Ceramic Tile
Interlocking ceramic tiles create a stunningly beautiful roof that can last for 100 years or more. But this type of roofing requires a beefy support structure. “Lightweight” tiles can weigh six pounds per square foot, while heftier types weigh in at up to 18 pounds per square foot. For an easier load, try less expensive metal roofing that mimics tile, which may weigh as little as one pound per square foot.
Metal Mimics Tile
Some metal roofing intended to mimic the look of ceramic tiles comes in individual pieces, so the finished roof retains some of the texture and irregularities characteristic of the real thing. This roof, however, is covered with metal roofing that arrives as a panel product. It’s quick and easy to install, and it sheds rain.
On a recent TOH project, host Kevin O’Brien and contractor Charlie Silva explored a metal shingle option that replaced a fire-damaged slate roof. As Charlie explained, the homeowner “did not want to go back to slate because of the cost and, believe it or not, the maintenance also. You really have to take care of a slate roof over time.” The metal shingle alternative was roughly a third less the cost of traditional standing seam and even earned Historic approval.
Slate
Slate is another heavyweight roofing material, weighing typically seven-to-eight pounds a square foot. For a smooth look, slate tiles can be sawn to shape on all sides. For more texture, as shown in this roof, the manufacturer shapes the front face by splitting a piece from a larger block, revealing what were once layers of silt. The textured edges of these tiles result from scratching a line on the back, then snapping the sides apart.
Pro Tip: Be aware that some slates change color—sometimes within just a year—when used outdoors. According to Jim Strickland, president of Maryland Stone Services, this happens because “the trace metals responsible for color are oxidized by acids in the air and rain.” Domestic quarries use the term “unfading” to describe slate that will hold its color for many years, while “fading” or “weathering” slate will usually become a lighter hue. Sea-green slate from Vermont, for example, often turns brown or orange over time.
Wooden Shingles
Ruggedly beautiful, wooden shingles are the right aesthetic choice for Shingle-style houses like this. From a practical perspective, however, wooden shingles may not be the best choice when it comes time to re-roof. Much of the wood available to make shingles today is not as durable as the wood that once came from slower-growing old-growth trees. Today’s shingles are fine for walls, but they don’t last as long on roofs, a more demanding location.
TOH Project Note: When building the This Old House Dream House in Wilton, Connecticut, general contractor Tom Cromwell chose red cedar roofing and siding shingles without hesitation. “After all,” he said with a shrug, “it’s a Shingle Style house.” Cedar shingles have been the sine qua non of this playful architectural genre since it first appeared in the 1880s—choosing a different material, as the TOH team noted, would have been “tantamount to slapping a beanie on a beefeater.”
Modern Spanish Tile
Traditional Spanish roof tiles are half cylinders installed in two layers. The cup points up on the bottom layer and down on the top layer, allowing rainwater to drain. The tiles work well, but installing two layers takes a lot of material and time. Modern Spanish tiles, used on the roof shown here, look similar once installed, but each piece has an integral drainage channel, so one layer suffices.
Composition
Composition roofing, which is also known as asphalt roofing, now ranks as the most common residential roofing material in the United States. There’s no doubt about the reasons: It costs the least and the easiest to install. Products vary in quality and price, but even the most economical ones can produce a handsome result if you choose colors carefully. This red composition roof looks great next to red stone.
Pro Tip: TOH general contractor Tommy Silva notes that the traditional three-tab asphalt shingle has largely given way to architectural shingles, which are built up without any slots and come in different thicknesses and grades. “This is a cost effective roof, which is one of the reasons why it’s most popular,” he says. On a basic shingle, you can expect 15 to 25 years of life span, with higher-grade architectural options lasting even longer.
On a recent TOH project, general contractor Charlie Silva chose asphalt shingles to replace an original slate roof that was destroyed in a fire. The homeowner opted against slate due to both the cost and the ongoing maintenance a slate roof demands. The asphalt alternative even earned approval from the local historic commission — and Charlie notes it came in at about a third less than other premium options the team considered.
The numbers back up asphalt’s dominance: According to the 2026 This Old House Roofing Survey of 1,000 homeowners, roughly 47 percent used asphalt shingles for their roof replacement — far outpacing metal, tile, slate, and other alternatives. However, the survey also found that many homeowners wish they had explored other materials more thoroughly before committing, especially metal and solar options.
Architectural Composition
If you’re willing to pay extra for a composition roof, you can get shingles with more texture and color variation. These are desirable qualities because they create a look that more closely resembles what people really want—wood shingles or ceramic tile. Because architectural-quality shingles are thicker and therefore shouldn’t wear down as rapidly, they tend to come with longer warranties.
Standing-Seam Metal
Standing-seam metal roofs once required a lot of custom work, and that’s still the case for features such as the tower shown here. But panelized roofing that looks similar is now sold by the sheet in home centers and is available in even bigger pieces from manufacturers. Instead of hand-crimped seams, panels have molded ridges. Some panels snap together, covering all fasteners.
Pro Tip: Sarah Gannett, a roofing installer featured on This Old House, explains that standing-seam panels are attached with specially made clips “that allow the panel to expand and contract with heat. It’s really important that that panel can move. Otherwise, it might buckle” — a defect roofers call “oil canning.”
