This home owner chose Decra Shake XD and standing seam for their roof. Decra is a stone-coated steel shingle that emulates hand-split wood shake, but is more durable and lasts longer than organic wood shake. Standing seam is a slick sheet metal roof and offers a cool benefit.
Stone-coated steel roofing is somewhat new compared to other roof coverings. We installed this steel shake roof for this customer in 2013. They wanted a roof that lasted longer than their previous wood shake roof and required less maintenance. There are many advantages to steel shake, shingles, or tile.
Advantages of Stone-Coated Steel Shingles
- Lasts Longer
- Recyclable in Our Area
- More Durable
- More Fire-Resistant
- More Eco-Friendly
- More Hail Resistant
- Stronger Fasteners
- Less Expensive Long-Term
The primary reasons folks choose a steel shake over wood is that it lasts longer. Wood shake and shingles, on average, last around 30 years. Steel shake and steel shingles, on the other hand, often last 70 years or more. Another advantage of metal roofing is long-term cost. Although wood shake and shingles often cost about the same as steel shingles and shake, because steel lasts so much longer, then end-up costing less in the long run.
You might think that a wood roof is recyclable, but given they’re heavily treated with chemicals to make them resistant to rot, fire, hail, etc., they’re really not. You can burn a wood roof, but, again, because of the chemicals involved, we don’t recommend it. A steel roof, however, is recyclable. We’ve identified several metal recycling facilities from Denver to Fort Collins. Steel roofing is more eco-friendly than a wood roof.
Steel is one of the most durable roofing materials, along with real rock slate and concrete. Wood, by comparison, is much less durable against fire, hail, wind, rot, and mildew. That’s because wood is organic. It’s a natural breading ground for mold and insects.
We use screws to secure steel shingles, shake, and tiles. Whereas nails are used to secure wood shake and shingles to roof decks. Screws offer better holding power over nails, which makes steel roofing more secure.
Disadvantages of Wood Shake
- High-Maintenance
- Requires Frequent Treatments
- Expensive Short and Long-Term
- Flammable
- Not Eco-Friendly
- Not Recyclable
- Not as Hail Resistant
- Short Lifespan
- Weak Fasteners (nails)
There are many disadvantages to real wood roofs. They require regular treatments to keep them resistant to rot, fire, mildew, hail, rain, etc. Steel roofs, by comparison, require no treatments. Wood roofs only last around 30 years. Metal roofs often last 70 years or more. Metal roofing is recyclable, whereas wood roofs often can’t be recycled. Wood roofs are flammable. Versus steel is not. Steel roofing is much more durable than wood.
Stone-Coated Steel Shingle and Shake Options
There are many stone-coated steel roof options. Decra offers two stone-coated steel tile options, one metal shingle, and two metal shake options. Westlake Royal Roofing also offers two stone-coated metal tile options, two shingle options, and one shake. Both of these metal roofing manufacturers offer great products. Both have their own unique styles.
Why Trust Bob Behrends Roofing to Install Your New Stone-Coated Steel Roof
- Licensed and Insured
- 5-Year Workmanship Guarantee
- Dedicated Residential Roofing Crew
- Great Relationships with General Contractors
- No Money Upfront
- Lots of Positive Reviews
- Experience
We’ve installed countless metal roofs in Colorado, including stone-coated steel shingles and shake, and standing-seam and corrugated/PBC. We have a dedicated residential roofing crew that only works on steep-slope roofs and residential roof covers, such as steel. All our work, including steel shingles and standing seam, are backed by our own 5-year workmanship guarantee. We’re licensed and insured, and have great relationships with general contractors in Colorado. They know they can trust us to professionaly install a roof for them. Lastly, we ask for no money upfront. If a roofing company in Colorado asks you for a deposit, something’s wrong and you shouldn’t work with that company.