Close Look at Top 5 Roofing Materials – Pros and Cons

Published on: 12 December 2016 Last Updated on: 19 August 2019
Roofing- Pros and Cons

There’s no dearth of options for those mulling a new roof installation. Choosing the correct roof for your home is imperative to ensure that you get full functionality and lifespan. The final decision should be taken after considering different factors such as the owner’s location, the roof’s weight, and the cost, warranty, and lifetime of the product. This blog post discusses, five popular roofing options for homeowners taking time to look at their advantages and shortcomings:

1. Asphalt shingles

Asphalt shingles are unarguably the most common roofing option for homeowners in US, all thanks to their affordable nature and ease of installation. Moreover, many roofers also follow the practice of reinforcing shingles with organic materials or fiberglass, which has a positive impact on their durability and moisture resistance.

Pros

Asphalt shingles come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. They are easily available and the most economical roofing option available on the market.

Cons

Asphalt has a short lifespan when compared to other materials, and also incapable of providing proper insulation.

Best suited house styles: Traditional sub-urban houses

Cost: The cost of installing asphalt shingles can be anywhere between $70 to $120/sq.ft. and they can last for 20-25 years with proper maintenance.

2. Clay and concrete tiles

The use of clay adds to the roof’s texture and elegance, enhancing its aesthetic appeal. Clay and concrete tiles are heavy roofing materials and should be installed by professionals to avoid accidents and damage to property.

Pros

Clay and concrete tiles are highly durable and fire-resistant. They are also known for their energy efficiency. Installing a concrete roof can, therefore, help you lower energy costs.

Cons

Both clay and concrete are heavier than other roofing materials and usually require additional framing to function smoothly. The materials are also expensive and you may have to shell out a considerable amount of money to install clay/concrete tiles.

 Best suited house styles: Mediterranean, Southwestern, and Spanish-style homes.

Cost: Prices fluctuate in the range of $300-$500/sq.ft. Concrete tiles have a lifespan of 40-50 years provided you follow maintenance schedules without fail.

3. Metal roof

Metal roofs are available in two types, panels, and shingles. Some of the common metals used by roofers who specialize in metal roofing are aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and zinc. If you’re considering a metal roof, it is advisable that you first consult your provider on the type of metal you should use after considering all the important factors.

Read also: Avoid these 4 Mistakes during Multi Family Housing Renovation

Pros

Metal roofs are highly resistant to temperature fluctuations and also offer better protection against solar radiation. They are also long-lasting and recyclable.

Cons

Installing a metal roof can be a costly decision and you may have to shell out anywhere between $100-$800/sq.ft. to install a metal roof.

Best suited house styles: bungalows, cabins, and contemporary and cottage-style homes.

Effective life: With proper maintenance, metal roofs can last anywhere between 40-75 years.

4. Slate

Opting for a slate roof is a prudent decision if you need to avail a variety of designing options. Slate roofing comes in different colors like black, green, grey, red, and purple. It lends a touch of style and elegance to your roofing.

Pros

Slate roofs are durable and equipped with fire-resistance properties. You can also recycle slate to reduce costs and save the environment.

Cons

Apart from being expensive, slate is also heavy, making any plans for a DIY approach strongly inadvisable. Moreover, the quality of the materials can vary if you plan to use imported slate.

Cost: $600/sq.ft. And above. The effective life of slate roofs can extend up to 100 years and more.

5. Wood shingles and shake

Wood shingles are handmade and available in attractive shades of gray. When opting for wood roofing make sure the material is class a certified and includes shingles with a fire-resistant coating.

Pros

The use of wood shingles lends a rough yet artistic look to your roof. The shingles are made from natural materials like cedar, and redwood and are environment-friendly.

Cons

There are high chances of the roof sustaining significant damage when exposed to moisture, high temperatures, and rainfall. Moreover, fire codes in some states may prohibit the use of these materials.

Best suited house styles: Cape Cod, cottage, Craftsman and Tudor-style homes.

Cost: $100-$150/ sq.ft. You can expect the roofing to last around 25-30 years.

