So your current roofing on your commercial building or shop is old, brittle, and in dire need of an update before it damages your interior. You begin researching potential shingling and roofing options. While you’re digging through pages and pages of asphalt shingling, you probably forgot about metal roofing. But did you know metal roofing can provide many benefits to your commercial building? Here’s how:
Longevity
Metal roofs are durable and built to last over 50 years with proper maintenance and can potentially increase the resale value of your home or building. This stacks up nicely when compared to asphalt roofing materials, which need replaced after about 20 years.
Fire resistant
You won’t have to worry about a fire starting with your roof. Metal roofs are combustible and completely fire resistant, but this doesn’t come without exceptions. Combustible materials under your metal roof can catch fire, still causing obvious damage. This is why it’s important to have your metal roof properly installed by a professional to remove any combustible material. In the case of a fire, firefighters may need to cut away at your roof to get to extinguish the blaze, consuming precious time to put out your fire. Luckily, with proper maintenance, inspection, and installation, the chances of your building catching fire are extremely low.
Environmentally friendly
Metal roofing is reflective, whereas asphalt shingling are absorbent. Instead of absorbing sunlight and heating up your building, metal roof reflects sunlight and keeps the building cooler during the hot summer months.
While you’re saving on energy costs, you’ll also help the environment by reducing your own carbon footprint. Metal roofing can also be installed over the top of most previous roofings, removing waste and saving landfill space. In addition, metal roofing can last over 50 years, so your lack of reroofing will save the environment from additional waste and debris. When you finally decide it’s time for a roofing change, most metal roofing materials are incredibly recyclable as well.
Reduce leaks
Metal roofs are extremely durable. With proper installation, cracks and crevices are sealed and avoided. Adding a roof coating only helps prevent this problem as well.
Metal roofs are slick and heat up quickly. The temperature from inside the building will melt the snow on your roof and the metal materials slick surface will allow the snow to easily slide off. This will benefit the roof’s longevity since it won’t have to carry the weight of the snow. This–along with the light material–will improve the structural integrity of your building.
Wind Resistance
If your building is located in a specifically windy area, a metal roof might be your best choice. Most metal roofs are harnessed in an interlocking fashion and are superior to traditional roofing materials.
Types of metal
Metal roofs offer a variety of material options such as galvanized steel, copper tin, zinc, and aluminum. Even if you’re on a tight budget, there are still roofing materials available that can fit your durability and pricing needs.
Like everything in life, metal roofs have their drawbacks
Metal roofing materials are still significantly more expensive than their asphalt counterparts, but this is only in the present tense. Roofing your building is expensive, but asphalt roofing materials has half the life of metal roofings. Consider your options, but investing in a metal roof will likely benefit you down the road. In addition, maintenance of your metal roof can be difficult due to its slick surface. But there are ways to safely navigate the roof. Speak with the installation experts for equipment and safety tips when working on your metal roof.