We will go over a few common kinds of roofing systems, the roofing materials include:
- Asphalt Shingles or Roof Shingles
- Plastic Polymer
- Concrete Tile or Roof Tiles
- Wood Shingles and Shakes
- Metal Roofing
- Slate
- Duro-Last Roofing
Apart from the cost of the roofing system, consider how long it is supposed to last, is it durable? Do your local building codes allow the kind of roofing you are considering? The weight of the roofing system is also a strong factor, it will need to be supported by the building structure beneath it. Will it withstand wind, hail, and fires? You can only have certain roofing systems for a particular slope. lastly, curb appeal, does the texture and colour complement the rest of the building? Some roofing systems can be re-cycled, so you may consider how eco-friendly your roof is. Here are some tips from our roof repair specialist.
Asphalt Shingles For Residential and Commercial Buildings
There are different kinds of materials to choose from when it comes to roofing. That being said, for a large majority of buildings in the United State and Canada use asphalt shingles for the steep slope roofing. The reason is obvious, they are beautiful, and cost-effective. They also come in a large variety of colours and styles. This gives the homeowner or business owner a lot of options to choose from. The other advantage of asphalt shingles is the ease of application. They are also very durable, which is is why the manufacturing companies are able to offer very long warranties.
Asphalt shingles are available in with granules that are distant to fungus and algae and also come in fire ratings that meet or exceed any building code. Almost any city code or Homeowners’ Association will approve some kind of asphalt shingle roofing. Their durability extends to wind and hail resistance. Apart from the variety of colors and texture, they also come in different dimensional sizes and thickness. One would think that will all the advantages of asphalt shingles, why consider anything else?
Flat Roofing – Commonly For Commercial/ Industrial Buildings
Duro-last Roofing
As the name implies, Duro-last roofing system is all about strength, durability and versatility. They are also flexible and come in prefabricated sheets which reduces the contractor error rate. That also offers consistency in attaching sheets together to provide a watertight membrane to minimize any leaking. Duro-last materials are also manufactured to reflect heat and insulate the building, which, considering how large the typical commercial buildings are, becomes highly energy efficient. Although this roofing system is for high tensile strength and durability, they also come in different colours.
Built-Up Roofing
Here is a roofing system that is 150 years old and is still in use in a broad range of commercial buildings. BUR, as it’s commonly called, is used in low slope or flat roofing structures. It is made of several piles of laminated roof felts held together with bitumen. BUT is expensive in the short term but it usually comes with material and labour warrantees that make it cost-effective in the long run. Without question, BUR has superior waterproofing qualities, it is very strong and offers hail, wind and fire protection. It can be applied in several different ways. That is why it is still in use today after so many years.
Modified Bitumen
An improvement over the Built-Up Roof, the Modified Bitumen is designed to minimize brittleness during chilly temperatures and increased flow resistance when hot. It has rubber and is usually installed by the torch application method. Nowadays it is even available in self – adhering sheets.