Deciding between popular asphalt shingles and metal roofing can be challenging because they both have many advantages. Whether you are building a new home or re-roofing your current one, your choice of roofing material will impact your property’s looks, how your roof performs over the years, and more.
Read on to discover some critical factors to consider when sizing up two top choices in roofing materials—asphalt shingles and metal roofing.
All About Asphalt Shingles
The most popular roofing material in America for decades, asphalt roof shingles offer affordable, attractive roofing for your home. These shingles are delivered to your property in sheets or stacks and are uniform in their looks. A reputable team of professionals (like ours!) nails them into wooden framed roofing by layering and staggering them from your roof’s lowest point to its highest one.
Asphalt shingles are effective and affordable, making them a favorite among newly constructed homes and roof replacements. They are easy to install, and contractors are accustomed to working with them.
There are three types of asphalt shingles:
- 3-tab – These are the most basic of the three options.
- Dimensional – These asphalt shingles offer an attractive random pattern or mimic the look of a wood shake roof. These are the most commonly used asphalt shingles.
- Luxury – Premium luxury asphalt shingles are larger than the other two options and mimic the sophisticated look of slate.
A Look at Metal Roofing
Trendy metal roofing arrives at your home in large flat sheets. Metal roofing is costly to manufacture and install, but it’s a favorite due to its seam design. With it, seams interlock and fasteners hold the metal to your roof frame delivering strength and durability to your roofing system. The seams allow the metal panels to expand and contract freely when the roofing heats up. They don’t need much maintenance and last decades, but their initial price is higher compared to asphalt.
Metal roofing is much heavier than asphalt shingles, making it challenging to install and increasing the labor cost of your new roof. Also, (since it’s so heavy) if your home’s load-bearing capacity can’t take the weight of metal roofing, it’s not an option.
Metal roofing is popular (now) and quite trendy, but it will last decades even if its trendiness doesn’t. So if you choose it, you better love it in case it goes out of style as fast as it came in.
Maintenance Comparison
Once your new roof is installed, it’s essential to keep it well-maintained so you can enjoy it for its whole lifespan.
Asphalt Shingles
Over time, asphalt roofing shingles can become damaged from constant exposure to the elements, including severe weather. Have your asphalt roof inspected at least once a year to prevent problems. And do a visual inspection yourself every spring and fall as well as after any major storms pass through your area.
Metal Roofing
Once a metal roof is installed, it doesn’t need much maintenance over its lifespan. But the slope or angle of your roof is part of the equation, and who installs your roof is also another vital part. Metal roofing is tough to repair due to the nature of the material, your climate, and the type of metal roofing you had installed. Be aware that corrosion and other problems can occur if a subpar product is installed.
Cost Comparison
Regardless of the material you choose, a new roof is a significant investment. It’s essential to look at the roof’s initial price, its longevity, and the maintenance it will require.
Asphalt Shingles
Affordable asphalt shingles deliver a price point comfortable for homeowners throughout America.
Metal Roofing
This trendy roofing material costs more to manufacture than asphalt shingles and more to install. As a result, metal roofing can be more than double the price of asphalt shingles per square foot.
Lifespan Comparison
Knowing how many years you can expect from your new roof should be factored into your decision when choosing which material will work best for your home.
Asphalt Shingles
Dimensional asphalt shingles are durable, lasting typically 25-30 years when well maintained and properly installed.
Metal Roofing
The lifespan of a standing-seam metal roof is 50 years when it is well-maintained and installed by a team of professionals. If you’re not in your forever home, then the extra 20 years a metal roof provides won’t matter to you. If you are in your forever home, a metal roof may work well for you because it is so low maintenance.
Warranty Comparison
Warranties protect your roof in case it has problems down the road.
You should have warranties on your roofing material and your roofing contractor’s labor when you have a new roof installed. Note: a workmanship warranty is just as vital as a manufacturer’s warranty. Ask your roofing contractor about the workmanship warranty before hiring them.
Asphalt Shingles
Popular Dimensional Asphalt Shingles come with a 30-year warranty for the materials. If your contractor uses all of one manufacturer’s materials rather than a variety of company’s materials, you should qualify for an enhanced warranty that adds up to two decades of coverage!
Metal Roofing
These durable panels don’t offer an enhanced warranty, but they come with a 30-year paint warranty that covers the protective coating on your metal roofing.
Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal with an Attractive New Roof
At Best Choice Roofing, we install high-quality roofing that lasts. With over 60,000 roofing projects under our belt, you can trust our skilled team to install your roof precisely, delivering high performance for its lifespan. You’ll get peace of mind knowing that your home is well protected from harsh weather and extreme temperatures.
Owens Corning recognizes us as one of the top 1% of roofing contractors in the U.S.
Learn more about our roofing services.
