Which is better - ondulin or corrugated board: comparison of roofing materials in 6 parameters

Greetings, comrades! Today we have to find out which roofing material is better - ondulin or profiled sheet. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of materials by comparing them on several key parameters. But first, a brief introduction to them.

What it is

Ondulin

Ondulin, also known as euroslate (flexible slate), is made on the basis of ordinary cellulose cardboard impregnated with bitumen and heat-resistant resins. Mineral pigments are responsible for coloring.

The name comes from the French company of the same name, which launched the production of the material more than half a century ago; however, in our country, ondulin appeared much later - in the mid-90s.

profiled sheet

The basis of the material is corrugated steel sheet. A wave height of 20 to 80 mm provides transverse rigidity of the roofing material. Black steel is not friendly with moisture, so it is protected by a single-layer or multi-layer anti-corrosion coating.

Coverage can be:

• Zinc;

Galvanized profiled sheet is used mainly for the construction of temporary fences, as roofs for warehouses and industrial buildings. In private construction, it is unpopular: the owner of the house wants to choose the color of the roof, but the zinc coating does not leave such an opportunity.

• Polymer over the zinc layer. The painted polymer layer provides additional protection against mechanical damage, corrosion and improves the appearance of the material.

forehead to forehead

Expenses

The first question that arises when choosing a roof: what is cheaper? Here are the prices relevant for Sevastopol in March 2017:

Image	Material, description, price
	Ondulin "Smart" of Russian production (thickness 3 mm, wave height 36 mm). The cost of ondulin for a sheet measuring 1.95x0.95 m is 408 rubles (200 r / m2).
	profiled sheet C8 produced in the Volgograd region of the Russian Federation (thickness 0.5 mm, wave height 8 mm): 305 rubles per square meter

The profiled sheet is clearly losing the price war. Let's see if the higher costs of this material are justified.

Durability

What is the service life of corrugated board and ondulin?

• Most flexible slate manufacturers promise at least 40 years of service;
• The profiled sheet, according to the sellers, has been serving for 50 years. Taking into account the average life expectancy, this means that you do not have to close the house again in both cases.

As usual, there are several subtleties:

1. The manufacturer of the same ondulin "Smart" gives a guarantee for its water resistance of only 15 years, subject to the installation technology;
2. Inexpensive ondulin quickly fades in the sun, changing color to a more faded one;
3. The actual service life of a profiled steel sheet is highly dependent on the thickness of the zinc layer. It is on it that manufacturers save in the first place, trying to surpass the price of competitors;

4. Abrasive cutting of profiled sheet violates its protection against corrosion, and the edges begin to rust.

I would call this situation parity. It is impossible to identify a clear leader: the life of the roof depends on a lot of secondary factors.

Strength

Now let's find out which is better in terms of strength. The roof will have to withstand snow loads and strong winds. With dense buildings, the situation is aggravated by the fact that a piece of slate or another massive object can always fly from a neighbor's roof onto yours.

Formally, for our old friend - Euro-slate "Smart" - it is stated:

• Max snow load — up to 960 kg/m2;
• Maximum wind speed - up to 175 km / h.

For the profiled sheet, the relevant data is not provided by manufacturers and sellers. Wherein:

1. Winds at speeds over 117 km/h are characterized by the Beaufort scale as a hurricane. They are characterized by extensive destruction, including damage to buildings and uprooted trees;
2. Snow load on a horizontal surface throughout the country does not exceed 600 kg per square meter. Meanwhile, a roof covered with ondulin will, by definition, be pitched: the material does not provide for waterproofing the seams.

It seems that we can safely award the victory to the Euroslate ... However, let's think a little more.

• The mechanical strength of the steel sheet obviously exceeds the strength of cardboard impregnated with bitumen. For example, an ondulin fence can stop, except perhaps small pets trying to emigrate to their neighbors. A profiled sheet fence stands around my yard, has good anti-vandal properties and has been performing its functions perfectly for several years;

• Both materials are capable of withstanding the extreme snow and wind load declared for Euroslate when laid on a continuous crate;
• At negative temperatures, bitumen becomes brittle. A fall of slate from a nearby roof in the winter winds will end the ondulin leaf's career once and for all. The corrugated roof will get off with a dent.

Outcome: the winner is a professional sheet.

Delivery

What material is easier to bring from a store or from a building materials base?

In this case, the advantages and disadvantages are directly related to the size and weight of the sheet: less is better. And according to this parameter, the metal is clearly a loser:

• Ondulin with dimensions of 1.95x0.95 m, it weighs about 6 kg;
• profiled sheet with a standard sheet width of 1200 mm, it has a length of up to 6 meters, while a linear meter of the lightest sheet C8 with a thickness of 0.4 mm weighs 3.87 kg.

Installation

But with roofing work, the pros and cons change places: the larger the sheet, the fewer joints, the faster the roof will be installed. Here, the large length of corrugated sheets is very handy: in most cases, it allows you to block the roof slope without longitudinal overlaps.

A couple more arguments in favor of metal:

1. Less cost for crate;

Image	Description
	Lathing under the profiled sheet. To cover the roof with corrugated metal of minimum thickness (0.4-0.5 mm), the boards must be laid in increments of about 30 cm. The greater the thickness of the metal and the higher the wave, the greater the allowable step of the crate.
	Ondulin crate. To cover the roof with euroslate, it is recommended to assemble a solid plank shield with minimal gaps.

2. It is possible to fasten with self-tapping screws to the bottom of the wave: the tightness of the fasteners is ensured by rubber press washers. Ondulin can only be fastened to the top of the wave and only with roofing nails, which makes the fastening less durable.

Noise

Ondulin is almost silent, but the profiled sheet makes a noticeable noise in the rain. Fact. If the noise of drops bothers you, the instruction is obvious: your choice is euroslate.

However, with high-quality roof insulation and closed windows with sealed double-glazed windows, the noise inside the living space is reduced to barely audible.

conclusions

What conclusions the dear reader will draw from a comparison of materials is up to him to decide. For me, the main argument against Euroslate was the shortcomings associated with strength: ondulin was rejected, and the roof of the attic was covered with a profiled sheet.

As usual, you can learn additional materials by watching the video in this article. Feel free to share your own experience in the comments. Good luck, comrades!

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