Stamped-Metal Roof

A homeowner in Boerne, Texas, wrote in asking about an old photo showing their late 19th-century house with a roof covered in some kind of embossed material, flatter than tile. Old House Journal editor Patricia Poore confirmed it was likely stamped-metal shingles, a lightweight roofing style that dates to the 1880s and was especially popular around the turn of the 20th century.

If you have an older home and want to match that historic look, two classic shingle designs are still made today by Berridge Manufacturing, using a zinc-and-aluminum alloy called Galvalume. They come with a clear acrylic finish or a warrantied fluoropolymer coating in 33 standard colors, plus custom colors on request. The shingles install with hidden fasteners over solid roof sheathing and cover 9 by 12 inches each. They're sold through distributors and contractors, and Berridge's website has photos and specs if you want to see what the style looks like before deciding whether it fits your house.

The same issue also covered ways to protect metal features around a house, like railings, fences, and window hardware, from rust. Options mentioned include Ospho, a rust converter that turns rust into a hard, paint-ready surface; a linseed-oil soap bath for small removable metal pieces like doorknobs; Penetrol, an additive that also works as a standalone rust-inhibiting coating; and clear-coat lacquers suited to UV or salt exposure, some of which can go directly on bare metal without a primer.