Choosing the right material when you are building a roof, whether from scratch or choosing an existing one for your home can be confusing. With the wide variety of materials that readily available and worthy for consideration in the market which include wood, composite shingles, slate, concrete, clay tiles and metal, it can be hard to settle on one. Additionally, you will also need to consider a variety of factors such as the quality, durability and design.
To help you choose the perfect material you can use for your home, here is a list of things you need to know.
Materials
There are of course different type of materials that are required for every roof. A flat roof will require a surface that is different from one with a steeper pitch. In these cases, slate and tiles are your best choices. To further elaborate, here are the different type of materials for your roof:
Wood – For centuries, building a roof using wood was the main choice. Even today, you will find a lot of home owners prefer using wood for roof but for some areas, fire codes forbids its use. Wooden roofs are usually made of cedar, redwood or southern pine.
Metal – Aluminum, steel, copper, and lead are the most durable type of metal roofs however, it is quite expensive. While copper/asphalts are often installed as shingles, other materials are used for seamed roofs consisting of vertical lengths of metal joined with solder.
Slate – among roofing materials, a slate has been known to be one of the most durable type. In fact, hundred-year-old slates are often recycled for reinstallation with the expectation that it will last another century. It is however, expensive and very heavy.
Installation
Like every durable roofing, whatever your choice of material may be, you will probably need flashing. Far all exterior work such as roofing and siding, flashing is an important factor that makes sure your material lasts longer. Flashing is a process of applying metal or plastic film applied in strips to areas where dissimilar materials adjoin.
An excellent flashing work will help prevent water from seeping into the gaps of your roof edges. If you wish to have a good flashing for your roof, choose one that has undergone extensive trials and tests all throughout the country to make sure that the product complement the geography of all different regions and are sure to withstand all their harshest condition.