Traditionally, people refer to shingles as wood shingles and, in more recent times, there has been the introduction of imported shingles made out of composite materials such as asphalt to the market. In fact, shingles are made of various materials such as wood, slate, fibre cement, metal, plastic, and asphalt. All shingle roofs have a low profile appeal with aesthetics in patterns, textures, and colours, and can be installed on plywood. However, the durability and performance of shingles is also varied, with noted differences in fire resistance, marine environment, high wind resistance, and environmental sustainability.

Jerry and Elizabeth, the owners of a $5m property in Shelly Park, Auckland, were faced with a problem when their 25 year old asphalt shingle roof showed signs of failing. They were panicking as they saw one side of the roof, facing the ocean, with some asphalt shingles peeling off.

After consultation with roofing experts, Edwards & Hardy, the roof was inspected and the owners were shocked when they were told that water had already got into the underlay and the plywood had stared to rot. Their trust of asphalt shingles was down to zero. Now, Jerry and Elizabeth faced the challenge of finding a suitable substitute that offered better longevity than the current material without compromising the aesthetic appearance of the property.

The solution for their 700m² of failed roof was to replace all of the rotten plywood and install the Gerard CF Shake, which was not a hard decision for Edwards & Hardy to recommend.

The Gerard CF Shake is a pressed metal shingle, fabricated from Zincalume protected steel. One of the benefits of using the Gerard CF Shake profile is being able to install this over top of the existing roof, thereby reducing the exposure to environmental conditions while the roof is being replaced. Gerard's textured finish provides added protection by embedding natural stone granules in an acrylic base coat. The Gerard CF Shake textured finish tile captures the subtle look and charm of low profile traditional shingles.

With a Gerard CF Shake roof, specifiers can eliminate the delaminating, lifting, and general break-down caused by strong UV rays and high winds associated with other shingle roofs. Gerard CF Shake comes in a choice of natural weathered tones to recreate the visual appeal of timber, asphalt or fired clay shingles.