Now building technologies for roofing are developing quite quickly, although old materials and technologies are still popular among customers and builders.
How to cover the roof of the house is determined not only by the desire of the owner of the house, but also depends on the shape of the roof itself. When you look at the house from the side of the street, most often only the roof of the house is visible, so it is better when it is not only multifunctional and durable, but also beautiful.
The main influences of the external environment fall on the roof, namely on the roof.
Therefore, when choosing what is better to cover the roof of a house, keep in mind that the roofing material must have such basic properties as:
- resistance to temperature changes;
- durability;
- reliable waterproofing;
- resistance to ultraviolet;
- ease and economy in installation;
- convenience and economy in operation;
- reliability;
- safety and fire safety;
- color variety;
- acceptable cost.
The service life of any roofing can be affected by certain factors:
- roof pitch;
- solar Activity;
- daily and annual temperature fluctuations;
- the presence of chemically aggressive substances in the atmosphere and in precipitation.
To your attention! What is the best way to cover the roof? Different coatings require different truss structures, so the weight of the roofing materials must be taken into account when choosing a coating.
All of them differ in appearance, size, according to the principle of the formation of a waterproofing layer.
Now, in order to figure out the better to cover the roof of the house, we will analyze some types of materials in more detail.
Sheet roofing is currently the most common roofing in non-industrial construction. Its popularity is due to the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of installation, which allows you to do all the work yourself.
What is the best way to close the roof with an appropriate truss system? We list the main materials for organizing the roof:
Slate (asbestos cement sheets)
Slate is a corrugated sheet of roofing material made from asbestos-cement and Portland-cement mortar, which has durability and fragility at the same time.
The size of these sheets is standardized - the length is always 1750 mm, and the width can vary from 980 to 1130. The thickness of the sheet is up to eight millimeters. The pitch of the waves is 150 or 200 mm, and the height of the waves is 40 or 54 mm.
Advantages of asbestos-cement slate (Footnote 1):
- Due to its hardness, slate usually withstands the weight of a person, unlike soft roofing materials (for example, roofing material).
- Little heating in sunny weather. Other materials, such as metal tiles and corrugated boards, can get very hot.
- Durability.
- Non-combustible
- Easily processed with mechanical tools.
- Does not corrode, unlike metal coatings.
- It has good electrical insulating properties.
- Low noise, unlike a metal roof, during rain and hail.
- Cheaper than most other roofing materials.
- Slate roofing can be repaired by replacing individual failed sheets with new ones.
Previously, the big disadvantage of asbestos-cement sheets was the discoloration during the first year of use, it quickly became dirty due to the porous surface, but now modern slate manufacturing technologies allow asbestos-cement sheets to be painted in any color.
Painting not only improves the appearance, but also increases the durability of slate up to fifty years.
Tip! If you ask yourself the question - how to cover the roof of the barn, then slate will be the best answer to it. The slate roof has, perhaps, the best ratio of efficiency and durability, which for simple outbuildings is decisive when choosing.
When buying asbestos-cement sheets, pay attention to the absence of through and surface cracks, holes, shells, dents and various inclusions. The edge of the sheet should be evenly cut and not have delaminations.
Galvanized steel and aluminum sheets
Galvanized steel and aluminum sheets are durable and at the same time are not fragile roofing material. The sheets are connected to each other with the help of folds. This type of connection is performed by creating special bends.
There are 4 types of seam connections: single standing seam, single lying seam, standing double seam, double lying seam.
The crate for a metal roof is made with a frequent step or solid.
This type of roof is divided into three more types: galvanized (the most durable with a service life of up to thirty years), non-galvanized, pickled (with a slight etching of the upper layer of the material).
The main advantages of this type of roofing are in the low mass of the roofing, as well as in the possibility of using it on roofs with a small slope. The main disadvantages are low durability and not very aesthetic appearance.
When buying, pay attention to the fact that the roofing sheets are strictly rectangular in shape, have a smooth surface with a certain crystallization pattern of the zinc coating, which is formed during hot-dip galvanizing.
Aluminum is more durable than galvanized steel, but also significantly more expensive. Aluminum is virtually unaffected by corrosion, so aluminum-coated roofs last eighty years or more.
Metal seam roofing is one of the best answers to the question of how to cover the roof of a house.
