Roof Materials and Their Benefits

It’s often an overlooked aspect of home improvement but the roof above your head should be a priority of any home owners. What’s lesser thought of is the material your roof is made of. Hopefully if you’re looking at a new roof you’ll be able to consider the benefits of each roof material and determine which is the most suitable for you. Below are described two commonly used types of roof materials and their respective benefits.

Roof Tiling Materials

These man made materials are built out of hard wearing substances such as the ceramic materials, clay or at times also made from glass! However, the commonly employed material for making roofing tiles so far is the clay. Such tiles possess an unusual requirement. The roofing substances made out of clay must always be treated with a think weather resistant strong glazing coat.

Since hundreds of years, people have been using tiles to construct different kinds of roofs. From that beginning till today, now people have invented and created a wide range of the designs as well as the sizes for the roofing tiles. For instance, one of the most fundamental types of roofing tile is the flat tile.

These are not exactly flat but rather completely rectangular in their shape. As a result, these are simply perfect for the robust and seamless layering of any form of roof. Back in the 1970s, flat tiles have been widely implemented for the creation of roofs along with other roofing application. It can be easily seen that the trend has not seemed to change since then.

Even today, flat tiles are as prevalent a roofing material choice as it was in the nineteenth century. This may be easily explained by its rectangular structure which makes it ideal for all sorts of credible roof layering.

Apart from the flat tiles, other commonly used type of roofing tiles are the single lap tiles and the roman tiles. Roman tiles are provided with curves at two of its edges which indeed contribute to a special property of these tiles.

It enables them to provide additional firming strength during the interlocking process as they are laid on the roof. However, on the contrary the single lap tiles are generally shaped in the form of the letter ‘S’. As a result, they usually impart a very distinct and appealing pattern to the roof where they are laid.

Slate Roofing Materials

Slate is one of the most ancient materials used for the building of roofs. It is a form of sedimentary rock which is made out of volcanic materials and other hard substances such as clay. These are generally compounded in the earth’s crust for over a large period of time and produced over these years under high pressure and temperature conditions.

Because of its exceptional features and credible nature, slate has always stood as one of the most widely preferred materials in the roofing industry. It is not only robust in its nature but also possesses waterproof qualities. In addition, this material is flexible in nature and hence can be easily shaped or molded into any desired shape.

Most of the roofs seen today are building out of rectangular shaped slates. In order to manufacture roofing slates, big pieces of slate are cut down to smaller rectangular sheets and this is indeed a hassle free and an easy job. All these features add up to make slate an ideal choice for the roof material.

Usually, a slate roof lasts for a sufficiently longer time. However, the material may create trouble sometimes after a certain limit as it is generally hard wearing in nature. This in turn serves as a disadvantage to the slate roofs as it is generally too expensive to replace again.

Certain areas are bounded by planning laws so as to maintain a uniform architectural character for the buildings in the area. According to these laws, only a specific type of slate might be employed on the roofs. It is rather hard to find a specific kind of slate. In addition, only a few contractors are available who are usually willing to undertake such limited projects.

If you’re looking at replacing your roof and still not sure as to which roofing material will provide you with the best benefits you should definitely contact a specialist. Whether you’re looking for roofers in Edinburgh or Cornwall, find whichever local roofing contractors are best for you. The best will have a wealth of knowledge and experience and will easily be able to advise you on the best course action with regards to your project.