Historic Metal Roof Types

When you hear the phrase metal roof your thoughts likely go towards a steel roof but the term encompasses a much larger variety of materials.

Historic metal roof types.

Lead copper zinc tin plate terne plate and galvanized iron. Sheet roofing can be installed painted or unpainted. Traditional roofing materials continue to lead the pack when it comes to historic public buildings. Traditional roofing materials think sheet metal clay tile and slate continue to crown public buildings large and small not only because of their timeless beauty but also by virtue of their proven durability.

In the u s lead was rarely used for roofing and has fallen out of favor. Metal roofs are constructed of natural materials. Before then the only metals commonly used were lead and copper. After a few centuries of use it could be removed melted re cast and put back in place.

This saves even more money on the overall system. Of the inorganic roofing materials used on historic buildings the most common are perhaps the sheet metals. Sheet roofing can also give a historical look particularly if used unpainted. Because sheet roofing is often chosen as a more economical type of metal roofing the paints used on sheet metal roofing are often lesser quality.

Today lead coated copper remains an option. In varying degrees each of these sheet metals are likely to deteriorate from chemical action by pitting or streaking. In this article we will help break down the differences in metal roofing options and the pros and cons of each material profile and source. For example a lead roof covered rosewell one of the grandest mansions in 18th century virginia.

It is nonetheless probably the most permanent of all roofing materials.