What Are the Benefits of Lead Roofing?

You might not think of using lead for your roof, but in fact, it’s been a common roofing material for centuries. You’ll see it on many historic buildings, for instance, both as the covering itself and for sealing gaps. So what are the benefits of lead roofing?

The Uses of Lead Roofing

Lead is most commonly used these days for flashing, to seal the gaps where the roof meets structures such as chimney stacks. It can be easily moulded to fit into any space and provides a watertight seal. However, lead sheeting can also be used for the roofing cover itself, especially on a flat roof, where it offers very effective protection.

Lead Can Be Easily Moulded

You might not think a highly malleable material would be suitable for a roof, but in fact, that quality means that lead can be moulded to fit snugly into any space. Besides the advantages of this for flashing, lead sheeting can be fitted around awkward protrusions. Lead also expands and contracts with temperature changes, where many harder substances might crack.

Lead Is Resistant to Corrosion and Water

Unlike many metals, lead is very resistant to corrosion, meaning it only degrades slowly, as well as resisting water. This means it offers effective protection against a wide range of weather dangers — rain, atmospheric pollution, UV rays and many others.

Lead Lasts a Long Time

All these qualities make lead a very long-lasting roofing material. Your roof routinely gets a battering from all varieties of the factors mentioned, and some materials have to be replaced in as little as ten years. The lead roofing on historic buildings, on the other hand, has often been there for centuries without having to be replaced. Of course, lead won’t last forever, but it should outlive most of the alternatives.

Lead Can Be Easily Recycled

We’re all looking for ways to reduce our negative impact on the environment, and that includes disposing of roofing materials at the end of their life. Besides the fact that this might not come for a long time with lead roofing, lead is also one of the most recyclable materials in existence.

Lead Roofing Looks Great

Your roof has to do its job efficiently, but of course, you also want it to look good. Lead roofing has a sleek, silvery charm that blends well into the look of anything from commercial premises to a historic building — not to mention your home.

Lead is a great roofing material, but whether it will suit your specific property depends on a number of factors. Give us a call to discuss whether lead roofing would be the right choice for you.