Shingle Dye

[firef2005]

I'm almost to the point of needing to shingle my house, nervous about totally screwing it up! Anyway, I know that I can buy shingle dye, but was wondering what, if anything can be used that is 'homemade'? The shingles came with the kit and are very thin, and I'm worried about warping them if I use the wrong stuff. I know I can buy the dye, but you mix it with water. Won't that make the shingles warp? Any help with this is greatly appreciated!

[havanaholly]

The shingles will warp, but they flatten back out when they dry )guess how I know this). I have a lifetime supply of stain because I buy it at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and you can often find interior latex paint and wallpaper in tiny designs there, too. I apply the stain to the shingles with a rag and let them dry well before gluing them to the roof. It's also a wonderful idea to stain your roof pieces on the side you're shingling the same color as the shingles, in case any not perfectly straight edges gap a wee bit when they dry. After I glue a few rows of shingles I lay a strip of waxed paper over them, then a piece of scrapwood and clamp them down until they're dry, and they dry nice & flat.

I did dilute touchup paint with water to a wash and used it on a rehabbed Laurel; you can see what Kathie meant about glue spots:

[MiniMamaSC]

You can also "stain" shingles with a felt-tipped marker.

[dorn27]

I bought a stain package from Hobby Lobby in grey. It's pretty dark even though I mixed it with 2cups water. With a 40% off coupon, its very affordable.

[Caseymini]

If you want a brownish black stain, you can do it with plain old vinegar and steel wool. You simply put about half of a roll of steel wool in an old container, that you don't care about...One that closes. Then pour in a small bottle of vinegar. Let it sit and check it every once in a while to see how it is doing. It may take a couple of days. Take some out and dip a shingle in it to see if the color is dark enough for you. When it is, take out the steel wool or decant the liquid into another container. The steel wool essentially rusts into the vinegar, changing the color. I find that this doesn't warp the shingles as much as water based stains.

[jennywren]

I used regular old craft paint, watered down. Burnt umber and wrought iron. I painted it over the shingles and rubbed it off so I could still see the grain. Some I left on thicker to give the roof a little dimension. It was super easy!

[grynche]

I've used liquid shoe polish. It's cheap, but do a sample first to be sure you like the color.

[havanaholly]

For bright colors I've read you can use Kool-Ade, the kind you add the sugar to (and DON'T add the sugar!).

[grynche]

Makes sense, Holly. The first ingredient is citric acid, so you've basically got an acid dye.

Back when I was into sheep, some clever folks dyed a sheep with kool aide before it was shorn, and then used the wool in a spinning competition.