Standing seam metal roof or exposed-fastener metal roof?
Standing seam metal roofing is very popular. It is the most commonly available type of metal roofing. When homeowners begin to do their research into metal roofing, they quickly discover a variety of standing seam products. Many folks who think they are buying standing seam, actually end up with through-fastened or exposed-fastener metal roofs. We often hear homeowners and even contractors refer to these roofs as standing seam roofs. They are incorrect. They are not standing seam roofs. By definition, standing seam roofs come in continuous lengths, have hidden fasteners, and have some mechanism built-in that allows for the metal’s natural expansion and contraction during thermal changes.
Through-fastened metal roofs have screws right through the face of the panel. Those screws try to hold the panels tight and have no flexibility for expansion and contraction. The screws have a rubber or neoprene gasket or washer to help allow water from entering at the hundreds or thousands of screw holes on the roof. They work well at first but, after a few years, homeowners will find the screws have worked loose, broken, or the washers have cracked. Again, through-fastened metal roofs are not standing seam roof. These corrugated types of products have overlapping panels rather than interlocking panels. That can be another area of water infiltration. Being used extensively in agricultural markets, through-fastened products are increasingly being used residentially. In many cases, we’re concerned that homeowners are not getting the metal roof they think they are getting., because they compete in the highly competitive agricultural market, many of these products are produced from lower quality metals and feature lower quality finishes.
Can A Roof Be Beautiful And Last Nearly A Lifetime?
Many homeowners like the looks of standing seam metal roofs, others may find standing seam roofs look too commercial, industrial, or even agricultural for their neighborhood. If you are one of those folks that wants a more residential looking roof, you should consider metal shingle roofs. Metal shingle roofs come in a variety of profiles from wood shake, slate, wood shingle or tile. Our metal roof products. Most homeowners “oooo” and “aaaahhh” over the beauty of these roofing systems. They tend to complement any home and neighborhood very well. Most of them have hidden fasteners as well as higher quality base metals and finishes.
Often times when folks see the metal shingle roofs, they assume they are more costly than standing seam metal roofs, because of their increased aesthetics and assumed increased complexity. While every roof can have its particular nuances that affect final cost, compared to a high-quality standing seam, metal shingle roofs are usually very similarly priced or even lower priced. This causes homeowners to often say things like “Wow, I had no idea that I could all have that for the that price.