Choosing a roofing for your home is not an easy question. Previously, everything was simpler, because there was only slate, and there were no problems with the choice, but there were those with the material itself. Now everything is different: the materials have become better, but the torment of choice has appeared. Today we will consider this issue in more detail. Let's talk about the metal tile and reviews about it, and also take a closer look at the competitors of this type of coating.
Production technology
The raw material for the production of metal is sheet steel, obtained by cold-rolled hot-dip galvanized method. The thickness of the workpiece varies from 0.35 mm to 0.7 mm, thin metal is considered to be that made of sheets with a thickness of 0.35-0.45 mm. The best metal roof tile, according to customers, is thick, from 0.5 to 0.7 mm thick.
As a rule, thin steel is made in China. Additionally, during the manufacturing process, the metal tile may have a special polymer coating, which is an auxiliary corrosion protection. If such a coating is present, then the final price of the material increases.
Consistently, the stages of production can be shown as follows:
- primary rolled steel sheet with galvanized coating;
- passivation (drawing on a sheet of primary protection);
- applying a polymer layer to the sheet (if provided);
- sheet profiling on a special machine;
- cutting sheets by size and packing.
The advantages of metal
What benefits does it have?
- If the metal tile is laid according to technology, then this is a sealed roofing that requires a minimum of maintenance (it will be enough to check the reliability of the fasteners of the screws once a year).
- The roof of this material is characterized by a relatively reduced weight, this to some extent reduces the basic requirements for the rafter system of your building. And that’s saving money.
- Sheets of metal have a large area, which means that the installation of such a roof is simple and quick. It turns out to achieve a minimum number of seams on the roof of your building.
Material flaws
The material is good, but we found several contentious issues with him:
- A relatively thin material, the sheets have a slight stiffness, which creates some problems during installation.
- This is noisy stuff. You will always hear, for example, that it began to rain outside. This is evidenced by consumer reviews of metal.
- The protective coating layer is relatively thin, during installation there is a risk of damage to it.
- The scratched surface of the sheets can quickly corrode if not treated with protective compounds.
Material Features
Sheet material, this means that you should consider that if your roof is complex and "broken", then you will have a lot of scraps of material. Sometimes the number of scraps is one third of the area of the covered roof.
Also consider that the price of metal is not the final cost of your roof. Add here the costs of waterproofing, lumber for the crate, and more. Before buying, it is recommended that everything be well calculated so that you do not get into trouble later.
If the angle of the slope of the roof at your building is not too steep, then there may be problems with the descent of snow. Snow will cling to the ledges of the tiles, some will remain on the roof and gradually accumulate. In this case, sometimes you need to manually clear the roof of snow in order to avoid failure due to overload. With all these features of the material, reviews of the roof made of metal praise this material. Sometimes they call it even non-alternative.
Ondulin or metal: reviews
The best way to make a choice is to read the reviews and weigh them. Let's start with a review of metal as a very practical material. The sizes of the ondulin are fixed (2 meters by 96 centimeters and no options). The sheet metal tile sizes have some flexible dimensions (sheet length from 35 centimeters to 8 meters; sheet width - from 116 cm to 118 centimeters).
In terms of installation, according to reviews, it is easier ondulin. It is soft, the sheets are small, you can cover the roof of this material alone. In addition, the material is soft, it “forgives” some shortcomings if your roof has small irregularities in the rafter system. But these advantages give rise to disadvantages. Reviews of the metal roof indicate that it is stronger, there is no arguing, because this is metal. There are fewer joints on the roof of metal tiles, due to the ability to choose large sheets.
Walk on the roof of ondulin with more caution than on the roof of metal. In general, it must be recognized that when developing ondulin, it was positioned as a temporary roof. The service life of such a coating is unlikely to reach 20-30 years. Metal tile is a capital construction a priori. The warranty period of such material can reach 50 years, and what can we say then about the service life. Ondulin begins to fade from the first year, after 10 years it will no longer look very attractive. The metal tile does not have a tendency to fade at all. Which is better - ondulin or metal? Reviews on the side of the metal coating. But this is a wrong comparison, because the materials of their different categories.
Metal or decking
In this comparison, the leader will be metal. She looks more advantageous in terms of aesthetics. And in terms of performance, the materials are similar. Yes, you can take a very high-quality corrugated board, in fact, it will be more reliable, because it will be made of thicker steel. But then the corrugated board will come out more expensive. During performance, the metal tile has a sufficient margin of safety with its standard thickness. The most common use of corrugated board is the construction of this roofing material for outbuildings and the construction of the material of the fences.
