How to Choose a Roof Shingle Colour

You go along for 10, 15 or 20 years rarely ever sparing a thought for your roof. Then suddenly, there are signs of trouble and you realize it’s time to replace your roof shingles.

Now you have to research Toronto roof companies, compare services and prices, make a final decision and find time for installation. But, even if you manage to solve all those issues, many homeowners aren’t prepared for what seems like the simplest of questions. How do you choose a roof shingle colour? 

4 Ways to Choose a Roof Shingle Colour

Ultimately, there are no hard and fast rules to choose a colour for your asphalt roofing shingles. But if you want a starting point, the following tips should help.

1. Dark or Light Shingle Colour? – The first hurdle may be to decide if you want a darker or lighter colour for the shingles. The colour of your home’s exterior can help you decide. Lighter brick and siding colour will contrast well with darker roof colours and vice versa. Dark coloured roofs will reflect less light and absorb more heat, which can add to your energy bills in the summer, but keep your home a little warmer in winter. Lighter colours reflect a lot of light to keep your home cooler in summer, but not as warm in winter.
2. Choose Complementary Colours – One of the reasons that choosing a shingle colour can catch homeowners off guard is that they may not realize how much roof colour affects the overall curb appeal of their home. Depending on the style of the house, its roof can account for 40% of its overall appearance. To keep everything working together, choosing shingle colours that are complementary to your brick, siding, or paint colour can help.
3. Your Location and Surroundings – Things like your home’s exposure, tree coverage and even where you are in the GTA can all play a part in choosing a roof colour for your home. For example, if your home is surrounded by mature trees, they can increase the chance of algae growth on the roof, which is more visible on lighter-coloured shingles. If you’re further north in the GTA, you may get more snow. A snow-covered black roof can minimize the benefits of having black shingles in winter.
4. Future Plans – Consider any plans you may have to replace your windows, siding or eavestrough because those decisions may influence which shingle colour you end up picking. 

If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article about if you need wind damage roof replacement.