When it’s time to replace your old shingle roof many home owners are now choosing metal roofing instead of traditional shingles. There are many styles and colors to choose from and that attracts lots of home owners. But metal roofing covering your old shingle roof may not be a good idea. We’ll break down some of the advantages and disadvantages of using metal roofing over shingle roofs in this article.
Should You Cover Your Existing Shingles with Metal Roofing?
Going from a regular shingle roof to a metal roofing system is not something that should be taken lightly. There are many disadvantages and advantages of using metal roofing instead of shingle roofs. There are also some differences in styles that you may want to consider as well.
Advantages of Metal Roofing over Shingle Roofing
One of the most common advantages that many home owners talk about when getting a metal roof installed is the styles that are available. Metal roofing comes in all sorts of styles that you can choose from. Although the most popular is the standard seamed roof there are other styles that can mimic slate roofs as well. They are however only a single color for styled roofs and do not appear to have depth in most cases.
Another advantage is the colors that are available in metal roofing. You can choose from standard colors such as hunter green or red to some not so standard colors such as yellow. This sort of choice can help make you home more unique looking but it may cause problems matching what’s already on your home. Of course, you can always choose a neutral color like gray or black.
Just like shingle roofs, metal roofing is designed to last for decades. Once it’s installed you should only need to do minimal maintenance to keep it protecting your home. And one thing that metal roofs have that shingle roofs don’t have is the ability to wash them with a pressure washer. A metal roof can be sprayed with a pressure washer in some cases which can help to remove any dirt or debris that is accumulated on the roofing. Although it’s advisable that home owners only hire professionals to do this as it can become extremely dangerous.
Some of the Disadvantages of Using Metal Roofing over Shingle Roofing
As you can see from above there are many advantages to using metal roofing. But, most of these advantages can be for standard metal roofs, not just for roofs that are initially covered in shingles. This section of the article is more focused on what the disadvantages of using metal roofing over shingles will be.
One huge disadvantage of using metal roofing is that is can really bring out problem areas in your roof. Dips, sags, and uneven spots on your roof will be exaggerated with metal roofing. And if you had missing shingles they will be much more visible as well. Even if your roof looked even before with shingles it can look much different with metal roofing.
In hard rain storms you may want to visit someone who has a metal roof. Some people say the sound of hard rain on their roofs is calming and relaxing. While others say it’s like cats on a chalkboard irritating. It’s best to visit someone you know that has a metal roof to determine if you like the sound or not.
Another disadvantage you may have when covering a shingle roof with metal roofing is that the metal roofing may not attach properly in some areas because of underlying damage. Since the shingle roof is left on in some cases there may be damage to underlying boards that are not visible or noticeable. A great way to combat this is by getting the old shingle roof removed before the metal is attached to better inspect the roof sheeting below.
So Are Metal Roofs Better?
The choice is up to you. As you can see there are advantages and disadvantages to both and only you will be able to weigh the different options. Take a look at some of the metal roofing that is installed on homes in your area to help you determine if it’s a good fit for your home. Remember you can always replace shingle roofs with new shingle roof instead of metal roofing.
