Choosing A Metal Roof? Here’s What You Should Know About Standing Seam vs. Screw Down Panels

Metal roofs are becoming more and more popular among San Diego residents these days, and you might have decided to get a metal roof for your building too. However, it is one thing to choose a metal roof, and it is another thing to get more specific about the metal roof system you need.

If you’re confused, we are here to offer you all the necessary information you need about your options so that you can make a well-informed decision. Let’s find out about the two metal roof systems including all the advantages and disadvantages you should be aware of, so that you can make the best decision when you go shopping for your new metal roof.

Two Metal Roofing Systems

The two metal roof systems we are discussing are the screw-down panel and the standing seam panel. From the names, you can tell the difference. First, a screw-down metal roof system is a roofing panel that is screwed down. That is, it is fastened with the use of screws into and through the metal.

On the other hand, the standing seam metal panels refers to several panels that are mechanically held together at the seams or locked together. The standing seams, AKA ribs are often placed 12 to 24 inches away from each other, although this depends on the panel’s length and the structure’s aesthetics.

Now, let’s go on to compare their features and how well they do against each other.

Comparing Standing Seam Roofing Panels and Screw Down Metal Roof Panels

At the first instance, people who are looking to install a new metal roof in a heated area often opt for a standing seam metal panel for how it accentuates the area and leaves a clean look. You find standing seam roofs used in a lot of porches, including front, back, and side porches, as well as bay windows.

On the other hand, screw-down metal roofs are often popularly used in garages, carports, barns, back porches, and other areas that are neither work nor living spaces.

Before you choose any of these metal roof systems, there are several factors you should consider, including roof maintenance, expansion capacity, and oil canning. As expected, the cost is another factor you must explore before you decide to purchase either of these roofing systems.

Expansion Capabilities

Every metal roof goes through what has been best described as thermal expansion. The process of thermal expansion happens when the metal expands due to heat and contracts as it cools. When it comes to metal roofs, you need a system that has more capacity for thermal expansion, as it is preferred for you roof and building.

As for standing seam roof materials, there are fasteners under every rib to hold them in place. But these fasteners also ensure that the roof can freely contract and expand when necessary even. While the panels move forward and backwards, the clips remain fastened, and this is a great strength of standing seams.

On the other hand, screw-down metal roof systems are installed by passing a screw through the roof metal to secure the panels. While the result is a firm roof, the only problem that exists is that when the metal gets screwed down, the metal loses its natural ability to expand and then to contract because it is held strongly in one place. When it is unable to do this as it should, the screws will come out of their holes, meaning you not only have to change the screws but get the ones that are a size bigger than the previous ones.

We don’t recommend the use of screw-down panels for heated areas, whether working or living areas because of their poor expansion capabilities. If you were to go ahead and install it because of the advice of a contractor out there, you will be spending a lot of money to maintain it.

Roof Maintenance

The amount of maintenance needed for your roof is another factor to consider, because the more maintenance your roof needs, the more money you spend.

Provided it was installed properly, your standing seam roof needs no maintenance at all, except in some areas such as the gas pipes and vent pipes where you need to take care of the penetrations.

All you would need to do is to carry out general maintenance such as cleaning, and it is up to you to decide how often you will do that. You can also expect to have little to no problems with the standing seam panels if the installation was carried out properly.

On the other hand, screw-down panels often need more maintenance. This is because the pressure from the absence of thermal expansion will cause the screws to wallow out the washer holes. When this happens, there will be leaks, which means you’ll need to carry out roof maintenance.

It is estimated that a roofing contractor will carry out maintenance and screw replacement every 5 to 10 years, otherwise, a bigger problem might develop, or a strong wind or storm could take off the entire roof. Sadly, it can be hard to know when to carry out maintenance on screw-down panels until a leak happens.

Oil Canning

The first thing to do is to define oil canning. It refers to an aesthetic situation that occurs when your metal roof is unable to expand due to a tight bind. The metal forms large bubbles due to the pressure, and this bubbling becomes what has been termed oil canning because your roof begins to look like several lined-up oil cans. Although it isn’t pleasant to the sight, oil canning doesn’t negatively affect the functionality of your roof.

When dealing with screw-down metals, they can’t oil can because they have so many ribs. However, standing seam metal roofs easily oil can.

If your roof contractor installs the metal standing seam panels too close together and then put the clips on them. When this happens, your roofing panels can only expand length-wise, but not sideways, and this will lead to an oil canning process.

If you care about the aesthetics of your roof, then bear in mind that standing seam roofing panels is prone to oil canning.

Cost of Each Metal Roof System

Installing a standing seam panel doesn’t only require the skill of an expert craftsman, but also needs a thicker metal gauge. As a result, the installation process is both cost and labor-intensive, which means you will spend more than you would if you installed a screw-down metal roof.

Even though screw-down panels are cheaper, you aren’t advised to install these panels over heated spaces.

Although standing seams cost about three times as much as screw down panels, you won’t regret such an investment when you consider being maintenance-free for as long as 50 years to come. With screw-down panels, you should be ready to handle maintenance every 5 to 10 years, which will quickly close the financial gap.

Final Verdict: The best Metal Roofing System

Now that you have all the important details about these metal roof panels, we believe that you can make the best decision for you and your building.

As we have enumerated, standing seam panels have a lot more benefits for you. However, you will have to consider cost, as well as oil canning if you choose this option. On the other hand, you can expect several challenges when you use a screw-down metal roof, although it is more affordable and great for homeowners who want to handle their roofing on a budget.

We don’t recommend using a screw-down metal roof over heated areas because it lacks thermal expansion.

If you have any questions or need clarifications, or perhaps you need experts to handle your roofing issues, our team of experts can install your metal roof systems in the San Diego area, as well as handle roof repairs and maintenance expertly, with great results.