History Of Roofing Material

Cavemen covered their structures with sod roofs covered with earth and plants.
History of roofing material. Those materials have a long history and their evolution has been largely driven by performance. Historic roofing materials in america return to top clay tile. Embossed tin shingles whose surfaces created interesting patterns were popular throughout the country in the late 19th century. Many pantiles s curved tiles as well as flat roofing tiles were used in jamestown virginia.
From there they made their way via egypt and greece to rome. In the 3rd century b c copper roof shingles were installed atop the lovamahapaya temple in sri lanka. Rome was called the city of tiled roofs. Research has shown the first known glazed clayroof tilewas used in china 5 000 years ago.
Roofing material options with apco. Copper has played a significant role in architecture for thousands of years see. The american composition roofing industry emerged in the 1840s and by the 1880s it was flourishing. These early shelters provided good insulation unfortunately they were not vermin or waterproof.
However archaeologists have found evidence of very early use of roofs made from a wide variety of substances including animal parts wood rocks and clay. Wood and slate shingles and clay tiles were the predominant roofing choice until the mid 19th century when metal and bituminous roofing systems made low slope applications possible. Asphalt im pregnated fibers with or without aggregate such as cinders pressed into the exposed surface were packaged for roofing as long strips on rolls. However once rolling mills were established in this country the low cost light weight and low maintenance of tin plate made it the most common roofing material.
European settlers used clay tile for roofing as early as the mid 17th century. 5000 years ago clay roofing tiles have been used in babylon. Want to learn more about roofing materials or looking for guidance in choosing a material for your new roof installation. Contact apco online today to get started or call us directly at 614 254 5489 to speak to our team about getting your quote.
A shift from roll roofing to hand cut asphalt shingles began in 1903.