# Best roof base under wood shingles?



## esteam (Dec 27, 2007)

More than 10 years ago, my wife decided she wanted to cover the Aristocraft barn roof with wood shingles. She did a great job and it held up for many years, but (along with normal weathering) recently one of the roof surfaces has curled up very badly as seen in the picture. (That part of the roof faces south, and it also looks like Aristo used a layer of thin styrene on foam for that section.)
My wife is ready to re-shingle the roof, but we don't want the same curling to happen again.

What would you suggest to use as a base under wood shingles? PVC foam board, thin plywood, acrylic, styrene or something else? And what glue would you use to attach cedar shingles to it?

Thanks,
Dan


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd use acrylic if not too costly. A bit tougher... you can get pieces from HD / Loews in clear. Since it is sold as a window replacement, it should be UV resistant for what little light would get through the shingles.

The dark grey pvc would probably be good also.

Greg - 725


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

The best material I have used for base is the corrugated plastic like the politicians use for their signs. I have also used tempered Masonite and 1/2 inch extruded foam insulation. Neither works as well as the corrugated plastic. Acrylic caulk works well for gluing on the finish material, however I have never used wood shingles.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

I like thin aluminum .015 is what i use, Glue on with Lexel Glue, I have had failures with Clear 100% silicone
E6000 and the other E number, but have never had failure from Lexel Glue, my buildings are outside all the time. 100 degrees to -10 below. 
The aluminum can be cut with snips, bent with a simple brake, water proof, 
Dennis


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Another material, although similar to what Dennis suggests is valley flashing for roofing. It can be purchased at your local home center, comes in a roll and should do a fair number of buildings. It has been awhile but if I remember it is somewhere between 12 and 15 inches wide on a roll.

I do recommend roughing the surfaces with like 80 grit sandpaper to give the adhesive something to stick to, aluminum is pretty smooth.

Bob C.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Is that steel or aluminum Bob? 

Greg - 721


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

The material I use is aluminum


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

[/url]IMG_5640[1] by Dennis Rayon, on Flickr[/img][/IMG]

I use a industrial 2 sided tape to hold in place while the Lexel glue dries

I am going to apply wooden redwood boards








[/url]IMG_5639[1] by Dennis Rayon, on Flickr[/IMG]

Another building this is ready to glue the aluminum to the building








[/url]IMG_5622[1] by Dennis Rayon, on Flickr[/IMG]








[/url]IMG_5626[1] by Dennis Rayon, on Flickr[/IMG]

Above is Shown Glueing the aluminum to the structure

[url=https://flic.kr/p/SGnjkb]
[img]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3912/33274657256_84b5186c1c_c.jpg[/url]IMG_5647[1] by Dennis Rayon, on Flickr[/IMG]

Finished product on two structures


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Hey, that rope ain't prototype to scale!

;-)

Greg - 720


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Greg that really concerned me too, but it has a short hangman noose too, I love the flexibility the noose gives you
Dennis


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

All my structures have artificial roofing tiles (not real slate) which are easy cut to size. The reverse has a blemished appearance which looks more weathered particularly on a model. They will not warp or rot and give a structure some rigidity if required,
I have considered making small wooded shingles and gluing them to these tiles but so far I have not actually done so. Any form of roofing, such as corrugated sheets (model scale of course), could be applied as the tiles give a firm, rigid base on which to work.


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## GaryR (Feb 6, 2010)

I use *pliobond* 25. It's a bit easyer to find. It's still holding down my standing seam roofing. It tends to retain some small flexibility in dealing with hot and cold extreams.

GaryR


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## greghile (Jun 10, 2008)

Similar to placitassteam, I use 1/8 or 1/4 inch PVC foam board called Komatex or Sintra. My shingles are 1/16 basswood strips cut out using a Cricut die cutter. Glue is Weldon-16 and everything gets a couple coats of a UV protective finish.

My latest build, however, substituted 1/4 inch basswood for the foam board. I used Titebond III glue and also pin nailed the shingles. In this case, however, I was modeling a burned out tructure, so I wasn’t all that concerned with long-term preservation.


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## OldNoob (Apr 30, 2016)

Has anyone ever tried 1/4 inch Durock? or foam USG Durock or even 1/4 inch hardy backer?


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