The blog discusses five popular roofing choices available to homeowners. You should, however, not limit yourself to these choices. Consider exploring other options before making a final decision. Consult your contractor and ask them to share their thoughts on your choice. You must also factor-in the maintenance costs and schedules associated with each option before you.

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3 Trendy Lighting Ideas for Your Kitchen Island

The kitchen island is where the joys of cooking preparation happen. It also involves the engagement of small talks which is why many consider the kitchen the heart of a home. Such a pleasing place only deserves the best of things! One of these things is lighting. With proper lighting, not only will it light up the entire room, but will add more appeal to your kitchen as well. 3 Trendy Lighting Ideas for Your Kitchen Island: Listed below are the top 3 trendy kitchen lighting ideas that will surely achieve the desired design you have in mind! 1.  Pendant Lighting: When it comes to choosing the right kitchen island lighting, pendant lighting is one of the latest trends. You can hang it from the ceiling which makes it the best choice for kitchen islands. It is small and affordable. Additionally, it comes in different styles and sizes making it more convenient for your kitchen island needs. These are the  top 7 pendant lightings that will work best for your kitchen islands: ● Mini Pendant Lighting: Upon reading its name, you can already understand that this is the smaller version of a normal pendant. Just like its size, the mini pendant is incapable of intense lighting. It only works well as an overhead focused source of light that you can hang above eye level of your kitchen island. ● Bowl Pendant Lighting: The bowl pendant is one of the most popular pendant lightings of all time. You can often see it in movies scenes where they interrogate prisoners in a dark room. The only thing that lights up the whole room is the bowl pendant. It has a standard size which can cast enough light for your kitchen island. ● Drum Pendant Lighting: Drum pendant earned its name because of its shape. It gently illuminates the whole kitchen island, due to its ambient feature. It is available in different colors and sizes. However, you must take note of the lighting rule, “the darker the color, the more watt you’ll need for the light to illuminate the area.” By this being said, we recommend that you only use light colors for your drum pendant. ● Multiple Pendants Lighting: If you’re familiar with a chandelier with multiple lights, then the style of multiple pendants is not new to you. People usually hang and align them in a row above kitchen islands. Additionally, the use of multiple lights is designed to evenly distribute the lights to your kitchen island. ● Abstract Pendant Lighting: The abstract pendant is considered to be one of the most beautiful and artistic pendant lightings. The layers are styled to house the lightbulb inside. It’s the best design if you’re looking for lighting both to illuminate and decorate the area. ● Exposed Bulb Pendant Lighting: Exposed bulb pendant is basically a bulb pendant hanging above the kitchen island. It is one of the most affordable pendants on the market. You can even do a DIY for this lighting. Even if they are low-cost, they are still beautiful and functional because they can illuminate your kitchen islands. ● Globe Pendant Lighting: Globe pendants are based on its shape because they are round. They became popular around the 1950s and ‘60s. Apparently, globe pendant can still give you the vintage vibe that can outscore another pendant lighting for your kitchen island needs. 2. Chandelier Lighting: Chandelier lighting is no longer new to everyone. You can see it almost anywhere, not just in the kitchen, but also throughout the whole house. With the modernized technology uprising today, chandeliers have lost some popularity due to its vintage look. However, chandelier lighting will never go out of style when it comes to your kitchen island needs. They are in fact the most used lighting for kitchen islands due to their illuminating lights that are branched together. 3. Linear Suspensions: Linear suspensions are also affordable kitchen island lighting you can use. They still have the same lighting capacity with the other lighting ideas mentioned above. However, they are too plain and not stylish enough to be used as a decoration. The good news is, there are a lot of LED lights available on the market today. They can add more style if you opt for this kind of lighting. You just need to choose the high quality LED strip for longevity and better lighting. Conclusion: With all these awesome lighting ideas, you can surely find the one that best fits your kitchen island. Always remember to focus on the function and of course, the design! We all want a fully-functional kitchen that is pleasing to the eyes! Read Also: List Of Most Durable Kitchen Flooring Kitchen Renovations Must Be Done At Regular Intervals Installing A Kitchen Tile Splashback – The Basics 4 Tips For Choosing A Good Kitchen Tap The Best Countertops To Help Revamp Your Kitchen Top 4 Must-Have Appliances In Every Kitchen How To Choose LED Lights For Every Room In Your Home 10 Unique Kitchen Hacks To Save Your Time In Kitchen And Cooking Installation Of Kitchen Cabinets: Best Way To Give Your Home A Perfect Facelift

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What you must know about wood flooring?

