s weather resistance;
- Production methods – the fibers used in the mat are transformed into pulp that is formed into sheets, then dried and cut into suitably sized strips. The fiberglass used as the base of other shingles is made by chopping glass to which water is added to form sheets, then the sheets are dried and enriched with a binder, then the material is left to cure and cut to size. The asphalt used is usually obtained from by-products of the oil refining process. To obtain the asphalt for the shingles, catalysts and stabilizers are added. The top of the shingles is then coated with mineral granules of various color and size to give the shingles their final appearance. For some of the best roofing products available look to Lon Smith Roofing for your next roof.
