Why a Polycarbonate Roof is Better Than a Metal Roof

1 October 2015

Eugene Vargas

You can roof your house using metallic roofing materials or you can roof it with polycarbonate sheets. Many more options exist and it may be daunting to pick the best. This article discusses why a polycarbonate roof may be better than a metallic roof.

Flexibility

Polycarbonate sheets are not affected by temperature changes. They can expand when it is hot, and then contract when temperatures drop. This expansion and contraction will not affect their composition in the same way that metal roofs can be affected. For instance, metal roofs can be damaged as they rub against the shingles underneath them during the expansion/contraction cycle.

Lightweight

Polycarbonate sheets are very light. This means that they do not need a very elaborate roofing system to anchor them. This lowers the cost of installing these sheets. They are more affordable to install when compared to metal sheets that require specialized installers to design a support structure that will cope with the weight of the metal roofing sheets. The polycarbonate sheets can also be used for a variety of roofing needs such as roofing a greenhouse. This is because the structure of the greenhouse won't be overburdened by the weight of these plastic sheets.

Easy to Maintain

Polycarbonate roofs are very easy to maintain. For instance, you can use soapy water and a garden hose to clean them periodically (twice a year, for example). Metallic roofs require more intense maintenance. For instance, the metal roof has to be re-coated with anti-corrosion paint/coating in order to keep rust at bay. This makes the total cost of ownership of a metal roof to be much higher than that of a polycarbonate roof.

Better Insulation

Polycarbonate sheets provide much better insulation than metallic roofs. This is because polycarbonate sheets are plastic and are poorer conductors of heat when compared to metal roofing materials. The insulation capacity of metal roofs can be improved by giving them a special coating to reflect heat, but the owner of a polycarbonate roof does not have to incur that additional cost.

Hire a polycarbonate roofing contractor, such as those at KFC Roofing Supplies Pty Ltd, to install your roof. Such a person will be in a position to implement additional precautionary measures necessary in your area. For instance, he/she may use extra button screws at the bottom of all polycarbonate sheets if you live in an area that experiences weather extremes. Those extra button screws will protect the lower edges of the sheets from being damaged by wind during extreme weather.

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