Metal roofing styles and colors have become highly popular in recent years. Although it’s one of the more expensive roofing styles out there, it will last for decades and look good doing so. There are lots of different options for you if you’re considering a metal roof, so you can get one that fits in with your home’s style. Here’s what’s available to you and how you can use it on your home.
Metal Roofing Styles
When choosing a metal roof, you’ll soon see that they come in a huge array of styles. With so many available to you, there’s going to be something that fits in with the architectural style of your building. Here are some of the most common options available to you right now.
Standing seam: This is the most common option you’ll see when looking into metal roofs. These are large panels with lines where the panels interlock. It’s a simple look, which allows it to blend in with a wide array of housing styles. Those panels are held in place with hidden clips, which allow them to move.
Shake: This metal roofing comes in panels, much as a standing seam roof does, but is molded and painted to look like shake tiles. Modern shake roofs look highly realistic, so you can get the look of shake with the benefits of a metal roof. Many homeowners go for it as real shake roofs require a lot of upkeep, which metal won’t.
Slate: This is another metal substitute for another roofing material. Slate roofs look amazing, but they’re expensive and heavy. If you’re concerned about the weight putting pressure on your roof, you can instead go for a metal version. It’s lighter and installs much faster than real slate.
Shingle: Want the look of Victorian shingle, but want up-to-date roofing techniques? You can have both with metal shingle roofs. They can be made in a variety of colors and have just the look of shingles without the hassle. They’re also installed in panels, making them easier and faster to get put into place.
Tile: Metal roofs can also imitate the look of clay tiles, something that many people are looking into now. Metal is so much easier to install than tile, as well as being lighter and much more robust. The metal ’tiles’ are given a PVDF finish and are embossed, so they’re indistinguishable from real clay.
Metal Roofing Finishes
There are several different finishes you can choose from for your metal roof. These are all applied in the factory, and they will help the roof in better condition for longer.
These include finishes such as PVDF, which is used to make a roof more UV resistant. That avoids fading and chalking, which is when you get a fine powdery residue on the roof.
There’s also SMP, which is used on less expensive metal roofs. This allows you to cover color defects with a warranty of around 25 years. However, you will see fading in around 10 years.
If you’re not sure which finish to go for, you can always talk to your roofer and see what they recommend.
Metal Roofing Colors
Now that you’ve chosen the style of your metal roof, you’ll need to pick a color. There’s more choice than you’d realize for this roofing material, so you have more options for making your roof unique. Here are a few options you have if you’re looking at installing a metal roof.
White: If you live in an area where you get a lot of sun, then this is going to be the option for you. A white roof will be much better at reflecting heat, and that means you won’t have to use as much energy cooling your home in the summer months. Not only will you save money, but it will be much more eco friendly, too.
To help the white roof blend in with the rest of the house, you can try pairing it with white trim and decorative details.
Blue: If you want to go with a blue roof, a good way of doing so is to use three different colors spaced apart from each other on the color wheel. For example, a blue roof, along with cream yellow stucco and red brick, all work very well together. This color often looks good on metal shingle roofs.
Red: A white house can have any color of roof, and it will be bound to look good. If you’re looking for the right color, then red could be the option for you. Keep it simple, with just red and white on the exterior of the home, and it will feel fresh and vibrant.
Green: A green metal roof will often work well on a country style home. Add it to a home with gambrel roofs, field stone exteriors, and wood trim, and it’s going to look amazing. While the farmhouse look is something that harkens back to a bygone era, it’s one that’s very much on trend these days.
Adding Snow Guards
If you’re in a cold climate, it’s worth considering snow guards for your metal roof. A metal roof is good for snow, as it doesn’t allow snow to stick to it for long. However, you don’t want large sheets of snow to slide off and flatten the shrubbery beneath it. That’s where snow guards come in.
These are designed to hold the whole mass of snow back, allowing it to melt over time. These can be rails that are installed around the edge of the roof or guards, which are small plates that stick up a few inches above the roofing. They can both be used to keep the pathways around the house safe and free of snow.
There’s a lot to consider when planning to install a metal roof. They come in so many styles and colors; you’ll be able to pick something that really makes your home stand out. Use this guide to help you find the look that you want for your new metal roof.
