Rich Thomas, Marketing Product Manager, Boral Roofing
As an integral part of the structure of a home or building, the purpose of a roof is to provide a solid weather barrier from the elements, protecting the inhabitants and their possessions. Less obvious, but just as important, is the roof’s ability to reflect the sun’s powerful UV rays and energy to enhance the energy-efficiency of the structure and create hospitable and comfortable conditions indoors while reducing energy usage and costs.
The roof is a visually prominent component of the exterior of the building that helps set the aesthetic tone, by
influencing the architectural style and color palette of the structure. As such, the selection of a roofing product is often influenced by the look of a specific material. However, when selecting a roof, it’s also of paramount importance
to consider local climate and weather conditions and to review resiliency performance when considering roofing materials to ensure that the product selected will resist the weather events it is most likely to face in the future.
As a major proponent of the resiliency movement, U.S.-based Resilient Design Institute defines resilience as, “…adaptation to the wide range of regional and localized impacts that are expected with a warming planet: more intense storms, greater precipitation, coastal and valley flooding, longer and more severe droughts in some areas, wildfires, melting permafrost, warmer temperatures, and power outages.”
Recent high-profile examples of such notable events include 2017’s devastating Hurricanes Harvey in Houston and Irma in Florida, as well as California’s intense and years-long drought. As these types of events become more
commonplace and grow in severity, a structure’s ability to withstand them becomes increasingly critical.
Understanding the conditions most likely to occur where you are installing your roof is crucial. Storms, fire, hail, snow, and wind are all significant challenges for any roofing material. Because the roof is often the first point of contact for these conditions, it acts as the structure’s first defense against them.
Four common roofing materials – clay and concrete tile, stone-coated steel and composite slate and shake – each provide different weather protection attributes and resiliency benefits. The following are some of the key features to consider when selecting any of these high-performance
roofing options.
Sourced and manufactured from naturally occurring geologic material, clay and concrete tile are durable, sustainable, low-maintenance and easy to repair. Additionally, clay and concrete tile offer an excellent cool roof solution, maximizing energy efficiency and energy savings. Clay and concrete tile options are particularly adept at protecting
against fire and hail and provide excellent energy efficiency.
Fire Prevention
Many areas across the U.S. are at risk for fire, especially those located in Wildfire Urban Interface areas or in regions where drought conditions persist. The roof is critical to fire prevention due to flying embers that could ignite the structure. Both clay and concrete tile are non-combustible, helping prevent first ignition from occurring on the roof.
Hail
Common in the many regions of the country, hail storms can cause serious damage to a roof. Many concrete and clay tile products offer a Class 4 hail rating that can withstand two-inch ice ball impacts shot from a cannon at 70 miles per hour in accordance with the FM 4473. Hail rated tile is certified through the Roof Covering Impact Certification Program, which is sponsored by Architectural Testing, an independent laboratory accredited by multiple national agencies.
Energy Efficiency
The thermal mass and above deck air-flow provided by clay and concrete tile systems make these products some of the most energy efficient available on the market today. Homeowners choosing tile over asphalt shingles can reduce
their home energy bills by as much as 22 percent by just installing a tile roof per an industry study conducted by the independent Oakridge Laboratories.
Stone-coated steel roofing systems are recognized for their durability, lighter weight and cost effectiveness, making
them ideal for reroof or storm-damage applications. The strength of steel combined with the natural aesthetics and color of stone deliver improved curb appeal while offering superior protection from severe climate events.
Hail
Stone-coated steel is one of the best possible materials for withstanding devastating hail storms that impact many
regions of the country, providing the highest UL-listed, Class 4 UL impact rating.
Wind
Stone-coated steel roofing panel systems perform exceptionally well and pass the most stringent Dade County, Florida uplift pressure standards, the 150-mph Exp-‘C’, Zone-3 ‘Corner’ which requires this section of the roof to
withstand 109.0-psf uplift force per UL1897.
Ice Damming
Stone-coated steel offers protection in severely cold climates where ice damming is problematic. These roof systems provide an “above sheathing ventilated” (ASV) space across the entire roof deck. This horizontal and vertical air space provides above-the-deck air flow and insulation that helps mitigate ice damming and icicle formation issues common in heavy snow areas of the country.
Created from high quality virgin resins using advanced manufacturing processes and product design, composite
roofing products are a luxury roofing option often designed to mimic noble, traditional materials such as natural slate and wood shake.
This roofing material boasts exceptional beauty and durability, two key attributes contributing to its popularity.
Additionally, it is a sustainable solution available in a wide range of cool roof colors that promote environmentally-
friendly living while decreasing a home’s carbon footprint and energy consumption by as much as 15 percent, as indicated by the Cool Roof Rating Council and ENERGY STAR.
Water Absorption and Permeation
Composite tile, due to its material composition, is shown (in accordance with ASTM E96/E96M) to be impermeable to
water and (in accordance with ASTM C272) to experience no weight gain when in contact with water.
Wind Driven Rain and Uplift
Composite roofing performs well under wind-driven rain conditions, is highly resistant to wind uplift and is tested in
accordance with TAS 100-95 and UL 580. Under these test conditions, tiles remain intact instead of tearing or blowing off.
Hail
In accordance with UL2218, top quality composite roofing solutions offer a Class 4 hail rating, the highest achievable
rating. This makes this roofing type ideal for hail prone areas of the country where these conditions are common.
The type of weather and storm events most likely to affect a home or structure depends largely on the region in which the home or building is located. Each climate zone is unique in the weather patterns that affect structures. These environmental events must be accounted for when selecting the right roofing material for your project, as each roofing product offers specific resiliency performance attributes to withstand natural elements and storms. When assessing which roofing material is ideal for your project, do not rely on aesthetics alone. Consider durability and performance based on your local conditions, in addition to energy-efficiency that will help reduce your environmental impact and reduce energy consumption and costs for the life of your roof.
Rich Thomas is Marketing Product Manager with Boral Roofing, a national leader in durable and energy-efficient new and retrofit roofing systems. Visit Boral Roofing online at www.BoralRoof.com, or contact Rich at
Rich.Thomas@Boral.com.
Previous Article
Next Article