Unlike the traditional roofing materials, metal is versatile and allows all manner of roofing designs. It is longer lasting and can mimic other building materials, such as shingles, tiles, and panels. You can choose one among the four different metals commonly used for roofs. They include copper, aluminum, steel, and zinc. Any of these types of metal is able to handle a wide range of roofing requirements and weather conditions. But can metal roofing save you money?
Metal Roofing and Durability
Metal roofs, when installed correctly, are impervious to extreme climate conditions. These roofs do not warp, crack, rust, or rot, and can last for 50 years or more. These roofs only need a little maintenance to keep them intact.
The roof protects you from hail. Each year, hail damages roof worth about $1.6 billion in the U.S. The hail can break or tear off traditional roofing materials, resulting in so much loss. With metal roof, your home will be resistant to hail damage, so you never have to incur roof replacement costs.
Metal has a class A fire-resistance rating. People who live in wildfire prone areas will be well-protected from fires. Other materials, such as wood and petroleum-based asphalt roofs are more prone to burning from small embers of fire. A metal roof is also safe from wind, marine, and lightning. This allows the metal roof to last longer, giving you value for money.
Modern metal roofs are protected from rust and corrosion to ensure they maintain their look several years after installation.
Get Different Metal Roof Design
You can mimic any traditional roofing material with metal. Metal roof manufacturers are able to create different designs by molding the metal into different shapes and cutting into different sizes. From there, you can have designs, such as metal shakes, metal shingles, metal times, slate roofing, and standing seam.
The metal shakes have the look of real wood only that they do not require the constant maintenance that wood shakes need. You can choose different colors of the shakes to resemble cedar, pine, or oak among others. The metal shakes are lightweight and may even contain recycled materials.
Metal slates offer the appearance of slate roofs without the cracking, blow-off, or splitting. The look is authentic and gives you more insulation than real slates. Metal shingles are for those who need beauty and efficiency. The shingles feature interlocking edges that the roofer nails to the surface for protection. These shingles never warp, grow mold, or rot.
Vertical seam are simple vertical panels that create as simple timeless look. These vertical lines create great attractiveness and practicality. You can use it for roofs with longer spans and for lower sloping ranch style homes.
Metal Roofs and Energy Savings
Metal roofs are available in different finishes. An unpainted metal roof reflects solar radiation, keeping your home cool during the summer months. Homeowners can also use pre-painted or granular-coated metal roofs that reflect solar radiation and re-emit the absorbed heat from the sun. Most of these surfaces are able to re-emit up to 90% of the absorbed heat.
Cool-metal roofing also helps you save on energy. These roofs use highly-reflective metal coating with cool paint pigment that increases reflectance and also lowers the temperature of the surface of the roof. Most of the cool metal roofs are Energy Star certified and may qualify for tax incentives. In homes without AC and no extreme weather conditions, the cool metal roofs will keep homeowners comfortable. Further, your metal roof protects the home’s insulation better.
Sustainable Roofing Material
Metal roofs are the future, thanks to their sustainability. Even after its functional life lapses after 50 or more years, the metal on the roof can still be recycled. Manufacturers can recycle the metal into new roofs or into something else.
If the metal can no longer be recycled, the material is nonbiodegradable, so it stays in the landfill without harming the earth in any way. Further, unlike other roofing materials that will need replacement in about 20 years or fewer, metal lasts for 50 years or more, so less of it will end up in landfills.
When you use metal and get energy savings, you will be protecting the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
Get a Metal Roof Today
Thanks to its long lifespan, a metal roof gets a generous warranty from the roofer or the manufacturer. The warranty may cover the protective film coatings on the panels, corrosion, and chalk fade among others.
To enjoy the benefits of a metal roof, you need to get the best roofer. The longevity of the roof and the validness of the manufacturer warranty are pegged in the correct installation of the metal roof. Take your time because poor installation leaves your home exposed to elements.