Different Types of Metal Roofing
The wide variety of metal roofing materials and styles creates a staggering amount of available choices. This makes it impossible to feel confident in choosing without studying the materials individually. According to LA Metal Roofs: "Metal roofs will also greatly increase the comfort of your home, by deflecting most of the solar heat and will greatly reduce your cooling bills." Knowing your needs helps direct you to the right metal-roofing solution. Does this Spark an idea?
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Tin
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Corrugated tin roofs are extremely weather resistant when properly installed. Steel is super-heated and dipped in molten tin to create this roofing material; the tin and steel are forever bonded through this process. Installing a corrugated tin roof is labor-intensive and expensive, though. It must be attached to the wood base with clips that are difficult to reach, and it takes a great deal of skill, especially if the seams need soldering. Painting a tin roof is a necessity in order to protect it from the elements. The paint will need to be reapplied every few years, but repairs are considered relatively easy. According to home-improvement columnist Tim Carter, "Tin roof repair is not too difficult if the tin coating is still in place. Regular solder will bond to the tin if you heat up the solder and the tin roofing."
Galvanized steel
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This type of metal roofing is steel coated with zinc as a protection against oxidizing and corroding. This material is installed in various forms such as shingles, a single metal roof, or standing seam units. A standing seam unit is galvanized steel formed in long sheets, and it's durable and won't degrade if lightly scratched.
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Galvalume
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Coating steel with a zinc and aluminum mixture creates a metal roofing material called galvalume. This is a popular metal product for homes close to salt water. It can fix some scratch damage on its own by floating a portion of coating over to areas that have been scored, which makes it a perfect standing seam product because installers are able to relax a bit when handling the long panels. The scratches that inevitably appear due to the panels rubbing against one another tend to fix themselves.
Aluminum
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The rust-proof qualities of aluminum make this the top choice for metal roofs in wet climates. Aluminum has to be made a higher gauge than steel to compensate for lack of strength, but it isn't necessary to worry about every little scratch it sustains. The main selling point continues to be its durability over steel.
Copper
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Beautiful stamped copper tile roofing is eye-catching. When coated with lead it retains a metallic shimmer, and when left bare it develops a wonderful patina due to oxidation. It's not a widely used roofing product, though, since it's expensive. It also requires a skilled craftsman to tool the panels into proper position. The main uses for copper roofing are decorative trim and flashing.
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- Photo Credit abstract red metal tiled roof background and chimney image by Avesun from Fotolia.com
