Basic information about standing seam roof

Option of choice folded roofis always present in a set considered for almost any building. There are many reasons for this, but on the whole it must be said that this is a fairly balanced solution. By all parameters, interesting and important for the customer.

But before talking about these parameters, and, consequently, the advantages and disadvantages of such a choice – a few words about the design itself.

Basic material for standing seam roofing – steel. Roll or sheet. Galvanized or polymer coated. Galvanized steel lasts 25-30 years. With a thickness of four and a half to seven millimeters, this material has excellent moisture insulating properties. With quite acceptable corrosion resistance. The polymer coating is actually a set of layers: steel, zinc, primer, protective paint on the inside and a polymer layer on the outside. It is clear that, in contrast to a conventional galvanized structure, this design has improved performance and a much more spectacular appearance. Galvanized steel can cost from five to ten dollars per square meter, copper – from sixty to eighty, zinc-titanium is slightly less: from fifty to seventy.

But in addition to steel, copper, aluminum, zinc-titanium alloy can also be used. Copper sheets imitate tiles, masonry. They can additionally be soldered during installation. In this case, the service life increases to one hundred years. Aluminum – up to eighty. Moreover, such a roof is especially resistant to sudden changes in temperature..

Separate sheets are connected (in our case, they have the name of the paintings) using a fold. Standing or lying, depending on the direction of the joint in space. Single or double, depending on the number of folds of the joined sheets. Standing double is the most sealed, and therefore moisture resistant. This is the unanimous opinion of experts, quite understandable and does not raise any questions. But is it necessary to always use this particular type of connection – this is really a question..
Seamed roof is installed in two stages. First, blanks for standing folds are made (marking, cutting, assembly). Then, already on the roof, the paintings are connected and attached to the crate.

The advantages of standing seam roofing

The undoubted advantages of a folded type roof include the following:

• high anti-corrosion resistance;
• long service life – in some cases, as we noted, up to a hundred years, but always at least twenty-five;
• low load on the supporting structure due to the relative lightness of the roof – one square meter weighs from three and a half to seven kilograms;
• interesting appearance, the possibility of using various colors or decorative options for the sheet;
• high smoothness of the surface, the absence of roughness on it allows water to drain very quickly from the roof during the rain, drying out after its end for a short time.

Disadvantages of seam roofing

However, there are disadvantages to standing seam roofing. Namely:

• the need for highly qualified installers; this can be a serious drawback, especially in cases where the customer does not show enough attention to this issue, and the contractor wants to save money and attracts not fully qualified performers to work;
• the previous one is adjoined or continues its demand for careful attitude to the material during work; it cannot be damaged, which means that in no case should it be walked on, knocked on, or in general cause any damage to the working surface; work cannot be carried out at temperatures below plus five degrees Celsius;
• insufficiently aesthetically advantageous appearance of a conventional galvanized sheet; we noted that copper and zinc-titanium sheets are much more interesting in this respect, but the cost of such material is much higher;
• during rain, strong noise is possible from drops hitting the roof; different customers treat this property of standing seam roofing differently, it is important to keep this in mind;
• the roofing material may show incompatibility with some types of wood, for example, larch or oak, here we again return to the qualifications and experience of carrying out such work on the part of the contractor;
• an electrostatic charge accumulates on a seam roof, therefore it is necessary to equip it with an appropriate device – a lightning rod.