Types of Roofing Materials to Consider For Your Home
Regina Gekonge
Roofing materials vary depending on the shape of the roof, location, and climate, and whether the use is for residential or commercial.
1. Metal roofs
These roofs are commonly used on flat roofs but can also be used on roofs with a pitch of 3:12 or greater. In order to allow movement various installation details exist. These include the standing seam, batten seam, and flat-locked seam roofing system
2. Wood shingles
They are made from decay-resistant wood species such as red cedar, cypress, redwood. Wood shingles are applied both to the roofs and walls over solid or spaced sheathing and fastened with galvanized nails. They are available in a variety of grades and are either machine-sawn or hand-spilled called shakes.
3.Glassandplastics
Are used in skylights and clear stories or in industrial structures or greenhouses. Have poor resistance to fire and therefore wire-reinforced glass and glass fiberglass-reinforced acrylic sheets are commonly used.
4.Plasticcoatings
Plastics are available in single-ply sheets and in liquid form, plastic coating can be rolled, sprayed, brushed, mopped, or troweled onto the roof, making them ideal or curved or difficult to get the surfaces.
5.Clay, cement, and slate
Clay roofing tiles are available in a wide range of earth colors, patterns and can be glazed. They are manufactured from the same clays as bricks
Cement roofing tiles are manufactured from Portland cement and fine aggregate. They tend to be less expensive than clay tiles and also come in a variety of colors and shapes that resemble clay tiles.
Slate roofing tiles are quarried from natural rock and split into thin rectangular slabs. They are also available in a variety of colors and textures from a rough surface to smooth.
6.Asphaltroofs
Is typically preferred for sloping roofs and coal tar for flat roofs. Built-up roofs consist of alternate layers of asphalt-saturated felts and hot asphalt cement. They are designated as 3-ply, 5-ply, depending on the number of layers used over the base layer nailed to the roof deck. The finished surface is composed of slag or stone chips set in a final flood coat to protect the plies from the weather.
