When renovating a roof there are many different choices in roofing materials, from slate to cedar shakes and even metal roofing materials. The choices depend on the slant of the roof, the price range desired, and the skills of the contractors in that community. There are also different design aspects to consider when choosing roofing material as well as the insulation properties of the materials and the length of time the roof will normally last.

Types of Roofs

If the roof is a pitched roof, meaning it has a slant to it, there are certain roofing materials that can be used that cannot be used on flat roofs. One type of roofing material is cedar shake, which looks like shingles that are made out of cedar. This type of roofing is environmentally friendly and usually lasts about thirty years if it is installed correctly, fifteen to twenty years if not.

Another type of pitched roofing material is composition or dimensional shingles. Composition shingles are made of organic or fiberglass asphalt and are the most common shingles on the market. Not only are they the least expensive, but they usually last twenty to thirty years and are easy to install. Fiberglass shingles are stronger and more flexible than the organic ones, although they cost a little more. The thickest are the dimensional shingles which are better for design options, giving a custom appearance to the roof. They cost more initially, but usually have a longer life, running about forty years.

Tile and slate shingles are the least seen in roofing mainly because of the cost of each, being up to ten times more expensive than asphalt shingles. However, both of these types of roofing material last the longest on the market, with slate roofs often lasting over one hundred years if installed properly. Tile and slate roofing materials are heavier and do require a more specialized installation, needing experts to properly install them.

Flat roofs require different types of roofing materials. Tar and gravel is one type, where the roof is layered with three to five layers of saturated felt. In between the layers there is tar and asphalt and the top layer usually has a mineral or rock concoction. Modified bitumen is another, similar roofing material for flat roofs which uses polyester or fiberglass layers with bitumen in between them. Both of these types of roofing materials are low cost, but are not for high rain or snow climates. EPDM rubber roofs are more substantial and are applied in a single layer over the roof. Since this is the case, it needs more insulation, but it does have a long life and resists UV rays from the sun. Metal roofs are another option, which are usually single seam for flat roofs.