I finished painting my shingles today. Initially, I thought I needed to mix texture with a blend of paints to achieve an asphalt shingle effect, but I was surprised to find that wasn't necessary.
Using undiluted, matte paint on birch veneer shingles perfectly mimics the look of asphalt shingles, though it lacks the texture. I'm not concerned about the feel since my goal is just to achieve the appearance of asphalt. I hadn't realized this before because I usually use stain when painting my shingles. Stain preserves the wood's natural look while adding color, but direct paint obscures the wood grain, making it hard to identify the material. With this technique, you can give inexpensive birch veneer shingles any desired texture. By blending paints, you can create the appearance of stone or clay.
