When it comes to your home, it’s useful to understand the materials that roofers use to create a high-quality roof for your property. There’s a lot that goes into a brand-new or replacement roof, and each component plays a vital role in longevity, durability, and functionality. To help you gain more insight into the features of a modern build, we’ve created this guide on the materials used, and what they do.
Roofer's Timber
Timber is an integral resource used in almost every building on the planet. It’s versatile and readily available, making it a very common material for roofers to use. Here’s an overview of the timber products used in your roof:
Structural Timbers
You can think of a timber frame as the bones of your roof. Trusses, joists, and rafters are just a few of the different utilisations of timber within the structure of your home. They’re essential for holding weight and to withstand the elements.
Fascias & Soffits
Although fascias and soffits can be manufactured in a variety of materials, they often come in timber. They’re important to help close off the final voids in your new roof, provide strength and add a decorative element.
Timber Battens
Timber battens are used to hold the membrane and insulation of your roof in place, whilst also providing roofers with something to attach your tiles to. They’re crucial to the whole process and play a vital role in the layered functionality of modern-day roofs.
Cast, Natural & Composite
Natural aggregates and materials are utilised in multiple tiling products as well as mortar for features such as ridge tiles. They’re strong and durable, making them perfect for roofing components that are exposed to the outside elements.
Composite
Composite tiles are becoming increasingly popular. They’re often made from recycled plastics, are extremely hardy and are often a cost-effective alternative to more traditional tiles.
Concrete & Clay Cast
Cast clay and concrete tiles come in a range of colours and styles to fit a certain aesthetic. Terracotta is particularly popular and helps create a warm aesthetic for your home.
Natural Slate
Often seen as the classic roofing tile, natural slate has been used by roofers for centuries. It looks fantastic, creates a resilient, well-draining layer on your roof and can last decades if maintained.
Roofers Metals
Metals are utilised throughout multiple stages of a roofer’s process. They can be used as the final layer in place of tiles, usually in the form of aluminium sheets. Additionally, leadwork is regularly implemented in a roof for drainage and sealing purposes.
Aluminium Sheets & Copper Roofing
Aluminium sheets can be seen most on agricultural buildings such as barns. They’re a cost-effective alternative to tiling a building whilst also keeping the interior dry. Metal roofing also comes in the form of copper roofing, this is more costly but can be used to complement a contemporary design effectively.
Lead
Lead plays a vital role in keeping vulnerable points of a roof dry and sealed. It’s heavy and quite costly. Fortunately, it’s used sparingly to justify the price and is extremely durable, lasting many decades on a well-maintained roof.
Plastics & Insulation
These materials make up vital features in a roof. Often responsible for keeping your property warm and dry, plastic products and insulation last an extremely long time and do their job effectively.
Membrane
The membrane is found beneath the battens in a roof and is rolled out as a complete, impenetrable layer to filter water and moisture away from the interior of your home and into drainage channels such as gutters. Roofers will need to use a high-quality product for this, to ensure a dry home.
Insulation
Insulation is the difference between a cold home and a comfortable home. It regulates temperature, blocking out heat from entering the home, as well as stopping it from escaping too. Arguably this is the most important part of a cost-effective roofing system, as without it, your energy bills could skyrocket.
Get In Touch With Kempton Installations For Professional Roofers
At Kempton Installations, we’re experts in roofing. If you’re looking for a new roof, repairs, or anything in between, get in touch with one of our professional roofers today to book a quote or discuss a project.
