In the 1950's aluminum became a popular roofing materials in areas where snowfall was heavy. unlike the asphalt roofing which tended to hold the snow until the pile was heavy enough to slide off, aluminum shed the snow when the pack was lighter thus saving the roof from compression and even failure. The only problem with aluminum was that the snow on the bottom usually turned to ice because of the heat from the inside of the home. This pack could slide off unexpectedly causing injury to whomever was below it.
The early aluminum roofs were installed in sheets that stretched from the peak to the eave and were joined by a vertical, raised seam. The color was the basic metallic color and there were no other options. In addition they were susceptible to stripping off in heavy winds.
Today, aluminum has come a long way from the bland metallic look. Powder coating techniques and vinyl coatings have allowed a myriad of colors to adorn roofs, hues which have built-in, ultra-violet protection against fading. Fading used to plague the early generations of aluminum siding.
In addition to the sheeting aluminum roofing also comes in shingle form which interlock other on all four sides. This forms a single bond of strong roofing which can withstand hurricane-force winds. In addition, the new aluminum shingles is primed with 2 layers and then the final paint coat is baked onto the aluminum.
Another advantage is that the roofing can go right over old asphalt so that the old surface becomes part of the substrate of the new roof. This saves carting the shingles to the landfill.
A new do-it-yourself kit is available for the handy homeowners where you can d this yourself. This is a great opportunity to save money because the interlocking shingle industry ran on specialized crews who installed the product and the cost was 4 times what a normal roof did. This does not mean that the D-I-Y product is cheap but even twice the price is great for a roof that will last a lifetime.
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