Sudarsan Chakraborty

For the right protection of a home and a great appearance, a home owner must consider getting the right roof type for their home. For this to happen, one must choose from the many Roofing Shingles available and find one that will suit their needs and prevent ceiling leakage.

It is important, therefore, that one knows the different types of shingles, their benefits and uses.

Asphalt

These are made of asphalt material and are the most commonly used material for shingles. They are commonly used fin residential homes for what is now known as the slope roof. As technology has advanced, so have these shingles. Today, one can get many styles, sizes, shapes and colors.

Advantages

- They are very affordable
- They have a life expectancy of up to 50 years
- They are amongst the easiest roofing materials to install
- They come in a host of different colors and designs.

Cons

- One of the biggest problems with asphalt shingles is that they do not thrive in places where the climate changes drastically. They can do well in areas that are warm or cold but they will crack easily if the climate tends to change quickly.

- They are also weaker than most of the other roofing materials so they will be destroyed by hail storms and strong winds.

- They cannot be installed in low slope or flat roofs

Fiberglass

Fiberglass shingles are made of plastic backed by fine fibers of glass. The fiberglass is randomly laid and bonded with urea- formaldehyde resin. Then the fiberglass mat goes through a coating process. When coated with asphalt, the asphalt is mixed with various types of material fillers. The fillers give the shingle a waterproof characteristic, which is one of the characteristics that make it a shingle of choice for most homeowners. Fiberglass shingles are also fire resistant making then an even better choice for your home.

Benefits

- Waterproof
- Fire resistant
- Perfect for the modern home

Cons

- Are costly
- Require regular maintenance

Wood

Woods is amongst the very first roofing materials used for houses. They were a major inspiration for asphalt shingles. Most wood shingles are made from redwood, red cedar, pine and cypress trees.

Benefits

- When sown properly, wood shingles can outlive other cheap roofing materials. When not exposed to harsh weather conditions, they can last up to 30 years.
- They require little maintenance
- Cheaper than most roofing materials
- Wood is energy efficient

Cons

- Easy to catch fire
- Much harder to install
- Susceptible to termite damage

Metal

Because metal has been found to be very useful in a number of things around the home, manufacturers have also found a way of making it part of the roofing materials you could use for your home. since they are made of steel, they can replicate a number of different shapes. They can even be stone coated to make them more durable and captivating.

Benefits

- They are durable
- They are flexible
- They require less maintenance

Cons

- When not made of high quality steel they are prone to rusting
- They are light so they can be blown away but heavy wind