If you're planning a sloped roof, sooner or later someone will bring up shingles. They've been an everyday roofing material in North America for a long time, and now they're turning up on villas, resorts and farmhouses across India. So what are they, and are they right for your house?

This guide covers what roofing shingles are made of, how they differ from the roof sheets you're probably used to, and what to ask before you buy. Saint-Gobain roof shingles are the example throughout, since the brand is based in Bangalore and has finished projects across the country.

What are roofing shingles actually made of?

Start with a mesh of reinforced fibreglass. Coat it in mineral-stabilised asphalt. Press ceramic-coated granules onto the top face. That's a shingle.

Each layer has a job. The fibreglass gives the piece its strength. The asphalt keeps water out. The granules carry the colour and protect the asphalt from the sun, which is why they matter more than they look.

Is a shingles roofing sheet the same as a normal roof sheet?

Not quite, and this is where people often get tangled up.

Plenty of buyers search for a "shingles roofing sheet" because they're used to corrugated metal or cement sheets, where one big panel covers a wide strip of roof. Shingles work differently. Each piece is small, around 3 feet by 1 foot, and it's laid in overlapping rows starting at the lower edge, so every row hides the fixings of the one beneath it.

From the ground, the finished roof looks like one continuous surface. Up close, it's hundreds of small pieces doing the job together.

That has a practical side. Small pieces follow awkward angles and gentle curves more easily than large panels do, and a damaged patch can often be fixed by replacing a few pieces instead of a whole sheet. How easy that is depends on the age of the roof and who did the original fitting, so ask your installer.

Why are Saint-Gobain roof shingles showing up on so many Indian roofs?

The shingles come from CertainTeed, which belongs to Saint-Gobain's Building Products and Solutions unit. CertainTeed India is headquartered in Bangalore, so the people behind the product work in the same country where you're building. The company says it offers more than 300 roofing options.

Its gallery is worth a proper look. It includes finished homes in Bangalore, Kolhapur, Udupi, Mangalore, Thrissur and Faridabad, plus a project in Chikmagalur. Seeing the same material on roofs in different parts of India tells you more than a brochure will.

The company also describes its exterior products as sustainable. That's a broad word, so it's fair to ask the team what it means for the specific range you're considering.

Which roofs can take shingles, and which can't?

Shingles are made for sloped roofs. According to the manufacturer, they can go over an RCC slab, a wood deck or fibre cement board, as long as there's a slope to work with.

A flat terrace isn't a candidate. Neither is any roof without a solid, sound base to fix to. If you love the look but have a flat roof, a builder can frame a pitched structure over it. That's a bigger job with its own cost, and it needs a structural engineer's opinion first.

Will shingles cope with heavy monsoons and heat?

India throws a lot at a roof. Months of driving rain, then sun that bakes everything, then humidity that lets moss and algae settle on any surface that stays damp. No material is immune to that, so the fitting details matter more than the brand name on the pack.

Three things help any shingle roof last. Solid fixing keeps the pieces in place through strong wind and rain. Good flashing around vents, chimneys and edges stops water getting in where leaks often begin. And some airflow under the roof keeps heat and moisture from building up. Ask your installer how they'll handle each one, and whether they'd change the approach for your part of the country.

Six questions to ask before you order shingles roofing

Get the answers in writing. A good installer won't mind.

1. What's the slope of my roof, and is it enough for the range I've picked?
2. What's underneath: RCC, wood or fibre cement board? Is it in good condition?
3. Who's fitting it, and have they worked with this product before? Ask to see a finished roof.
4. What goes between the deck and the shingles, such as underlayment and flashing? Make sure it's listed in the quote.
5. What warranty comes with it, who honours it, and what could void it?
6. What's the full price per square foot, including labour, ridge pieces and accessories?

How do you choose a colour and style?

With 300-plus options, colour is the fun part. It's also where people slip up.

Ask for physical samples and look at them outdoors, in the morning and again late in the afternoon. Hold them against your wall colour and any stonework. A shingle that looks warm brown on a phone screen can turn cold and grey next to the wrong paint.

Then browse the gallery for houses whose walls look like yours. It's the quickest way to picture your own roof before anything goes up.

Where to ask next

If you'd like to talk it through, the team is at Saint-Gobain Grindwell Norton Limited, Devanahalli Road, via Old Madras Road, Bangalore 560 049. Call 080 4697 8623, or use the 24 x 7 number, 9880171107. You can also send your details through the Get in Touch form on the website, and someone will get back to you. It helps to have your roof measurements, a photo or two and a rough timeline ready before you call, since the first conversation goes faster that way.

For more details please visit - https://saint-gobain-shingles.com/
[email protected]
phone no - 8046978623
Saint-Gobain Grindwell Norton Limited Devanahalli Road