Everyone wants their house to be more beautiful than others. They try to go for new designs, new ideas about interior decoration available in the market. One of the ideas that attract many of us is wooden flooring. Wooden flooring gives your house a fresh and sophisticated look making it far better than others. If you are going to remodel your house, it is a beneficial idea to opt for wooden flooring in a couple of rooms. When researching this topic, you will get tons and tons of information. Thus while going for wooden flooring, you should keep in mind certain basic things. Going for a wooden floor gives you three main options: solid hardwood laminate flooring engineered wood Solid hardwood flooring: As the name suggests, this sort of flooring comprises of solid wood everywhere; right from the top to the bottom. No materials are added to this flooring. The material is the raw wood which is directly extracted from the logs of the trees. They are the typical wooden floors. Hardwood flooring comes in two type- unfinished or pre-finished. The unfinished ones are seen to be quite cheaper than the prefinished ones. The unfinished ones need quick light sanding, followed by staining (non-compulsory) and sealing; whereas with the prefinished ones, you can walk on it right after the installation. With the prefinished ones, the advantage is that it does not take much time and can be used instantly. In the case of the unfinished ones, the usage should be limited until the sealing has been done. The sealant takes around forty-eight hours to dry. Additional coatings may also be needed afterward. This has the advantage to get the exact specifications demanded by staining it. A popular type of hardwood flooring is bamboo flooring. It is a grass rather being hardwood and is highly valued for its environment-friendly qualities. The hardwoods need to be cut and nailed to a wooden sub-floor or else it is not possible to install it. Unlike others, it does not get installed straight on concrete or top of the existing floor. Because of this requirement, it is necessary to hire hardwood floor installers. Hardwoods are prone to scratches and dents, thus looking for the perfect hardwood type satisfying your pocket and lifestyle is very necessary. This flooring method can be changed again and again and stays for many years but this type of flooring is also not suitable for most areas. Engineered wood flooring: Engineered wood flooring can be called as an option to the solid form of hardwood flooring. They are made of plywood and finish wood. The finished wood is the visible portion and on which we walk on. The lower portion i.e. the plywood comprise 80 to 90 percent of the floor. The plywood differentiates the engineered form of wood flooring from the solid ones. Engineered wood flooring comes with a variety of installation choices. The thinner models can be discarded and the thicker ones can be set up as floating floors. They are easy to install and can be easily installed by anyone as it does not comprise of any largely sized staplers to drag around or any sub-floors. The floating floor can be installed on top as long as the current floor is flat and firm. One disadvantage of engineered wood flooring is that the thinner top layer can be sanded but not many times. It can be sanded like around once or twice. In this type of flooring, it is difficult to sand out the dents and scratches like the solid hardwood type. It is better to consult the flooring firm prior to sanding or taking any action as it can cause any damage which may not be fixable. Laminate flooring: this is the third type of flooring and is not genuine wood flooring like the previous ones. The top layer comprises a resin-infused sheet, and it is usually quite thin. So it can be termed as wood but does not satisfy the name in literal terms. This is a popular kind of flooring as it has a great imitation of wood. The layer of resin is nothing but a photo of wood very finely crafted. This artificial texture cannot be differentiated by the naked eye from the real ones. This kind of flooring is in high demand and is seen as an option of wood flooring. This type of flooring is very easy to install and is scratch-resistant and works very well in moist environments thus has a lot of advantages. This flooring is again slippery, hard to walk on and can’t be sanded. Thus we can come to the conclusion that before going for any kind of wood flooring, everyone must know about these different types of flooring along with their pros and cons. A very efficient flooring company is Evolution Floors Brisbane who can make it easier for you and help you to create a better home with better flooring. Read Also : Hardwood Timber Flooring: Gives A Classic Look To Your Home List Of Most Durable Kitchen Flooring

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The Subtle Art Of Stainless

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