A copper roof is one of the most prestigious and expensive kinds of a roof covering which has been applied when constructing buildings of business and premium class since long ago. And even today somewhere in Russia there are still ancient estates of the Russian nobility under a genteel patina of a copper roof having survived more than one generation of its owners.
A copper roof is one of the most prestigious and expensive kinds of a roof covering which has been applied when constructing buildings of business and premium class since long ago. And even today somewhere in Russia there are still ancient estates of the Russian nobility under a genteel patina of a copper roof having survived more than one generation of its owners.
In Russia from time immemorial the domes of Orthodox churches have been covered exclusively with copper and gold. In Europe there are still buildings with copper roofing that date back centuries. For example in a German city Hildesheim there is a Catholic cathedral with copper roofing constructed more than 700 years ago.
• Operational period. Due to chemical processes from year to year copper roofing not only saves its positive features but also get a more reliable protection from exposure to the atmosphere and time;
• Resistance to weather conditions. A roofing copper is not afraid of acid rains, hurricanes, abundant precipitation as the metal doesn’t corrode or deform, copper is patinated and the resulting layer is protecting the material for a long time;
• Ease of maintenance. A copper roof doesn’t require frequent repairs or regular cleaning and painting. Atmospheric precipitation will be removed from the roof naturally therefore there is no need to lay heating cables on the surface of the roof;
• Thermal stability. Operational characteristics of the copper roof don’t change in the temperature range within -70˚C up to +150˚C;
• Ecological compatibility. This metal is a neutral product and has no influence on the environment. Copper never allows any microorganisms reproduce therefore corrosion and decay are impossible;
• Lightness and plasticity. Copper can cover the roofs of the most unusual shapes and configurations giving any bend necessary lineament and a low weight of copper roof allows installing it on any rafter system;
• Ease of repair works. Things happen and sometimes it turns out that a roof gets some mechanical damages you can’t avoid. To repair a damaged area there is no need to dismantle half of the roof and replace a sheet of material with a new one. Just to solder a hole is enough;
• Original aristocratic appearance. Roof of natural copper will stand out from the general background. As time goes by aesthetic qualities of a copper roof will just improve – in 15-20 years the metal will be covered with green patina that will give the whole house a splendor and a touch of history.
A copper roof has the only disadvantage – a price. It is often the high cost of copper that is a key factor when buying a roofing material. However if everything is carefully calculated then it will turn out that the service period of copper roof is so long that another roofing will have to be replaced at least 4 or 5 times during that period of time that is economically impractical.
Copper tiles. Look like ordinary “leaves” which are made not of ceramic but of durable metal. The variety of copper tiles numbers more than a dozen different shapes such as a scale, a checker, a ploughshare and so on.
Copper metal tiles. Prestigious roofing material an aesthetical attractiveness of which is just increasing as the time goes by. It differs with ease of installation and relatively low cost.
Standing seam copper roof. Also this kind of roofing is named sheet-metal roofing. Copper is bought in rolls, rolled through the sheet-folding machine; resulting seam panel are attached on the roof with the help of special lock – a roofing seam.
Copper shaped boarding or a profiled sheet and a waved sheet. Classic roofing ribbed sheets can be made of a copper sheet. This kind of roofing is interesting by combining an exquisite material and a simple appearance in the style of constructionism.
Bitumen tiles with a copper coating. A variety of bitumen tiling shapes covered with a copper foil allows installing roofs of any configuration and shape including domes and towers. The distinguishing feature of pliable tiles with a copper coating is wide possibilities for design.
1-3 years. Yellow-pink, bright and glossy surface.
1-5 years. Metal is oxidized and gradually getting black. The gloss is vanishing, the roof is becoming matte.
10-20 years. Oxidized surface is changing black to greenish color which is typical for old copper roofs.
If you don’t want to wait for so long, we can offer to your attention already aged copper roof which is manufactured at leading enterprises of Europe and Asia.
Classic copper. The surface of classic copper glitters and has a reddish-golden color. The original color of copper persists not so long; during the first 60-90 days the surface of a tape is dimming and beginning to get dark and then is being covered with malachite green patina.
