Metal Sheeting or tiled roofing: which is better?
As a roofing business, the decision on roofing material is something we are often asked by clients. In this post, we’ll discuss why metal sheeting, such as Colourbond, is Insulmate’s preference for roofing materials!
1. Metal sheet roofs requires far less maintenance than tiled roofs
By far one of the best reasons to go with a metal sheeted roof is the reduced maintenance required (compared to tiled roofs).
- While metal roofing does tend to expand and contract more so than a tiled roof, the materials tend to move together. Whereas, the tiles of a tiles roof tend to swell and shrink against each other, often causing chipping and cracking in older tiles, especially concrete tiles.
- Tiled roofs are subject to extreme winds and rain, especially in coastal areas. Water ingress due to “blow under” is considered normal and sarking is required under tiled roofs to prevent this. However sarking deteriorates faster than the roof tiles do and can be expensive to replace. Additionally, in coastal areas, the salts and minerals blown into the roof can cause sarking to deteriorate at a much faster rate than further inland.
- Tiled roofs when damaged require a selection of spare tiles on hand; storing roof tiles on site can lead to potential pest issues as spiders, snakes and rodents tend to live near tile stock piles. Almost all leaks to a properly installed metal sheeted roof can be fixed with a quality tube of roof plumbing silicon and requires no space for a stockpile of spare parts.
- Birds dropping items on the roof like stones tend to chip or break roof tiles causing ingress in rains, whereas with metal sheet roofing these items create small dents which don’t tend to leak.
2. Given modern building trends, metal sheeting offers substantial advantages in appearance, including colour range.
- Different profiles of roof sheeting offer vastly different appearances, even some more commercial designed products can look exceptional when used on residential properties. The flexibility in design of metal roofing allows for a touch of uniqueness which can improve the property’s aesthetic.
- Roof tiles are only available in a basic range of colours, whereas Colourbond metal sheets come in a much broader colour range which again permits a more unique touch in the appearance of your property.
3. Structurally, metal sheeting is significantly lighter than tiles.
4. Metal sheeting, when installed correctly with insulation blankets, offers better heat and sound transference performance than modern roof tiling
There are many misconceptions that about metal roofing, and one of the most common ones is that tiled roofs are quieter and cooler than metal sheeted roofs.
- Older tiled roofs that don’t have sarking are cooler than a metal roof by far due to the small gaps between each tile where it overlaps. These gaps allow the tiled roof to circulate air and remain cooler. However, modern tiled roofs with sarking remove the ability of the roof to circulate air and trap heat in the roof cavity, and require roof vents.
- Metal sheeted roofs often have an insulated roof blanket installed under the metal roof sheets. This usually varies from an R1.3 to an R1.5 rating, with options up to an R2.0 possible. This insulation blanket substantially reduces heat transference into the roof cavity from the warm metal roof materials in summer. The blanket also greatly reduces the noise transference of rain falling onto the roof.
5. Due to the manufacturing process of metal sheeting, there is rarely variation in product quality compared to roof tiles.
When considering your roofing material, it’s worth keeping in mind that roofing materials themselves may be subject to quality issues in the industry.
- Concrete tiles in particular tend to be rushed through the manufacturing process during peak building booms, like we are seeing now. These concrete tiles will tend to be more brittle and the longevity of the tiles will be much shorter than expected. This was demonstrated in the last building boom that started in 2017-2018, where now in 2023 we are seeing widespread failures and cracking in roof tiles that are only 5-7 years old!
- Terracotta/clay tiles tend to be more reliable for longevity, however these tiles do still show signs of being rushed through the manufacturing process and don’t seem to have the same quality as tiles that are manufactured more slowly during off-peak building seasons.
- Metal roofing due to its design and manufacturing process does not have this issue. There has never really been a noticeable difference in the quality of Genuine Colourbond products throughout the changes between peak and slower building seasons.
