How to Choose The Best Roofing Material?: Home Run Improvement

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How to Choose The Best Roofing Material?

Admin • Apr 09, 2020

How to Choose The Best Roofing Material?

If you are planning to build a house or any other facility, after planning all of the construction work, in the end, you’ll be met with the challenge of choosing from different roofing materials, thus ensuring an adequate quality cover for your residence or place of business.

Choosing roofing materials can be tough, especially if you are not a professional builder who specializes in different types of roofing materials and knows how house construction works. Since all roofing materials differ from each other, it’s vital that you carefully consider pros and cons of each type when deciding on a new roof system. In this article, we will compare the most popular types of roof covering materials so you can select the one best for your house.

When shopping for roof repair materials, keep in mind that one of the main functions of your roof is to protect the house from different weather conditions. Regardless of whether they are located on houses or buildings, the roofs are exposed to the constant impact of the weather on a daily basis: the sun, the rain, the hail, the snow, which make it necessary to have proper roof insulation providing pleasant living conditions and healthy indoor microclimate.

The most common types of roofing materials

The first and most important thing to remember is that roofing materials you buy must be capable of handling whatever weather comes their way. The type of roof covering material depends on the slope of the roof. It must be weather resistant, rain-resistant, and fire-resistant. Roof material should be:

UV resistant;
Sealed;
Strong;
Durable;
Resistant to temperature fluctuations and external influences.

Each type of roofing material has its own benefits and drawbacks. The task is to sort through the options and decide on the right ones for your roof. Remember, your home’s roof is the key barrier between you and nature. Therefore, it’s critical to buy a quality material that will shelter your building reliability.

Nowadays, there are tons of building materials one can choose from. Carefully considering each type of roofing materials will make a significant difference not only in terms of appearance, but longevity, durability, and cost as well. Depending on the shape and orientation of your building roof and your climate, some materials will do this job way better than others.

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are considered the most common type roof building materials. According to statistics, more than 70% of single-family houses in America are roofed with asphalt shingles. What makes asphalt shingles so popular is the fact that they are available in a broad spectrum of colors. Today, shingles are available with different textures and thickness. This means that they can be easily treated against mold. In addition to that, shingles are relatively inexpensive compared to other materials.

Usually, asphalt shingles are used on single homes, sloped roofs and small residential projects. This roofing material is very easy to install. What’s more, shingles provide flexibility during the whole installation process.

On the other hand, this roofing material doesn’t provide as good of insulation as other materials do. Also, the cheapest shingle options have the shortest lifespan. Asphalt shingles last up to 25 years and wood shingles last up to 30 years. While clay, slay or concrete options can last over a hundred years with proper maintenance. Metal shingles — around 75 years.

Metal Roofing Materials

Metal is the perfect choice for those people who want their roofing to hold up to extreme weather conditions. Also, it’s the best choice on the market in case your goal is to buy lightweight roofing materials. Metal roofing is an excellent choice for both cottage and contemporary homes. Metal is often called the “forever roof” because of its durability Usually, it lasts up to at least to 75 years. This material works fine if you want to harvest rainforest. Another great thing about metal roof is that its recyclable.

Even though metal roofing is still manufactured in rolls, most are rigid sheet roofing with modular press-formed and vertical-seam panels. You can paint or coat them with granules. Since the manufacturing processes allow for a variety of nice appearance options. You can use your creativity and come up with your own roof design, be it roofing made to look like shakes, shingles, and tiles or traditional metal roof style. As a rule, the most common metals used are lightweight steel, aluminum and zinc. Despite all their advantages, metal roofing materials are quite expensive and will cost you a pretty penny.

Rubber Roofing Materials

Rubber roofing materials are installed on flat roofs only. Rubber has lots of advantages and just a few disadvantages. One of the significant benefits of rubber is the fact that this roofing material is less expensive than other roofing options. Moreover, rubber is considered as lightweight roofing material. The installation of rubber roof is fast and easy meaning you can greatly reduce both labor and installation costs. What makes rubber so long-lasting is that it is not susceptible to the sun’s UV and ultraviolet rays. Experts say that a properly-installed rubber roof can last up to 50 years or even longer.

Maintaining rubber roof is as easy as 1-2-3. And when it comes to rubber roof repair, which is a rare event, it’s fast and inexpensive. Also, this type of material is fire resistant, energy-efficient and 100% recyclable. Furthermore, rubber roofing perfectly insulates the home. Modern rubber roofing is designed to take both extremes of cold as well as heat.

The only drawback for a rubber roof is its appearance. As you might have already guessed, most rubber roofs are black. The good thing is that you can overcome this negative by painting the material almost any color you want with an acrylic paint which is actually recommended as it prolongs the life of the roof.

Wrapping Up

Now, that you know properties and characteristics of different roof building materials, it will be much easier for you to select the one that fits your needs best. Choosing sheet roofing materials is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. Take into consideration these simple tips the next time you are planning to buy roofing materials.

If you have any difficulties with choosing roofing materials, get in touch with Home Run Improvement specialists. We will advise you on the best type of roofing materials, taking into consideration your personal needs and wants. Our experts are always at your service ready to help you get through the process of having a new roof installed.

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