Metal Roofing Catching On Fast For Home Use Where To Buy Metal Roofing

Metal Roofing Catching On Fast For Home Use Where To Buy Metal Roofing BUILDINGS Houses 24-3-31 Farmers have used "tin" roofs for years on barns and sheds but a home with a metal roof is still a rare sight. That might be about to change, thanks to a variety of new roofing products that give metal roofing the look of conventional shingles or even cedar shakes, slate, or clay tiles. Metal roofing is normally made from aluminum, steel or copper. Aluminum roofing is usually anodized, which gives it a harder, more durable surface. Steel is usually coated with galvanizing. Copper can be used bare, which allows it to age and discolor naturally. Metal roofs have a number of important advantages over shingles, says Robert Reinke, owner of Reinke Shakes, Inc., Hebron, Nebraska. His father founded Reinke Shakes in 1976 when he couldn't find the right roofing for buildings for his irrigation equipment company. "They're lighter than shingles, easy to install and more resistant to weather," he says. "The main advantage is that they're permanent. Once you put on a metal roof, you never have to replace it." FARM SHOW tracked down a number of metal roofing manufacturers and contractors, and some do an unlimited warranty, although most vary between 20 and 50 years. "If you take care of the roof, it's feasible that it could still be just as good as new in 150 years," says Mike Chavez, an estimator and design consultant with Metal Sales Manufacturing, Inc., Sellersburg, Indiana. Metal Sales produces a full line of metal siding and roofing products. "If the color fades after the warranty runs out, or if you just want to change the color of your roof, it's much easier to clean it and repaint it than it is to re-roof," Reinke notes. Although metal roofs have been available for residential use for some time, they've recently started catching on in a big way. The number of companies offering metal roofing is increasing. Some familiar old names in the farm building business, like Butler Manufacturing, Chief Industries and Varco-Pruden, have gotten into residential roofing. A big development recently occurred when Owens-Corning, one of the biggest names in fiberglass and composition shingles, purchased Vail Metal Systems, Inc., a metal roofing company in Edwards, Colorado. Owens-Corning is now marketing the product nationwide. While metal roofs have a number of advantages over traditional shingle roofing, they have one outstanding disadvantage. Galvanized steel is more expensive than conventional shingles by at least two times. Copper and aluminum are the most expensive, sometimes quoted at five times more than shingles. Glenn Hechler, manager of ATAS International, Allentown, Pennsylvania, says the high cost needs to be viewed in light of the longer life cycle of metal roofing products. "Once installed properly, you'll never have to replace a metal roof." If you're inclined to spend the extra money for a roof you'll never have to replace, there are some products you can install yourself and some you'll want a contractor to put on. Don Shelton, a Lincoln, Nebraska, building contractor, has worked with a number of different styles and has this to say: "If I were putting a metal roof on my own house, I think I'd go with an interlocking standing seam panel. These go on quickly over clips, with no exposed fasteners. They're easier to install than some roofing products, but since the panels normally run the full length of the roof's slope, they may be harder to handle than shingles. The shingle-size metal panels take a little longer to put into place than regular shingles, but they're lighter and easier to handle. And you need no special skills to install them." Before you buy metal roofing, be sure you ask about weather resistance. Metal roofs tend to shed snow and ice better than shingles, but ribs, seams and shaping can make a difference. Metal roofs are, for the most part, more resistant to hail than shingles ù if the metal is heavy enough and the roofing is properly backed. Most metal roofing product

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