The disadvantages of the material are:
- noise during heavy rain or hail;
- poor protection against heat and cold due to the high thermal conductivity of the source material.
metal tile
Metal roof is a roofing material based on a profiled sheet of galvanized steel, imitating tiles with its profile. The metal tile is treated with an anti-corrosion coating and painted with special paints. The service life of metal roofing is the same as that of metal roofs.
The metal tile is characterized by the following advantages (Footnote 2):
- Durability. Warranty for metal roofing up to 35 years, for composite - up to 50 years.
- Aesthetic appearance, exquisite style. The material is represented by a wide color palette and a large selection of profiles.
- Tightness. The metal tile differs in high accuracy of geometry of joints.
- Corrosion resistance. Zinc layer and polymer coating prevent corrosion. This material is weather resistant.
- UV resistant.
- High strength. Such material is resistant to mechanical stress, wind and snow loads.
- Light weight. Metal tiles are several times lighter than natural ones. This significantly reduces the load on the roof truss system.
- Easy to install, easy to transport and maintain. In the process of installation work, special expensive equipment is not required. Installation can be done independently according to special instructions.
- Attractive price per sheet.
The disadvantages of metal roofing are the same as for metal roofing.
Euroslate (ondulin, bitumen-cardboard roofing)
Euroslate is a pressed corrugated cardboard impregnated with bituminous mastic under high pressure.
The outer surface of euroslate is painted with special paints in several layers, which increase its durability up to thirty years of operation. Ondulin compares favorably with its low cost, low specific gravity and ease of installation.
The main disadvantage is the low mechanical strength. Due to the small mass, the euroslate also quite loudly transmits the sound of large drops and hailstones on the roof.
mastic roofing
Mastic roofing (it is also membrane or bulk) is a polymer film that is applied directly to the prepared roof surface.
Such coatings are also called liquid rubber roofing. Indeed, the mastic, applied to the roof with a thin layer, resembles a rubber coating in its characteristics.
The advantages of mastic roofs are:
- solidity of the coating, which guarantees excellent waterproofing;
- high heat resistance (retains its properties from minus forty to plus one hundred Celsius);
- resistance to ultraviolet radiation. In addition, since only a thin layer of mastic is applied to the base, the actual roofing has a very low specific gravity.
Tip! If you have a problem with how to repair a roof with small cracks or minor damage, then mastic films are perfect for small and medium roof repairs.
Are you wondering what to fill the roof with? Of course, polymer mastics for the roof.
Roll roofing
Roll roofing is a layer of bitumen applied to a cardboard or fabric base.The most famous representatives of this type are ordinary roofing felt and roofing felt. More modern - stekloizol or glassine.
Stekloizol and other synthetic-based roll materials have high frost and heat resistance.
Roll coatings based on synthetic fabrics are more durable.
The laying method is very simple - roofing material is laid on the prepared leveled surface in several layers, each of which is spilled with liquid bitumen.
At the joints of the material tape, they are additionally melted or glued. From above, roll roofing is often sprinkled with various mixtures to increase its mechanical resistance.
How to fill a roof with a rolled roof? Often fine gravel or coarse sand is used for this.
Wondering how to close the roof of the house?
One of the good options for roofs of any type is rolled standard roofing.
The soft roof is assembled from bituminous tiles. This tile is a fiberglass or polymer fabric coated with bitumen-polymer mixtures. On the underside, the tiles are covered with a self-adhesive layer, thanks to which the installation of such a roof is available to anyone who knows how to glue wallpaper or lay linoleum.
The advantage of soft roofs, in addition to the amazing ease of installation, is the widest range of colors, high durability, excellent hydro and thermal resistance, good sound insulation and low cost.
As well as roll coatings, shingles can be covered with gravel from above.
Type-setting roof
The type-setting roof is assembled from individual elements (typed), stacked on a frequent crate. These elements are traditional ceramic tiles or slate tiles known for thousands of years.
Now ceramics on the roof is one of the best roofing in terms of its properties - excellent appearance, the highest durability (more than a hundred years of service), of the disadvantages inherent in ceramic tiles, the most serious are two:
- tiled roofing has the highest specific gravity and requires a high-strength truss frame;
- tile is one of the most expensive roofing materials.
Slate roofs are also very durable, but the complexity of their installation and subsequent maintenance is holding back their spread.
We hope that this article helped you make a decision on a rather serious issue - how to cover the roof when building or repairing your house.
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