Everything you've read about metal roofs are true. They can last for more than 70 years, have excellent durability and lifespan, capable of delivering top-tier home protection, and more. However, all the cons you've read about them are true too -- they dent quite easily. What can you do with a dented metal roof? Will it have a detrimental effect on its overall performance and durability?
A dented metal roof is often the result of a high-velocity or heavy item or object hitting the roof surface. The metal roof material's variation -- standing seam or corrugated -- plays a big role. The former has higher density than the latter, which makes them less prone to dents seen from the curb. However, all metal roofs are difficult to walk on and dent easily in most cases. Pacific West Roofing confirms this as part of the cons they see with metal roofs.
A Dented Metal Roof and Other Metal Roofing Disadvantages
It’s expensive
Metal roofing is pretty costly, with prices ranging from $150 to $600 per 100 square feet. This can be a big initial investment, but if you look at the durability of the material, it could save you on maintenance and roofing replacement.
It’s noisy
The Pacific Northwest gets significant amounts of rain every year, which means water will tap on a metal roof. A lot. For some people, this is a calming and soothing sound, but for others, not so much. Noise can be minimized by using materials that utilize structural barriers that reduce the drumming effect by applying them over insulation or solid plywood sheathing.
Accessibility
It is very difficult to walk or traverse on a roof in the wet weather or if there has been significant time for organic material to breed moss or algae creating an even slipperier surface to walk on. Maintaining a roof in the winter time to clean off storm debris or even to get your cat off the roof is often scary and challenging.
It dents easily
A metal roof can dent pretty easily, especially if something with significant weight and/or velocity hits it, such as a tree limb or large hailstone. Aluminum and copper roofing is more prone to denting than steel, simply because they are softer... (read more)
What can you do with a dented metal roof? You can opt to repair it as soon as possible. A dented metal roof doesn't only reduce your property's curb appeal. It will cause long-term metal roofing damage that affects its performance significantly. Water can pool into the dents and stay for an unprecedented amount of time. In doing so, it will accelerate rust and corrosion, which will make your repair expenses inflate and even have you opt for a roof replacement.
Reputable and reliable Denver CO metal roofers with long-term experience use advanced tools to address metal roof dents. In most cases, they use stud welders and hammers to straighten and restore the dent to nip possibly big issues in the bud as quick as possible. SFGate has a great step-by-step guide that illustrates how contractors perform roof restoration effectively.
How to Repair a Dented Metal Roof Effectively
1. Put on safety glasses, heavy work gloves and rubber soled work boots. The rubber soled boots will give you extra traction as you walk on the metal roof. Set your ladder against the side of the house, near where the metal roof is dented. 2. Have a helper hold the ladder steady as you climb up to inspect the dents in the roof. Have them stand by where you will be working to act as your spotter and to move the long outdoor extension cord for the stud welder you while you work, so that you do not trip over it.
3. Sand the surface of the dent with fine grade sandpaper to remove any paint or rust spots.
4. Insert a stud into the nozzle of the stud welder; this is called the stud electrode. Plug the stud welder into a long, outdoor extension cord and have your helper plug the cord into a power outlet. Firmly hold onto the stud welder and push it against the center of the dent in the metal roof, so that the electrode of the stud welder is resting flat against the surface of the metal roof... (continued)
Most dented metal roof repair guides only focus on both standing seam and corrugated metal roofing. You may ask how to address dents with metal roofing shingles. When you compare the method to standing seam or corrugated metal roof dent repairs above, the methods are simpler and use less industrial tools.
However, if you will refer to Metrotile's instruction, we advise you still work with a reputable roofing contractor to save time and money. Below, you'll find an excerpt to the process of restoring dented metal roofing shingles.
Removing Dents in Metal Roof Shingles
Step 1
Using the claw of a hammer, remove one of the nails from the tile that has a dent. The nail needs to be close to the dent so that the following steps can be completed.
You do not need to remove the tile from the roof. Removing a nail should provide access to the underside of the tile. If necessary, you may need to extract another nail to gain access, but this is rare.
Keep hold of any nails you remove, as these will be used to re-secure the tile once the dent has been pressed out.
Step 2
To get rid of the dent, you will need a thick piece of wood (similar to the one in our video guide). It needs to be sturdy enough to push out the dent without snapping, but small enough to fit in the gap between the tiles. It should also be long enough to reach the dent.
Gently lift the tile below where the dent is and push the wood into the gap, creating a lever. Push down on the end of the wood that is not covered by the tile. This will cause the end under the dent to move upwards. This should push the dent out, and make the tile resume its original shape... (continued)
While you can learn many trade skills by DIY repairing your dented metal roof, you may take more time in accomplishing your repairs. In addition, through trial and error, you will always reach the results you need in your dent repairs, but if you have not the time for it, you may end up spending more.
To make sure you save more money and time for more important matters such as resting on weekends, you can count on Roper Roofing to take care of your dented metal roof issues. With our decades of experience handling roofing issues, we believe we're best suited to help you. Learn more about what we can do for you today.
