How To Choose The Best Lexington Roofing Material For Your Building If you happen to need a new roof, there are many Lexington roofing companies that will be happy to accommodate you. Presently, there are a variety of roofing options on the market so it may be difficult to know which style would work best for your home.

Roof choices range from asphalt shingles to wood shakes and clay tiles, from steel panels to rubber look-alike slate. Most homes in America have the standard three-tab asphalt shingle. Three-tab shingles are one of the least expensive roofing options that come in a variety of solid and blended colors.

They are usually guaranteed 20 to 30 years so the longevity of them makes them a good value but the downside is they are very common. An upgrade from the standard three-tab shingle is the thicker architectural shingle. They are approximately twice as thick with layers that are staggered to give them a heavier, more substantial or architectural look. Depending on the chosen color they can look like slate or wood shakes. These usually have up to a 30-year guarantee.

Another roofing option is shingles or shakes. After a period of time they wash out to gray or soft silver. Generally, Western Red Cedar, Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Easter White Cedar are used. They are pretty smooth and cut to a uniform thickness though the width varies. Wood shakes are thicker and rougher, being split rather than sawn from the logs. Wood roofs are meant to breathe and should be laid over a substrate that allows air to circulate behind them.

The wood strips or battens are nailed directly to the roof rafters, which is the traditional method of installing a wood shingle roof. Another method of getting air circulation behind the shingles is to lay them on pressure-treated lattice. Although shingles and shakes are expensive to install and do require some periodic maintenance they look great. Maintenance usually involves washing to remove any mildew or moss, and then re-oiling with a clear wood finishing product. A properly installed and maintained wood roof should last at least 30 to 50 years.

Metal roofs, using corrugated, galvanized sheets are cheap, rugged, long lasting and easy to install. Fortunately, in terms of products available, there is much to choose from between the galvanized low-end and the copper high-end. There is a variety of powder-coated steel roof systems on the market; some very cost-effective variations on the galvanized sheet-steel theme while others are factory-built standing-seam roofs that need to be installed by a roofing contractor. Another variation commercially available nationwide is an interlocking copper shingle. Generally, a properly installed metal roof should last you at least 50 years.

Barrel shaped ceramic tiles look like half cylinders approximately 16 inches long. Tile roofs are quite heavy, so the roof framing must be strong enough to support the load. Waterproofing is achieved by laying a membrane directly on the roof sheathing then the clay tiles are laid one by one in a pad of mortar.

Tiles turned upside down form a trough, which is then covered by tiles laid right side up. The whole process is quite labor intensive, which makes an authentic tile roof quite expensive – about three times the cost of a standard three-tab shingle job. In addition to barrel tiles there are many varieties of clay roof tiles; some are shaped like thick shingles, some like slates. A high-quality tile will be hard-fired and will not absorb moisture that could fracture the tile when frozen and are good for northern climates. All high-quality tile roofs are expensive but in the long run the most expensive might be the most cost effective, since you can expect to get 60 to 80 years or even more out of a well installed tile roof.