Things You Should Know About Roofing Materials

Roof won’t last forever and it needs to endure decades of intense sunlight, heavy snow, slightly acidic rainwater and strong winds. Eventually, many homeowners find that they need to replace their roofs partially or completely. It is obvious that the cost of roofing replacement is much more than the cost of the materials. We should also consider the cost of labours and others things. There are varieties of changes that could end up making the roof replacement project more expensive than what we previously believe. There are many more things that we need to do other than choosing the new roof based on the design and colors. We should also make sure to choose roofs based on the proven durability and strength. We should be able to come up with a good compromise that allows us to ensure the complete integrity of our house and it should be able to blend well with the surrounding neighbourhood.

Not many people know that roof is more than what we see outside. The outermost part is actually only the outer layer and there’s a structural part that ensure the strength and integrity of the entire roofing system. There are different roofing materials that we can choose and among the oldest ones is thatch. It is basically wheat straw that are placed above our home to keep water out from the interior. It may not be an ideal choice for usages in urban areas, but we may use thatch roofing when we are living in a rural area. Despite being made of simple straw, a well constructed thatch roof should be able to last more than 50 years before a major repair or complete replacement is needed. A component of the roofing that’s laid over the base in an overlapping manner is known as shingles. Often, shingles are made of wood with identical shapes and dimension. They are often relatively affordable and can be purchased in large quantity.

However, high quality shingles can be quite costly. Red cedar shingles are known for their quality and they may last for up to 30 years. Hardwood shingles can be quite rare, due to restrictions on the exploitation of the hardwood forests. Slates are even more durable and they may last for more than a hundred years.   However, we should know that slates are heavier than typical shingles and the combined weight of hundreds of slates will require a stronger structural part of the roofing system. Ceramic shingles are also known for their longevity and durability, which can last for more than a century, but they are also quite expensive. Some houses use asphalt and concrete for their roof. In this case, we should make sure that the concrete roof is properly reinforced with strong fibers and we should also cover asphalt with adequate protective materials. It is also a good idea to choose membrane roofing, which are essentially membranes that are placed on a roof. They can also be fused at corners or joints, so they will be able to form a smooth and continuous surface.