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TOPIC: Product Selection

Pros versus Cons for Metal Roofing Companies

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We are looking at replacing a 22 year old tile roof in South Florida. . The tiles are pretty beat up with 75% of them being loose. We are trying to compare 3 different products: Metro/Roman, Gerard, and Decra/Villa. On the surface, these products seem very similar. 120 mph rating for Wind, Class A Fire Resistance, great warranties; one of the builder uses Gerard and the other is offering Metro and Decra. What criteria should we consider when comparing these products? We want a product that will stand up to hurricanes and hail. Hopefully, the products will save in cooling costs. How do you know which product will stand up to our environment?
Wayne Carson

7/19/2011
First of all, thank you for considering metal. Metro and Gerard are both members of the Metal Roofing Alliance. It is hard for me to make distinctions between those products as I do not know all the subtle nuances. I would encourage you to call each manufacturer and ask them for their comparison to the others. You may also want to discuss their warranties, what they cover, and how they would handle a claim should one ever occur. Verify that their warranties are valid based upon how close you may be to the ocean. Aesthetics may play a big role in your decision. Go out and look at jobs of each product and see what you like best. I would encourage you to compare the different contractors carefully. Look at jobs they have done and talk to customers. Ask about the experience of their crews. Try to meet their crew if you're even so inclined. Ask for a copy of the workmanship warranty provided by each contractor and compare those closely as well. I will say that you may be at a point where product comparison is not as critical as contractor / installer comparison. I hope this helps. Todd Miller
Todd Miller
Isaiah Industries, Inc.

7/20/2011
Let me start off with saying, Todd is right. The most important part of your decision is the contractor or more importantly the actual installer(s). Check past and present jobs. Talk to their customers. Once you have found the contractor you want, ask him to install the product you want. Most contractors who install these types of roofs can install any of the profiles . All and all, the three products you mentioned and other like them are made the same. They are press formed from No. 26 gage, aluminum-zinc coated steel. They are primmer coated, then coated with an acrylic to bond the stone to the steel. There are two design classifications, batten and batten-less. The batten-less design is a direct to deck (solid sheeting) application while the batten design is installed by creating a grid system consisting of 1x4’s and 2x2’s. (Most manufactures say you can install their batten designs batten-less, I do not recommend this. The batten design is an exposed fastener system, designed to be installed on a batten. You want the fastener to be facing up hill, attaching to the 2x2’s, not at a downward angle, trying to hit the solid sheeting. Remember, for the most part, water runs down hill and finds all holes.) As far as the profiles go, the more corrugation pressed into the panel the stronger it will be. That being said, the shake designs will take the impact from hail better than the barrel designs, but you are not going to get the same look. Hope this helps and good luck.
Guest User

7/20/2011
+2 The most well engineered roof is going to leak and look like crap if a hack put it on. Do your research on the front end and be sure to invest the time as this is a significant investment for the life of the home. Eric Novotny
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!

7/22/2011

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