The roof on your home and business is perhaps the most important part of the building. Without a great roof, your property and everything in it would be exposed to the elements to a greater or lesser degree. This means that finding a great roofing company is very important: these professionals are the only people who should be fixing your roof.
However, it can be quite hard to find the best roofers near you. There are a lot of poor-quality local roofing companies, and you need to know how to sort the wheat from the chaff. One of the easiest ways to filter out poor-quality roofers is by checking out their opinions on established roofing industry myths.
Some of these myths demonstrate a lack of education but others may indicate a completely unprofessional approach to roofing that could cause serious issues for your home. Here are some common roofing myths that you need to be able to identify.
Read on and let’s start debunking!
1. Dark Shingles are Bad
Shingle is one of the most common roofing materials around, and people have been making shingle roofs for many years. Yet if you get a shingle roof, some roofing companies will try to tell you that dark-colored shingles are bad.
Their reasoning is that the shingles will absorb more heat than lighter-colored ones, which will lead to more heat in the home and higher A/C bills. This reasoning seems to make a lot of sense but it ignores one key factor.
Almost every home will have insulation in the attic, which will stop the heat from penetrating the rest of the house. Any actual temperature difference will be near-negligible.
If you want to get dark shingles on your home because you think that they’ll look great, then go right ahead and get dark shingles.
2. You Need to Wait Until a Roof Leaks to Replace It
This is another persistent myth and one that can be seriously damaging to your home. Some roofers would argue that you don’t need to replace a roof unless it has a serious leak.
This is very far from the truth. A roof that’s in bad shape may not leak at all, but could still be causing issues. If you’ve noticed issues other than leaks, you should call a roofer and see whether you need the roof replaced or if a repair is adequate.
A roof leak is a sign of serious issues with your roof. Don’t wait until it gets this bad before you call a roofer.
3. Metal Roofs Will Attract Lightning Bolts
This is another myth that seems to have solid reasoning behind it. Metal roofs are a common choice for commercial and residential housing, but you don’t need to worry about lightning with them.
A metal roof isn’t a lightning rod and won’t attract lightning any more than your car would unless you’re the tallest building for miles around.
However, even if your home does get struck by lightning, a metal roof won’t cause any issues. As metal conducts electricity, it will provide a path of least resistance for the electricity, letting it go into the ground a little bit faster. This can reduce the risk of lightning starting fires, too.
If you’re thinking about getting a metal roof, you needn’t worry about lightning.
4. Shingles Are All the Same
It’s tempting to opt for the cheapest shingles that you can buy. You’ll need a lot of them so why not get the cheapest ones and save money? While this might seem like a good idea in theory, it falls down in practice.
However, every shingle has its own unique properties, advantages, and disadvantages. Trying to compare the cheapest shingle to the highest-quality one is like trying to compare a Dodge Neon to a Lamborghini, they can’t compete.
While not everyone will need the added features and properties that come with high-end shingles, you may. Do your research and find out which shingles are right for you, rather than opting for the cheapest ones.
5. You Can Add New Shingles Over Old Ones
Why bother taking off the old shingles when you’re putting new ones on? Surely this is a step that you can skip, right? Wrong.
When you hammer new shingles over old ones instead of taking the old ones off, you’re increasing the weight of your roof. While this might not matter once or twice, doing it too often can cause your roof to buckle or even collapse.
Your roof can only handle a certain amount of weight. Don’t try to push this limit: it won’t be pretty.
6. You Can Fix Any Problem Yourself
While you’re welcome to try and fix your roof problems yourself, this isn’t a good idea in general. While you may be able to carry out minor repairs, there are a lot of procedures that you shouldn’t attempt yourself. Instead, you should call out a professional roofing company and have them take care of it for you.
As a rule of thumb: if it’s something that you need to research to fix, leave it to the pros.
7. Every Roofing Company Is the Same
If you’re thinking of hiring a roofing company, you might think that they’re all much of a muchness and go to the first roofing company that you find. This is a terrible idea.
Instead, you should do your research and find a company that’s got great reviews and that doesn’t subscribe to the kinds of myths that we’ve laid out today. For more help finding a great roofing company, check out this article that gives you 15 tips for choosing the best roofing company.
Roofing Myths: Busted
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this look at common roofing myths and that it helps you out when you’re next looking for a roofing company. Stay safe and happy roofing!
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