Jackson Metal Roofing Pros: Standing Seam, Stone-Coated Steel & Metal Shingle Roof Installation

Standing seam is the premium system. Each panel runs from eave to ridge in one piece, and the edges rise into raised seams that lock to the next panel. Clips fastened to the deck sit hidden under those seams, so no screw goes through the face of the roof. The clips let the steel slide as it heats and cools, which matters here: Jackson averages about 85 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and a dark panel swings a long way between a July afternoon and the night after.

You'll hear two kinds. Snap-lock panels click together and fit most house roofs. Mechanically seamed panels get crimped shut with a seaming tool, and they're the ones to ask about on a low pitch. The 2018 code Jackson enforces lets standing seam go as low as a 1/4:12 slope, far flatter than any lapped panel. Ask for the gauge on paper. A 24-gauge panel is thicker than a 26 and shows less oil canning, the faint ripple you sometimes catch on wide flat pans.

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Stone-coated steel is steel sheet pressed into the shape of shake, barrel tile or a heavy shingle, then coated with an acrylic base and a layer of crushed stone granules. From the street it reads as a textured roof, not a metal one, which suits neighborhoods and HOAs that frown on a ribbed look.

The granules soften the sound of rain and hide small dents. Check whether the exact product and profile being quoted is rated UL 2218 Class 4 (the hail test explained under impact-resistant roofs below). The rating belongs to a tested product, not to stone-coated steel as a category.

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Metal shingles are small stamped steel or aluminum pieces that interlock in rows, shaped to look like slate, cedar shake or a standard shingle. They're the answer for an older cottage where a run of standing seam would look out of place on a steep, cut-up roof with dormers and turrets. The code sets a 3:12 minimum slope for metal shingles, so they go on pitched roofs only.

Because the pieces are small, a roofer can work them around chimneys, valleys and short hips without long panels to trim. Expect a higher labor price per square than wide panels for the same reason.

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If the house has asphalt shingles now, the first decision is tear-off or recover, and tear-off is the clean way to do it. The crew strips the old shingles and felt, and the roofer walks the deck and replaces soft or delaminated plywood. Then they dry the roof in with underlayment and add new drip edge before the first panel goes up.

Tear-off is also the only time anyone sees the decking. Many Jackson houses date from the 1950s through the 1970s, and on those the board sheathing, the rafter tails and the old vents tell you more about the house than the shingles do. Get decking repair priced per sheet in the estimate, so a surprise doesn't turn into an argument.

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A recover skips the tear-off. Panels go over the old shingles, often on 1x4 wood purlins or over a new underlayment, and you save the labor and the dumpster. The 2018 IRC that Jackson enforces allows a recover over one layer of shingles. It doesn't allow one where the roof already has two or more layers, where the deck is water-soaked or rotted, or where the old covering is too damaged to be a base.

There are trade-offs. Nobody sees the deck, so a soft spot stays hidden. Humid air trapped between the old shingles and cool steel can condense, and the roofer needs a plan for that, usually a breathable underlayment or a vented purlin layout. It's a good fit for a sound roof with one layer of shingles. It's a poor one for a roof that already leaks.

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These are the screw-down roofs, also called exposed-fastener roofs. R-panel and PBR have tall trapezoidal ribs, 5-V crimp has five V-shaped ribs and an older farmhouse look, and corrugated has the classic wave. Panels overlap at the sides, and screws with neoprene washers go through the face into purlins or decking. They cost less than standing seam and go up fast, which is why they're on so many porches, sheds and country houses.

The code wants a 3:12 slope for lapped panels without lap sealant and allows down to 1/2:12 with sealant in the laps. The weak point is the screws. Sun and heat age the washers, and a screw that backs out a turn becomes a slow leak. Plan on a fastener check every few years.

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Copper shows up as an accent: a bay window, a front porch, a cupola or a dormer on a house that already has a different main roof. It goes on as standing seam or flat-seam panels, starts bright and darkens to brown over the years. It costs far more than steel, so it's usually a small roof that people look at.

Aluminum doesn't rust, which makes it worth a look for roofs near pools, water or anything salty. It's softer than steel, so it dents more easily, and it needs its own compatible fasteners and flashing.

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