For decades, metal roofs appeared as corrugated panels that looked like old sheds or barns. And there were some standing-seam applications that made a house look more like a commercial building. Today, metal roofing products are available in virtually every architectural style, from Spanish Colonial to Victorian.

Metal roofing has followed in the footsteps of vinyl floor manufacturers. They started with a plain material like steel or aluminum that looked like wood, stone, or clay. Then, they evolved into styles including shingle, shake, slate and tile which has expanded the popularity of the metal roofing industry.

Metal roofing products can be stamped into many shapes and are typically installed as interlocking panels with hidden fasteners. Viewed from a distance, they offer fairly convincing renditions of shingles and tiles. Some ‘stone-coated’ products receive an acrylic coating, in which stone granules are embedded. These offer a less metallic look.

Besides their new versatility of appearance, metal roofs offer many advantages over other types of roofing. Manufacturers routinely offer 50-year warranties and even lifetime, non-prorated warranties. They claim their products will last two to four times longer than roofs with asphalt shingles.

By avoiding one or two re-roofing jobs during the life of the metal roof, you will more than offset the higher initial cost. Near term, a new metal roof recoups a bit more of its installation cost upon home resale (6% according to Remodeling Magazine) than does a new asphalt roof.

Metal roofs are also more lightweight, sometimes allowing them to be installed directly over old roofs. And when metal roofing is painted with special “cool pigments”, solar energy is reflected and emitted – instead of being transmitted as heat into the attic.

Metal roofs help prevent the spread of fire when hot embers fall on them, as in nearby fires. In fact, some insurance companies will give you a discount if you have a metal roof.

Lastly, metal roofing is made with mostly recycled metal, often 95 percent. And when its useful life is done, it can be recycled again. So metal roofing is a more responsible material for our long term future.