Interested in metal roofing? Are you wondering what warranties come with a metal roof?
One of the most important things a homeowner needs to consider when choosing a roofing material is the protections. After all, things happen.
So, you need to know the warranties on a metal roof to ensure you're comfortable with what’s covered, for how long, and by who. In fact, the warranty options can even be a reason to avoid metal roofing.
Since 1990, Bill Ragan Roofing has provided transparent information to homeowners so they feel confident making their roofing decisions. So, let’s break down what warranties you get with a metal roof.
By the end of this article, you’ll learn the different metal roof warranties and what affects the coverage.
What warranties come with a metal roof?
There are two types of warranties that come with every roof: workmanship and material. They both are in place to protect the installation quality and issues with the metal panels.
However, metal roof warranties are a little different than other roofing materials.
Roofing contractor’s workmanship warranty
The first metal roof warranty covers the workmanship of the roofing contractor who installed it. This means your contractor is on the hook to fix your metal roof if there are problems or leaks caused by improper installation.
Every roofer should provide a workmanship warranty, but the length can be anywhere from 2, 5, 10, or 25 years to even a lifetime warranty (life of the materials). However, I don’t recommend settling for anything less than a 10-year workmanship warranty.
In my opinion, roofing contractors who trust the quality of their workmanship should have no problem providing a lifetime warranty or close to it (20 years). But every company has its reasons for the workmanship warranty they offer.
Painted finish warranty
Unlike most materials, a metal roof doesn’t come with a warranty on the actual material. Instead, a metal roof comes with a warranty on the protective coating (painted finish) applied to the metal roof panels.
This painted finish protects the color and the panels from wear and tear as the years pass. So, it’s crucial that it’s protected during installation to avoid exposing metal that will rust or corrode.
Unfortunately, a specific paint warranty isn’t uniform across all metal roofing. In fact, your choices even affect it.
What affects a metal roof’s painted finish warranty?
The workmanship warranty only depends on the roofing contractor you hire, but the painted finish warranty depends on multiple factors. There are even scenarios where a metal roof doesn’t come with a paint warranty.
Let’s look at what affects a metal roof’s warranty on the painted finish.
Metal type
There are plenty of metal options to choose from for a metal roof. Aluminum, galvalume, and galvanized steel are the most common metals used in residential roofing.
These metals will get a painted finish applied to them during the manufacturing process. However, premium metals such as copper and zinc don’t come with a painted finish.
This is simply because of their natural color and the patina that forms on these metal types as they oxidize. The patina already acts as a protective barrier, so there’s no reason to apply paint to the panels.
The painted finish applied to the metal panels
The most obvious thing that affects a metal roof’s paint warranty is the actual painted finish applied. There’s a wide variety of coatings that are used, but the specific one determines the length of a warranty.
Aluminum panels get whatever the manufacturer of the panels uses. However, galvanized steel panels get a painted finish called Kynar 500, which is applied through a patented process.
As long as it’s applied correctly, a steel metal roof will come with a 30-year warranty on the Kynar 500 painted finish. However, this painted finish isn’t applied to all steel metal roofing panels.
The metal roof system
There are two types of metal roof systems: standing seam and screw down (also called exposed fastener). The type of metal roof system you choose greatly affects the painted finish options and warranty.
A standing seam metal roof is a series of panels locked together at the seams or seamed mechanically. The fasteners are “hidden” under the panels, which is why you’ll also hear it called a hidden fastener metal roof.
Because it’s fastened underneath instead of through, the metal panels can have any painted finish. With that in mind, Kynar 500 is specifically applied to steel standing seam metal panels.
On the other hand, a screw down panel metal roof (also called exposed fastener) is a series of panels fastened down to the decking through the metal. It’s literally fastened down with screws and washers that are exposed on the top of the panels.
Because of this, a screw down metal roof gets whatever painted finish the manufacturer chooses. So, the warranty heavily depends on where you get the panels.
Even if it’s steel, Kynar 500 won’t be applied because the screws are installed directly through the metal. There are still plenty of color options, but it’ll be an inferior painted finish that fades quicker and won’t last as long as those applied to standing seam panels.
What are the differences between the two metal roof systems?
After reading this article, you know the warranties you get on a metal roof and what affects a metal roof’s paint warranty. A metal roof’s painted finish is crucial to its lifespan, so you must consider it when making decisions.
Just remember it heavily depends on the metal roof system. However, warranties are just one big difference between the two types.
There are multiple things you need to compare to determine which one is right for you. In fact, you also need to know if a metal roof is right for you in general.
That’s why I wrote another article comparing the two metal roof systems on key factors that matter to homeowners the most.
Check out Metal Roofs: Standing Seam vs. Screw Down to learn how the two match up on lifespan, cost, and much more.
