Metal Roofing Materials - Types and Advantages
Your ultimate choice from these metals will be a matter of personal preference.
Steel is both the heaviest and strongest of the metal roofing materials, and is available with a wide variety of corrosion and rust-proof finishes.
Having your steel roof properly finished against rust and corrosion will both add to its beauty and significantly extend its life.
But it will also raise the price of your roof.
Using stainless steel metal roofing is one way to avoid rust and corrosion, but you will have to have terne coating applied to it to achieve a natural gray tone, and it is one of the most expensive of all the metal roofing materials.
Among the metals used as metal roofing materials, aluminum is the lightest, and is also naturally corrosion and rust-resistant.
So you won't have to pay to have to have it rust and corrosion-proofed, but you will have to apply some sort of cosmetic finish because in its natural state aluminum roofing is not very attractive.
The next of the five metal roofing materials is copper, which can last for more than a century if properly maintained, but is also the most expensive of the metal roofing materials.
Because copper is extremely malleable, it can be bent to the shape of your roof, and consequently is simple to install.
Copper, like aluminum, will not rust.
But untreated copper, after years of weather exposure, will eventually develop the verdigris patina so familiar on the roofs of old public buildings and museums.
That may or may not work with your home.
Copper alloys are metal roofing materials are made of copper combined with other metals to make a harder and more weather resistant roof, and their prices will depend on the specific metals involved.
But all types of copper roofing are expensive.
The Advantages Of Using Metal Roofing Materials Once you're decided on the metal to be used in your metal roofing materials, you can decide on whether you want to purchase it in metal shakes, metal shingles, or metal tiles.
Regardless of the style of your metal roofing materials, you will be installing a roof which is not only durable, but also fire-resistant and practically maintenance free.
Compared to other forms of roofing, like slate, terra cotta tiles, and even asphalt shingles, metal Roofing materials materials are light, and can often be installed directly on an existing roof without putting excessive weight on the roof structure.
If you can do this on your home, you will save a significant amount of money in labor and disposal costs because you won't have to have the old shingles lifted and carted away.