Have you ever taken your time to look at the roof of buildings in your neighborhood? What have you noticed? This website tell you, “metal roof,” most of them are metal roofs. Perhaps it has never come to your notice, but it would surprise you to know that these roofs are everywhere. Now the real question is, how much do you know about metal roofs?
Metal roof as a phrase doesn’t just refer to a type of roofing; instead, it refers to varieties of roofing sheets ranging from steel, aluminum, zinc, and copper roof. These varieties of products and its reputation of being able to be structured into different design options, is actually what makes metal roofing the “Best choice” in roofing.
Whether it is zinc, aluminum, copper or steel that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “metal roof,” you should bear in mind that the choice of the roofing material depends on the location, durability, longevity, maintainability, aesthetics and of course, the cost.
Steel and aluminum are by far the most commonly available metal roofing materials. Both are relatively economical, durable, and hold paint finishes well.
However, both of them and the other kinds of metal roofing sheets carry their pros and cons. Below are the major metal roofs, their benefits, and their drawbacks.
Aluminum roofing:
Not only because of its use in the canned beverage industry, aluminum roof happens to be the most prevalent metal in the world, and the third most abundant metal on Earth, it also makes an incredible material for the metal roofing industry, particularly for structures in sea and saltwater terrain. Not only does aluminum stand up to extremely harsh weather conditions, but it’s one of the predominant viable metals in the world, which is why it has become such a popular roofing choice.
Aluminum metal roofs are often suggested for use in offshore weather conditions. This is mainly due to aluminum’s resistance to salt corrosion compared to other types of metal roofs. While the common perception of Aluminum is that it is not affected by corrosion, the reality is that it is a highly active metal and almost instantly reacts to atmospheric conditions.
Aluminum is often used with a painted coating as it’s a natural feature over time is not thought of as aesthetically appealing. Like Copper, Aluminum’s downside often comes down to cost. While it can offer better protection against corrosion, it is also more expensive than comparable solutions that use aluminum as a coating. As a commodity, Aluminum’s price range fluctuates depending on the market.
Typically, the price for this metal lies somewhere in the middle between steel and copper. While Aluminum’s strength to weight ratio is higher than steel, the factor of cost often results in panels that are too thin for their surroundings. In regions with high winds, hail, or intense environmental stresses, this can result in damage to the roofing material. Accurately identifying the ecological strains that your Aluminum Roof will face will be crucial in choosing the right design.
Steel roofing:
Steel Roof, When compared to other metals, steel is also the least expensive. While also being a commodity, steel is often priced at a much lower rate than Aluminum, Zinc, or copper. This makes steel both affordable and available at a more significant amount than the other metals in this list.
There are (3) primary types of Steel Roofing: Galvanized, Galvalume, and Weathering Steel. Steel’s primary advantage over other materials in this list is its flexibility of use and cost. Because of the higher prices of other metals, Steel has been the primary solution for both commercial and residential projects and looks to continue that trend towards the future. As a green solution, it is both easily accessible and highly recyclable.
As options go, because it is among the hardest metal options, it can be used in most weather environments and works well in hail and high winds. It is a common sight in mountain regions with high snow volumes and is a preferred solution in areas prone to hail. Steel is a highly flexible option both commercially and as a residential metal roofing option. For its diverse range of uses, its availability and cost, and the durability it provides, Steel is the Jeep Wrangler of Roofing options and Raico is considered the Benz of Calgary roofing.
Zinc Roofs:
Zinc roofs have been known to last anywhere from 60 to 100 years. Studies have shown that in some cases, zinc roofing could last up to 150 years, depending upon the quality of installation, building properties, and climate. Since zinc is a natural metal extracted from the ground, zinc’s toxicity levels are very low, even after fabrication. Homeowners and business owners do not have to worry about any toxic run-off or ground pollution surrounding their zinc roofing.
Additionally, zinc is a non-ferrous metal, meaning it does not contain iron, and therefore requires less energy to manufacture. Zinc is an amazing metal, able to use its patina to heal its scratches over time and stay strong for over 100 years. The natural properties of Zinc make it a favorite for commercial projects due to Zinc’s ability to be easily formed and manipulated into fantastic shapes. While the chalking of Zinc over time is not considered an appealing aspect of the metal, it can be cleaned and controlled to an extent.
Zinc could be regarded as the greenest metal available for roofing. Zinc has a lower melting point than other roofing metals. This lower melting point means that processing the Zinc for use as a building material requires up to a ¼ of the energy that it takes to process steel or copper. Zinc is also 100% recyclable and available in most local markets, making it an incredibly green material, even compared to Copper or Steel.
The main downside to Zinc is the chalking effect from an aesthetic point of view and the price. Zinc is not cheap. Zinc often is comparable to Copper. Like Copper, Zinc also requires expert installation to make use of its advantages as a building material properly. Zinc, like most bare metals, does patina into a Blue/Grey appearance if left unpainted.
Along with areas where water flows, this often leaves a chalk residue that many find unappealing. Zinc is also a very soft metal and can be easily damaged by hail or high winds depending on the panel or shingle design.
Copper Roofing:
Copper is an extremely soft metal, which makes it among the quietest types of metal roofing. However, with modern installation practices, all-metal roofing now recommends proper substrates that minimize noise from rain or hail at the same level. The softer nature of Copper Roofing also means that in storm-prone regions, it may be easily damaged.
As a more malleable metal, hailstones will easily dent the Copper. While this lowers the aesthetic value, it also performs better than a harder metal that, with a large enough hailstone, will puncture rather than dent the roof.
This brings up an apparent downside to Copper, it is costly and depending on your needs, maybe more than you need to get the job done. Another negative aspect of Copper is its tendency to expand and contract with swings in temperature. While this can be controlled with the proper panel or shingle, it does need to be considered when choosing this metal carefully.
Conclusively, just as each material has their pros and cons, choosing the right one to use comes down to the technician’s knowledge on the key factors which are the location, durability, longevity, maintainability, aesthetics and the cost of installation. In other words, it is imperative to choose the right technician for the job.