Each person living in a private house, dreams of making a quality roof once for life. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible to achieve, or at least it used to be. Now the situation has changed a bit. With the advent of progressive technologies, the so-called “soft roof” has appeared, which today has somewhat mixed reviews. Flexible tile is a durable and unique material of its kind, but let's talk about everything in order.
Metal: advantages and disadvantages
Today it is one of the most popular materials for roofing buildings. If abroad this way they make a roof only for industrial buildings, then in our country they are mainly private houses, cottages and summer houses. Of course, metal has several undeniable advantages. Firstly, it is a very durable material, and secondly, relatively inexpensive, and its choice is quite wide. Nevertheless, there are also its drawbacks in the form of a large weight, excessive noise, especially if the installation was performed incorrectly. Do not forget that metal, whatever one may say, is prone to corrosion, therefore, in conditions of high humidity, it quickly loses not only its attractive appearance, but also its properties. So, the cheapest metal roof options will last no more than 20 years, as consumer reviews clearly indicate. Flexible tiles have succeeded in this regard, and now you will understand why.
On the bitumen base in detail
Soft tiles bear this name for a reason. It is able to bend to a certain angle and at the same time maintain its elastic properties. Due to its resemblance to roofing material, many believe that cardboard is the basis of flexible tiles, a material that undergoes decay. But everything is somewhat different. And, in addition to the external similarities of shingles and armored roofing material, they have nothing in common. So, the basis of the first is fiberglass, usually of increased strength. Of course, not without a layer of bitumen. By the way, operational properties largely depend on the quality of the latter. Various polymer additives and an external protective silicone layer make the soft roof durable, resistant to frost, etc. factors. It is safe to say that approximately 85% of consumers leave positive feedback. Flexible tiles have significantly less waste, so it will cost a little more than a metal roof. Well, now let's talk about what people write.
Flexible tile or metal tile: customer reviews
Many consumers say that in practice, not everything is so bad with metal products. Despite the fact that such a tile is very noisy and a lot of waste appears during installation, with the right approach, it has excellent performance. About 70% of buyers of metal tiles say that it costs more than bitumen, but now we are talking about a quality product with a high content of zinc. In addition, absolutely everyone is satisfied with how the metal copes with the wind and mechanical damage.
With a soft roof, too, is not so simple. On the one hand, these are inexpensive roll-up coatings (ruberoid, linocrom), and on the other, elite materials such as bitumen with a long service life. If the roof needs to be done as quickly and inexpensively as possible, then everyone is advised to give preference to roofing material and linocrome, when quality is more important to you, then bitumen is better. As you can see, it’s rather difficult to answer the question of which is better: flexible tile or metal tile? Reviews say that all materials are good, but only if they are of high quality. In addition, much depends on the manufacturer.
Ruflex - flexible tiles: consumer reviews and expert advice
Bituminous tiles from this manufacturer are known throughout the world. It is characterized by high quality and operational characteristics. The main advantage, according to most consumers, is that such a flexible tile can be used both in very cold regions and, on the contrary, very hot ones. Experts note that Finnish soft tiles are suitable for pitched roofs with an angle of inclination from 11 to 90 degrees, and not every manufacturer can boast of this. The warranty period declared by the company is 25 years, but in practice this figure is larger. The main focus of the Ruflex production is flexible tiles, reviews of which are almost all positive. The products are of high quality, light and can withstand temperatures from -45 to +110 degrees Celsius.
Flexible tile "Tilerkat"
This type of roofing material does not need a separate presentation. This is a fairly well-known brand, which is distinguished by affordable price and acceptable quality. So, the service life, according to customer reviews, is more than 20 years, while the manufacturer claims it is 15. In principle, the flexible tile Tilercat "prima", the reviews are positive. They note an extremely simple and quick installation, as well as high strength of the product. But many people notice that the coating begins to fade in a few years, although the paint does not fade. Since the Shinglas company producing this type of roofing material is domestic, it is a very affordable choice with good quality.
"Tegola" - Italian quality and price
Many people say with confidence that this is the best flexible tile. Reviews in approximately 95% of cases are positive and, moreover, enthusiastic. The fact is that the manufacturer's declared service life of the soft roof “Tegola” is about 60 years. But for this you have to pay good money. It is worth noting that your roof will be reliably protected, because the tile is not susceptible to decay and corrosion, as well as temperature effects. It should be noted that the company took care of a wide variety of colors. In total, the assortment contains more than 70 cuts from various lines (premium, exclusive and super). Of course, the flexible tile "Tegola" reviews are positive not just, but due to the high quality of this roofing material.
What else is worth mentioning?
As noted above, the weight of flexible tiles is very small. So, for 1 square meter there are only 5 kilograms of soft roof. This significantly reduces the load on the house, but does not in any way impair the protection from rainfall. By the way, the soundproofing of a bitumen base is much better than that of a metal tile, pay special attention to this. It should be noted that in some cases soft tiles are the only right decision. So, on roofs with complex geometry it is extremely difficult to work with metal sheets, which are practically not subject to processing.
Conclusion
So we talked about which is better: metal tile or flexible tile. As you can see, the choice is not so obvious. In some cases, it is advisable to use one roof, in others - a completely different one. Nevertheless, it is important to give credit to quality. For example, a domestic manufacturer is not always bad, for example, Shinglas flexible roof tiles, reviews of which are mostly positive, are not so expensive and very high quality. As for brands such as Tegola, not everyone can afford them, but such a roof is done once for a lifetime, you can be sure of it. Despite the fact that the network has a wide variety of reviews, flexible tiles are quite popular and in demand on the market.