7 reasons to choose a metal roof
Steel sheet roofs have been used ever since iron was first learned to be forged into sheet metal. At first, steel sheet roofs were made for prestigious buildings and later also for other buildings. The market share of painted steel on roofs has increased significantly over the past 10 years. There are seven good reasons for this. Why do professionals who design roofs end up choosing a sheet metal roof?
1. Various appearance options
Paint-coated steel gives the designer numerous possibilities in terms of appearance. There are various traditional straight-grooved profiles, various tile patterns, standing seam roofs and machine-seamed roofs. The range of colours is almost unlimited. It is also possible to vary the gloss, but it would be advisable to use a relatively glossy surface on the roof so that the natural self-cleaning and easy maintenance of the sheet metal roof are preserved. The current matt trend belongs only to waterfront construction, where the aim is to avoid the roof shining and causing reflections for people using the waterway. In these conditions, thanks to its long life cycle, a sheet metal roof is an environmentally and wallet-friendly roof even with a matt surface.
2. Easy and quick to install
In today’s golden age of mouldy houses, it is known that avoiding even one rainfall during roof installation may make a difference. The quick and easy installation of a painted steel sheet roof may make the small difference between keeping the roof structure dry and it getting wet. Even when underlays are used, water brought by a possible storm wind is not good for insulation or wooden structures.
3. Light, but strong
Steel sheet weighs about one-tenth as much as tiles, giving both the frame and the load-bearing structures of the roof some leeway in terms of load. The designer can decide whether the roofing material weighs one tonne or 11 tonnes. This consideration should be given particular thought in areas where there is even a small risk of earthquakes.
When properly fastened, a sheet metal roof increases the overall strength of the roof structures. A sheet metal roof withstands strong seasonal variations, movement on the roof, and the weight of snow and ice well.
4. Durable protection for the building
Steel does not become brittle as it ages like tiles and felt. Nor does it burn, like felt. The durability of a sheet metal roof can be assessed easily during use, and it does not cause unexpected leaks, because it usually has very few seams or joints that create a risk of leakage.
Excellent corrosion resistance is achieved with current coatings. The production of painted steel sheets is carefully controlled by quality-conscious manufacturers. There are no poor batches. The success of painting does not depend on the weather or on the painter’s skill or condition.
PVC Plastisol can already be forgotten, because no one who understands anything about quality and life-cycle thinking uses it. Plastisol is associated with a great deal of negative publicity and complaints, because old Plastisols deteriorated quickly, experienced severe eaves corrosion and were also favourites among consumer complaints. In addition, PVC Plastisol is difficult to maintain and difficult to recycle.
5. Long life cycle
A high-quality sheet metal roof has a long life cycle and is easy to maintain. Its load-bearing capacity, strength and watertightness remain as good as new if profile sheets or machine-seamed sheets are fastened correctly and the condition of the roof is looked after even a little. On the other hand, if the roof is not looked after, rust reveals future problems in good time. The deterioration of a sheet metal roof does not come as a surprise.
The coating has a major effect on the maintainability of a sheet metal roof. If the paint surface has been made matt by wrinkling the paint, cleaning the roof becomes really difficult. In wrinkled surfaces, dirt accumulates in the microscopically small grooves in the paint surface, from which its removal is almost impossible. Dirt binds moisture to itself and possibly also other substances that damage the coating, significantly shortening the life cycle of the roof.
6. Reasonable in terms of cost
Because the wallet quite often decides in the end, it is important that the designer understands the difference between the total costs of the roof and the purchase price of the surface materials. Fortunately, there are increasingly more designers and decision-makers like this today. A sheet metal roof lasts for decades without expensive maintenance measures, so it is an economical choice.
7. Ecological
Fortunately, an increasing number of people know how to take into account a material selection criterion other than merely the “short-range wallet”. In “medium- and long-range wallets”, the recyclability of the product and other environmental impacts also matter; what will come up during retirement or for future generations. When a sheet metal roof eventually gives way to a new one, the steel sheets are almost 100% recyclable material, unlike concrete tiles or felt.