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lake_girl_gw

Can I ask an OT question about roof colors?

Lake_Girl
11 years ago

This is also posted on other forums, but the kitchen forum is "where it's at" when needing help. We're replacing roof shingles on our house. The guy is coming tomorrow with samples. Are there any rules for choosing shingle colors? It's a farmhouse look, gray on the body (not tan like the pic sorta looks), with white trim. The front porch has a metal gray roof on it. Any suggestions?

Comments (17)

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago

    we used certain teed independence in driftwood. Quite happy with it due to different shades that are revealed depending on time of year and time of day. you can probably do any coloration, but get the best shingle you can afford.

  • dainaadele
    11 years ago

    I coordinated ours with our foundation/porch bricks. Before that the dark bricks were kind of 'in your face' with a white house.

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    I would go with something similar to what you have--it's a good color and grounds it nicely.

    I just put on heavy cedar shakes which are...um...wood color. Wood shingles would certainly look nice on your home but are becoming hard to find.

  • rocketmomkd
    11 years ago

    I would go with a charcoal color. Just my personal preference. When we did a new roof a couple years ago I had wanted a lighter gray until a friend recommended I drive through the neighborhood and look at lighter gray roofs. We are in a very leafy neighborhood and the lighter gray roofs all looked very dirty from the canopy overhead It doesn't look like you have to worry too much about that.

  • Lake_Girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    herbflavor - is driftwood a gray color or more in the brown family? What are "independence" shingle like? Our roof guy gave us a sample board from Certainteed with shingles in the "Landmark" line. Not sure what the difference is, they're both archtectural I guess.

  • Lake_Girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks fori - I like the color we have (even though it has faded over the years), just not sure how the architectural shingle colors will look. They seem to have a more varied look compared to trad. shingles. I don't want a strong pattern, but might like a subtle pattern.

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago

    Independence has a more architectural effect[texture-not just flat appearance]. landmark is a little more staid/formal/traditional-we put that on our 2nd home- a more solid color. What we were able to do with the supplier we used is get a printout of homes in our area that used one or the other that we narrowed it down to. I found this helpful-see them on a property in the full light of day[I think I drove by at dusk also]. With your home and the peaks to the roofline/porch/etc you can do a solid/traditional color....but a more architectural shingle could really enhance it as well. I guess I'd move a step away from the mono gray flat look....just spend a little time on the certain teed web site-they have a system where you pick a cape or colonial or something like yours-pick actual siding and trim colors to coincide with yours,then try shingles in different colors on this mock up-that was helpful at the early thinking stage.Take some time and think about different looks you can achieve.We really like the more interesting shingle[the neighbor across likes it too]. You won't do this project again for a long long time.

  • Lake_Girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    You're right, reroofing doesn't happen often, so I want to get it right. You actually see more of our roof from the side, where we actually see it the most. Did your roofer, or Certainteed supply you with houses in your area? Thanks for your help!

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago

    the building supply that provided the shingles had the lists. You could call your bigger local supplier and see if they do the same-it was a print out from a computerized list-easy.I had it narrowed down and just wanted to verify what my gut was telling me. It worked out. Certain Teed may have customer service that offers a compilation of projects in your area.I guess it depends on the population numbers where you live.

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    Herb - I think we have the same shingles!

    Darker will absorb heat - lighter reflects but need to match the character of the house - now we picked our shingles and then 2 years later, painted the outside a very different color - I might have picked a different color if I had known that I was going to change colors - but the driftwood has both brown and gray - so we were covered!

    Also CT has a website and you can look at different options - pick the color and style of shingle and it pops it on the roof!

  • Lake_Girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ok I guess we're going with Owens Corning Williamsburg Gray. It's probably boring and safe, but I won't hate it!

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    You don't want to mess around with a roof. This is a bigger commitment than paint. Boring and safe is good. And it'll look nice, too.

  • p.ball2
    11 years ago

    We have certainteed weathered wood architectural shingles. I like that there are many colors in the shingle. I have seen it on different roofs and it will pick up the color of the house or in our case the accent trim color on our house.

    I remember I had never paid much attention to a house roof until I had to select the shingles. Then I drove around and looked at roofs for a couple weeks before I decided.

    Good luck with your selection!

  • kellyp123
    11 years ago

    For asphalt shingles, colonial slate by Certainteed or Owens Corning. For a steel roof granite ridge thunderstorm. This was my husband's suggestion. He is a Roofing Consultant.

  • kellyp123
    11 years ago

    For asphalt shingles, colonial slate by Certainteed or Owens Corning. For a steel roof granite ridge thunderstorm. This was my husband's suggestion. He is a Roofing Consultant.

  • senator13
    11 years ago

    We also have Certainteed Independence in Driftwood (although I didn't know I was that trendy when I picked it out :) It held up in a hurricane last year, so it has my vote! I also like the way it looks. My FIL who is a former builder, said that he thinks it looks nicer than the Owings Corning Driftwood because there is more variation. Here is a picture of ours during construction.

  • Lake_Girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Meant to say thanks for the pic senator! We ended up with Owens Corning Williamsburg Gray (I think - my mind fails me:) I like it. But didn't realize the mess it would make in my attic. I wish I would've covered everything with plastic. Oh well.