The World of Victorian Shingles
Photo: Zillow Digs Homes in Ocean Grove NJ, via Bob Vila.com
One of the most striking things you can do with cedar shingles are the beautiful patterns and textures created using fancy-cut or “Victorian” shingles.
These are shingles that have had their butt-ends cut into shapes that can be assembled to make different repeating patterns. Usually made of the highest-grade cedar and kiln-dried, fancy-cut shingles are a wonderful way to add distinction to your home.
Originally popularized during the Victorian building era of the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, fancy cut shingles were used to decorate the gable ends of roofs, or even entire sides of homes.
Photo: Zillow Digs Homes in Seattle WA, via Bob Vila.com
Today, you see fancy-cut shingles used to restore historical homes to their earlier glory, or to add an artistic accent to an existing shingled wall. You can even use them indoors to create a striking accent wall!
Eastern White Cedar shingles are usually used when you need to paint your shingles. Often seen in Victorian remodels, the lighter hue of the Eastern White shingle lends itself well to being painted with spectacular colors like pinks, yellows and blues.
Photo: Wikimedia.org, via Bob Vila.com
Western Red Cedar fancy-cut shingles are often seen used in addition to green shingles in a new installation. They can make patterns within a shingled wall, like a fish, boat, or other special design, or used for an entire wall to create a tailored rustic look. They’re often stained or left natural, so they age with the rest of the cedar siding.
Photo: Watkins Sawmills
Traditionally, Eastern White fancy-cut shingles are installed with a 5-inch exposure, and Western Red fancy-cut shingles are installed with a 7.5-inch exposure. These exposures can be changed to achieve the pattern and look you’re hoping to create.
Most fancy cut shingles are sold in ¼ square boxes, so they will cover approximately 25 square feet of wall space, at the exposure recommended on the box. Please note: if you change your installation exposure, this can affect how much square footage your box of shingles will cover.
For a truly unique and artistic look, try some fancy cut shingles today!
