7 myths about shingles
Over the past centuries, the architecture of the cities of the world has changed repeatedly, which was facilitated by fashion trends, the prevailing cultures and religions at that time, available building materials and their installation technologies. However, from century to century, most of the architectural changes concerned only the "box" of buildings, while the roof structure remained practically the same - but why? It was not easy to create a roof of complex design for one reason - the rigidity of traditional roofing materials, attempts to give them a different shape than flat were accompanied by a large consumption of material and required high professionalism from roofers. The appearance of flexible tiles on the construction market for the first time made it possible to find non-standard architectural solutions for the roof, but, like any other novelty, the soft roof was immediately overgrown with authoritative-negative reviews - we
Myth 1: Flexible shingles are made of roofing material.
Indeed, some types of soft roofing, often referred to by their manufacturers as "organic tiles", are made from bitumen-impregnated cardboard, cut into tile shingles and sprinkled with stone chips over the liquid surface layer of bitumen. The flexible tile from roofing material contains a large amount of bitumen, tk. otherwise it is impossible to achieve water resistance, therefore it burns well. Finally, the service life of roofing tiles, like that of roofing material, rarely exceeds 6 years from the date of installation on the roof.
However, not only cardboard, but also fiberglass canvas can serve as the basis for a soft roof, and the performance characteristics of this material are many times higher than the capabilities of cardboard. Fiberglass is not exposed to moisture, therefore it does not require saturated impregnation with bitumen, as in the case of roofing material - if you call some kind of soft roof "organic", then it should be just a tile with a fiberglass base. Five layers on both sides of each sheet of such tiles, a rich layer of stone chips on the outside, scattering the ultraviolet rays of the sun - this roofing material is really reliable and able to protect the roof from any weather events for several decades.
Myth 2: Soft roof burns perfectly.
With regard to tiles of roofing material origin, this statement is partially true (roofing material does not instantly flare up, but is combustible), as for a soft roof with a fiberglass base, it does not support combustion.
Myth 3: High-quality shingles are very expensive.
If we talk about really expensive roofing materials, then this is a copper sheet and natural (ceramic) tiles. Compared to them, flexible tiles are much cheaper, but they are more expensive than metal tiles or the usual slate. But is it right to evaluate the roofing material only by its cost, because, in the end, it will not be the price that will determine the performance characteristics, but the reliability of the roofing, its ability to serve for decades without requiring major repairs - and this shingle definitely wins.
Myth 4: Shingles roofs fade in the sun.
It is known that the paint applied to any surface loses its saturation over time, which is facilitated by solar ultraviolet. And if the stone chips, the layer of which determines the color of the flexible tile, were painted only on the outside, then it would also burn out. Therefore, at the largest manufacturers of soft tiles, stone chips are painted by a chemical method, with the penetration of the coloring pigment into the structure of the mineral, thereby ensuring the preservation of the color. But, if you lift one shingle of soft roofing and compare the colors of stone chips on the raised shingle and located under it, then the bottom plate looks darker - why is that, you ask? In fact, the mineral chips on the underlying shingle are darker than those on the top plate, not because the color on the topcoat is fading, but because
Myth 5: In the sun, flexible tiles dry out, exposing the wooden base .
This information is correct provided that the flooring under the soft roof was made of boards or oriented strand boards of insufficient drying, i.e. having high humidity. The damp wooden base warps and leads in the heat, and it, in turn, displaces the tile plates, which are not exposed to moisture in any way.
Myth 6: In winter, a flexible roof freezes and cracks.
If in the production of this flexible tile, oxidized bitumen was used (air is passed through the bitumen melt) or a modifier containing APP - yes, such a roofing will be sensitive to low temperatures, since it is designed to “work” in a warm climate. The series of tiles produced by the world's leading manufacturers are not universal depending on the climatic zone, i.e. designed for a certain range of average annual temperatures. Tiles impregnated with oxidized bitumen serve European and American homeowners reliably, as they are designed for mild climates. And for the rather harsh conditions of the Russian climate, frost-resistant flexible tiles are required, the bituminous impregnation in which contains an SBS modifier that increases the viscosity of bitumen at low temperatures and prevents it from curing.
Myth 7: Installation of a soft roof is too expensive due to a solid base.
It is true that without a base made of edged boards, plywood or OSB panels, it is impossible to build a soft roof. In addition, it is necessary to take care of effective ventilation in the attic, but the service life of such a roof is not ten years, but much more!
It is wrong to say that any building or roofing material is definitely not suitable for use, since it does not correspond to the climatic conditions in the area. As we found out, in the same group of roofing materials there are products of different quality, which have profound operational differences. When looking for a reliable roofing material, it is necessary to examine the proposals on the building materials market with particular care, analyzing a detailed list of characteristics, and not rely on the assurances of sellers.