Metal tile or soft roof?
The metal tile is laid on the crate, and the flexible roof (shingle) - on a solid foundation. But if you wish, the shingle can be delivered on your own car by placing boxes of material in the trunk and inside of your car. With a metal tile this will not work. Always need at least category “C” vehicles to deliver material to the construction site.
Shingle is easier to stack and less waste is left. But a soft roof can be twice as heavy. In terms of service life, the materials are similar. The soft roof looks more advantageous. In terms of protection against extraneous noise, the shingle is ahead again. If we talk about prices, then shingle is about twice as expensive as metal tiles. Comparing these materials is not entirely fair. They are very different.
Metal tile against cement and sand tiles
It must be said that cement-sand tile is the progenitor of the modern variation of metal tile. This is rare today, but it is. Now it is an exclusive roofing material. He is expensive and very heavy. If you cover the roof with metal tiles, then everything is extremely simple, if you chose cement-sand tiles, the foundation, walls and roof system of your house should be ready for a very solid load.
Cement-sand tile is almost eternal, over the years it does not lose its properties and does not fade. The metal tile still has its own resource, limited to about half a century, maybe a little more. In addition, polymer paint will fade over time, no matter how high-quality it is, sometimes it happens in 5 years, sometimes slight color loss is noticed after 50 years, depending on the manufacturer.
The main brands of metal tile in our market
The reviews on the Grand Line metal tile are not bad, so you should pay attention to it. The company has been present in the building materials market since 2008. The Russian manufacturer, according to him, uses only the best rolled steel as raw materials. Judging by the reviews, we can conclude that the manufacturer is not disingenuous. The products are really good quality, but sometimes marriage comes across. Is it possible to return the marriage? Reviews provide conflicting information. It all depends on the place where you purchased this material, so try to take it in reliable places with a reputation. Metal tile "Grand Line", according to reviews, is a good roofing material, deserving a solid four on a five-point scale.
Reviews about the Monterrey metal tile also make you talk about it. This brand came to us from Europe, where this manufacturer is number one in the roofing market. Now the company is actively developing the Russian market. Of the obvious advantages that distinguish Monterrey from its competitors, this is a wide selection of color schemes. In terms of the performance of the roofing material, it does not have any comments. It is possible that in our market Monterrey is the undisputed leader. At least, such a conclusion can be made, judging by the reviews of the metal tile of this brand.
Other material manufacturers
PELTI from neighboring Finland has registered a special brand Takotta, it is under this brand that their metal tiles are produced. Of the advantages of this material, it is worth noting that it is made of high-quality galvanized steel with a thickness of at least 0.5 mm, and zinc protection is at least 275 g / m², which is a very good indicator. The galvanizing layer is additionally coated with a layer of a special protective polymer.
Another manufacturer is the Swedish company MeraSystem, metal rolling is produced under the brand of the same name, tiles are made of galvanized high-quality steel by the hot method. Additionally, metal tiles are coated with plastisol or polyester for protection. Buyers leave positive feedback on the metal tile of this manufacturer.
Another player in the roofing market is Poimukate (Finland). The company has the strictest quality control of its products, steel from the best world suppliers is involved in the production. This brand is extremely popular in Europe, the company came to Russia relatively recently.
Additional elements
At this point, you should also pay attention when buying. Sometimes manufacturers set not very affordable prices for additional elements for the metal tiles of their production. Extras are required for the design of the roofing ridge, as well as the edges of the overhangs, the sides of the ramps and much more.
It is important to understand that the more complex your roof is, the more additional elements it will require. On the simplest gable roof, you will need skate elements, special plugs, as well as additional cornice and pediment slats. Sometimes the choice of the manufacturer is based on the prices of additional elements. Although a good metal tile, according to reviews, has adequate prices for the entire range of products. Honest manufacturers do not make sense to mislead the buyer.
Total
Which metal tile is better? Reviews say that darling. We agree with this opinion. If you sum up some general result, then this material for the roof goes around all its competitors who are cheaper, but lose to those that are more expensive.
To some extent, this is the middle ground in the case when “the avaricious will not pay twice”, but the construction will come out without too much refinement. This is an option for the average home in Russia. The price matches the quality. The presence of great competition in the producer market creates democratic pricing, despite even the difficult time for the entire global economy.
Of the main strengths of the material, it is worth highlighting its ease of laying, durability, a wide selection of colors and a relatively low cost. The main minus is the noise, which you will definitely remember in the rain, but over time you will get used to this nuance and will not notice it at all.