Roofing Materials

Wood Shingles

Wood shingles are thin pieces of wood that have been sawn from logs. With a life expectancy of 25-30 years, they are one of the best natural materials to use for your home's roofing requirements. From providing adequate protection to adding to the aesthetics of your home, these shingles guarantee to boost the overall appeal and even contribute to increasing its price if you plan to sell it soon.

Wood Shakes

Wood shakes are designed to offer better protection and efficiency than wood shingles and are another option to consider if you want to install wooden roofing. They are thicker wooden pieces and can withstand the weather and the UV rays much better. While they promise up to 35 to 40 years of protection, with regular maintenance and timely repairs, you can increase the life of your wood shakes roofing to last for a much more extended period.

Standing Seam Metal Roofing

As the name suggests, a standing seam metal roofing system involves interlocking metal panels on standing seams to prevent moisture from seeping through the roof. This material guarantees exceptional protection, especially in areas with heavy snowfall and a high risk of fire hazards. While they have a life expectancy of 30 to 50 years, with competent care, they have been found to last for up to 75 years as well.

Metal Shingles

Fourth in our list of 10 roofing materials, every homeowner should consider, metal shingles have proven their durability. While metal shingles offer similar protection to their seam metal roofing counterparts, they are much easier to install. If aesthetics are a huge concern for you, these shingles can be layered with natural minerals to add a natural finish like slate, wood, or asphalt. They are simply pieces stamped from metal sheets, like standing seam metal roofing systems. They promise a life expectancy of 30 to 50 years.

Clay Tiles

Made by baking natural earthen clay molds, clay tiles are commonly used roofing materials. While roofers can paint them as per design requirements, they are usually left unglazed and don a beautiful reddish-orange tint. Therefore, clay tiles are an excellent choice for rooftops of homes in hot-climate areas and places with salt in the air like the coastal areas. Clay tiles have been capable of offering these benefits for more than a century and are, thus, one of the longest-lasting roofing materials in the market.

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are among the most popular choices for roofing requirements in the US. The basic design of these three-layered shingles involves layering a fiberglass base with a layer of asphalt below and granules of natural minerals like slate, schist, or quartz on top. In addition to offering 25 to 30 years of protection, asphalt shingles are low maintenance and are relatively easy to replace in case of any damages.

Built-Up Roofing

One of the oldest and best choices for flat rooftops, built-up roofing (BUR) is an excellent roofing material that has a life expectancy of 20 to 30 years. BUR roofing systems are several layers of roofing felt with hot asphalt and a final layer of finely cut stones embedded in hot tar.

Slate Tiles

Slate tiles are arguably the most beautiful and long-lasting roofing material available in the market. Thanks to its incredible natural structure, slate roofing can last for hundreds of years while offering optimum protection throughout its life. However, you must hire professionals to install a slate roofing system, as not everyone has the necessary skills to manage this fantastic material.

Rolled Roofing

While it offers optimum protection to homes with flat rooftops, rolled roofing is an excellent material to install on buildings that are in the open, like sheds and shops. As they are simply large rolls of thin roofing material, rolled roofing has a simple installation process and doesn't demand much maintenance.

Membrane Roofing

The membrane roofing system is another excellent choice for flat rooftops or low-pitch roofs. There is a wide range of membranes for you to choose from, such as PVC, EPDM, Neoprene, and polymer-modified bitumens that are guaranteed to protect efficiently from the damaging effects of natural elements like storms and snow, sunlight, and dust.

To know what is the best roofing material for your home, you must first learn about your unique requirements. There is an extensive range of roofing materials available in the market, and it comes down to what you need and how much time and money you can invest. Therefore, we advise looking for proficient roofing professionals on the Internet and contact them for any rooftops queries. Besides, if you are impressed by their knowledge, reviews, and ratings, you can contact them for quotations as well.