If you're like a lot of homeowners, you're probably familiar with asphalt shingle roofing and what's needed with maintenance and repairs. If you're considering getting a metal or clay tile roof next time, you may be wondering how maintenance and repairs compare with what you're used to. Here's what you might expect.
Maintenance Needs For Metal Roofing
Metal is much more durable than asphalt shingles, even during hailstorms. You shouldn't have as many repairs to do to a metal roof, but when a metal roof does need repairs, they're more challenging than repairing or replacing asphalt shingles.
Metal roofing can rust if the protective coating is scratched or gouged. Plus, the screws that hold the metal to the roof can rust too. Rust always has to be removed rather than painted over. This might entail sanding the metal or scrubbing it with a wire brush. Once the rust is gone, the metal can be primed and painted.
Another reason metal roofs need to be checked regularly is to find screws that have backed out. You might have the type of metal roof where fasteners are hidden, but some metal roofs have rows of screws across them that might loosen and come out of the hole. When the screws back out, rain can leak in the holes, so new screws need to be put in.
If a metal roofing panel has damage that's bad enough, the panel has to be removed and replaced. This is a lot harder than replacing a few asphalt shingles, especially if the roof is made with standing seam panels that lock together.
One good aspect of metal roofing is that it can be covered with a coating when it gets older so the roof can have a few more years of life. So, while metal roofing can be harder to repair than asphalt shingles, it lasts longer and shouldn't need too many repairs during its lifetime.
Maintenance Requirements Of Clay Tiles
Clay tiles are also very durable and last for decades. They are heavy so they resist wind damage. Plus, they don't crack easily from hail, but the tiles can be cracked by impacts and walking on them incorrectly. Repairing cracked tiles isn't too difficult since the crack can be filled in and then covered with color-matching paint.
Even edges of a tile that have broken off can be put back on a tile with adhesive so the tile doesn't have to be replaced. If a tile has bad damage, it can be replaced in the same way asphalt shingles are replaced. However, replacing clay tiles is more difficult since they're heavy and rigid while asphalt shingles are thin and flexible.
Contact roofing services to learn more.