Corrugated Roofing Material Advantages

Corrugating roofing has come a long way since its introduction, in terms of what types of buildings it is used on. With its initial introduction it was used mainly on agricultural buildings. Today, however, with the wide variety of corrugated roofing material choices it is used on residential, commercial, and agricultural buildings. The main reasons for its success are its low cost, ease of installation, longevity, and light weight. Aesthetically it has also made tremendous strides.

Many of today’s corrugated roofing materials look nothing like their early predecessors. Also, due to its light weight it can be installed directly over other roofing products such as asphalt shingles thus making many re-roofing projects easier and cheaper. Fiberglass corrugated roofing also offers the additional advantage of being somewhat transparent thus allowing some sunlight to enter the roof of the building. This has been an extremely useful benefit for agricultural building structures since many of them do not have electrical lighting.

Traditionally one of the most popular corrugated roofing materials has been metal roofing. Corrugated metal roofing is available in many gauges and can be purchased with either a painted or galvanized protective coating finish. Galvanized corrugated metal roofing is made from carbon steel sheets that are electro-plated and hot-dipped with a Zinc coating. The Zinc coating is applied to both sides of the product to completely encapsulate and insulate the steel from the weather elements. When new, galvanized corrugated metal roofing has a shiny silver surface.

Over time, as the galvanized metal corrugated roofing ages, the surface will acquire a slightly dusty white oxide like appearance. The oxidation actually acts as a protective layer for preventing the corrugated metal from additional decay and discoloration. In the 1930’s, the initial introduction of fiberglass corrugated roofing panels was pretty much limited to green, white, or clear. Today, fiberglass corrugated roofing panels come in a wide variety of colors, as well as sizes and thicknesses. One of the main advantages of fiberglass over other corrugate roofing material types is the fact that it is translucent or transparent, and thus does not block sunlight from entering a building. This makes it ideal for covering barns, sheds, greenhouses, decks and patios. Another early-on advantage of fiberglass corrugated roofing was the fact that it wouldn’t rust. As a result, a fiberglass corrugated roof could last 30 to 40 years with little to no maintenance.

Fiberglass is also flexible and easy to cut, making it ideal for nearly any type of roofing project and simplifying installation. The only real negatives with using fiberglass corrugated roofing are that they are susceptible to wind damage and cracking caused by objects falling on them. The main reason for these negatives is due to its very light weight.

So if you’re looking for an inexpensive roofing product that is both durable and attractive, contact a few corrugated roofing manufacturers to see what they have that might meet your specific needs. Then choose a roofing contractor to install it. Preferably choose a roofing contractor who comes recommended by the manufacturer of the specific corrugated roofing material you chose.