Santa's Landing Pad: A Roofing BlogSanta's Landing Pad: A Roofing Blog

Metal is a good roofing material for a commercial building because it's durable and it usually doesn't need many repairs. Metal also lasts a long time and gives you a good return on your investment. If you're unsure if metal is suitable for your building, talk to a metal roofing contractor and get advice. Here are some things they might consider. 

1. The Slope Of Your Roof

Many commercial buildings have flat roofs. What you may not know is the roofs aren't perfectly flat. If they were, water would stay on the roof rather than drain off. A metal roofing contractor can measure the slope of your roof and see if it's suitable for metal roofing. The roof will need a slight slope, and the amount of the slope depends on the type of metal roofing you get and the way it's installed.

2. The Type Of Metal Roofing

There are a few types of metal roofing to consider for your building. All types are suitable if your roof has a slope to it, but the types of roofing have different appearances, so you want to take that into account. The two classes of metal roofing included exposed and hidden fastener panels. Exposed panels are installed with screws and washers that are left exposed to the sun and rain. These panels are less expensive and easier to install, but they have the potential for developing leaks around the screws.

Hidden fastener metal roofing is installed so the screws are hidden under the roofing. The two types are snap lock and mechanically seamed. Snap-lock standing seam roofing has legs on each side of the panels that snap to each other. The screws are covered once the panels snap together.

Mechanically seamed metal roofing panels have raised panels on the sides that the roofer places next to each other and then bend down twice with a seamer. This makes the panels more watertight, so the mechanically seamed roofing can be used on a roof with a very low slope.

3. The Condition Of Your Roof

The condition of your old roof might matter when you want to get a metal roof installed. Metal is light, so it can go over old roofing, but your metal roofing contractor has to assess the condition of the old roof. Metal roofing can last for decades, so the deck of the roof has to be in excellent shape or it may rot and cause your metal roof to fail sooner than it should.

For the best results, you may want the roofer to tear off all the old roofing materials, inspect and repair the deck if needed, and then install the metal roof. For more info, reach out to a company such as JMS Exteriors LLC.