STEEL TILE ROOFING

Michael Holigan: How would you like a new roof that's affordable and can withstand baseball sized hail, it doesn't leak, it has a great appearance and it can withstand 200 M.P.H. wind? We're going to show you one right now. It was developed in New Zealand, where the climate conditions are extreme and a roof can be battered by sun, high winds and torrential rains year-round.

Dan Evert: Well, it's a base of steel and of course, steel doesn't allow water to pass through it. And it's acrylic coated with stone chips on top to protect the steel and the acrylic coating from the sun, or the U.V. rays. The roofing material is very, very strong, so you can walk all over the product and not dent it, crack it or break it.

M.H.: With a steel shingle, I take it that it does fairly well in a fire?

D.E.: It does extremely well in case of a fire. Number 1, steel doesn't burn. And number 2, of course, it resists the embers blowing up under it because of the way they overlap. If a fire should start inside the home, the steel doesn't burn and it doesn't allow oxygen into the fire area.

M.H.: Because the steel is strong, and the stone coating on top of there provides good traction, this roof is easy to walk on, even when it's wet. And that can be important for firemen in the case of a fire. I notice that you've got a lip on this that they're actually putting a nail through. It looks like it would make it pretty wind resistant.

D.E.: We've tested to 200 miles per hour and it hasn't blown off. We warrant it to 120 miles per hour.

M.H.: So then the shingle unit itself just slides up underneath the one above it?

D.E.: Slides over and interlocks with the one next to it.

M.H.: They overlap. So it's going to hold the top of this shingle down, plus prevent this one from popping up in a high wind?

D.E.: Yeah, exactly. It will hold this one and this one at the same time.

M.H.: The steel roof we're installing here on our high-tech house looks a lot like wood shingles from the ground but it also comes in slate and tile looks and a wide variety of colors. It's light weight, I guess it helps in an earthquake, doesn't it?

D.E.: Boy, you're not kidding.

M.H.: That heavier stuff like tile and slate can just go right through a house.

D.E.: It can actually collapse the home inward on you.

M.H.: Now Dan, how does the roof do as far as resisting moisture?

D.E.: Well, it actually does incredibly well. It doesn't absorb any moisture to speak of. Some other roofing materials absorb as much as 15%, which if you're in freeze-thaw country, as you know, the water gets into the material, it expands when it freezes and that can cause the material to deteriorate prematurely.

M.H.: Here in the U.S., building codes in most places require felt to be placed underneath the roofing. The idea is that any moisture that gets in under the roofing will run down the felt and off the roof without going inside the home. But in New Zealand, where this steel roof originated, no felt is used. It's that water tight. Does it take any more time to install this type of roof than other roofs?

D.E.: Actually, the roof installs in about the same time or less than most conventional roofing materials. And in a steep pitch situation, such as the high-tech home, we build the batten-counter batten system that actually acts as a ladder and allows you to roof from the top down, which makes it safer, and I think quicker, in a steep pitch situation.

M.H.: And that's the opposite of all other roofing material.

D.E.: Exactly right. All the others start from the bottom and work their way up.

M.H.: This roofing system is guaranteed for 50 years.

D.E.: 50 year warranty that the product will not allow water to pass through it.

M.H.: And it's guaranteed to maintain it's same great look for 25 years.

D.E.: The first 20 years of the 25 is non-prorata. That means for the first 20 years, if anything should happen to the appearance of the roof, you've got a multi-billion dollar international company standing behind that appearance.

M.H.: Whether you're building a high-tech home of the future, or something a little more traditional, this wind resistant and water tight roofing system can carry your new house well into the twenty-first century.

For more information on Steel Tile Roofing, call Carter Holt Harvey at 800-795-0776.

Episode 37 1996 - 97 Season

| Master Makeover | Removing Tape after Painting | Flexible Stucco Siding | Removing Water Spots | Steel Tile Roofing | Private Mortgage Insurance |

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