Oxidized copper. This copper has got a brown colored surface having avoided glittering stage and the following irregular aging to the oxide level. But you must remember that oxidized copper still continues to age and eventually covers with patina.
Patinated copper. Copper of green color covered with patina that is factory fabricated. Purchasing patinated copper for a building of your house you invest a pretty big sum of money in construction but at the same time in future the color of a copper surface will change insignificantly.
Tinned copper. It’s a copper sheet covered with a layer of tin and having warm matte-gray color. Over time the color of tinned copper changes a little and becomes gray-green. It’s happening because a copper sheet is getting green under the layer of tin.
Bronze. Alloy of copper and tin of reddish-brown color was developed especially for designers. During operation bronze copper is getting brownish-green shade which then transforms to dark brown-anthracite.
Brass. Alloy of copper and zinc was developed especially for covering facades of the houses. Time and weather naturally change the original reddish-golden color of brass firstly into greenish-brown and then into grayish-brown color. The end of the process of aging copper to brass is a dark-brown anthracite shade.
Golden copper. Alloy of copper and aluminum has got a golden color and is an excellent alternative to braid gold and titanium nitride applied to producing and installation roofing of churches and temples. Over time the original golden-green color of the surface of copper gets a matte-golden shade and remains the same forever.
Remember that different kinds of copper may be combined with each other creating truly interesting and unique surfaces and patterns on the planes of roofs and facades.
• Aurubis. The largest integrated corporation Aurubis (Luvata) unites leading metallurgic companies of Europe and the USA. Production of the corporation is fully complies with strict requirements of international standard Cu DPH due to the strict control of all stages of manufacturing of copper roofing coverings.
• KME. Internationally orientated Industrial Corporation KME Group founded more than 100 years ago today owns 16 plants operating in Germany, France, Spain and Italy. KME is among the largest world manufacturers of copper products. Its production enjoys great popularity on five continents. The corporation is constantly rooting innovative technologies that allow increasing and expanding the assortment significantly.
• Samsung Metal. The leading Korean company which is known all over the world due to its own innovative technologies of manufacturing and optimal cost of oxidized and patinated copper for roofs and facades. The company Samsung Metal started its history in 1969.
• GZOCM. The Gay factory for processing of non-ferrous metals from Orenburg region founded 40 years ago is one of the leaders of Russian manufacturing of rolled brass, copper and bronze. GZOCM is also included in the list of 100 largest exporters of copper products. The enterprise is equipped with the most modern European equipment.
• VBS. The company Valjaonica Bakra Sevojno AD founded in 1952 was declared by the global business community as one of the best manufacturers of copper products. High-quality production of the plant VBS meets international standards EN 12163, 12164, 12165, 12167, 13601 due to what is widely demanded in many countries and Russia as well.
To carry out covering a roof of a building without appropriate knowledge and skills of working with metals especially copper is not a good idea. To hire professional roofers specializing in tin works will be the right solution.
• Standing seam copper roof consists of metal lines or panels-pictures joining with the help of special clamps that make vertical bending of metal on a surface – standing seams. They create a rhythm of decoration and provide impermeability that is rather difficult to break. A special tool is needed for joining panels of a standing seam copper roof. Metal is fixed to the roof with the help of cleats that are locked into the seam;
• Copper shaped boarding or waved sheet is a molded material with a vertical wave of different height and length. Being ribbed makes copper roof additional stiffness and strength. The higher the wave is the better stiffening ribs are snapping into action. This copper roofing differs with low weight, ease of installation, resistance to corrosion and long service life. Aluminum shaped boarding stitches bond with one wave;
• Copper tiling is rolled and stamped from rolled copper and copies an appearance of traditional natural tiling. The length of a finished sheet of copper tiling can be anything but it’s recommended to use sheets up to 4 m length. The sheets are tightly locked joint; roof of aluminum is fixed to lathing at points of grooved seams with stainless self-tapping screws;
• Copper tiling has got the widest choice of shapes and sizes; the service life of the roof depends on the quality of its producing and installation. The tiling of copper is installed with the help of special cleats or directly to the lathing with stainless self-tapping screws through pre-prepared lapels. When installing the roof from copper tiles one needs to pay special attention to roofing accessory parts such as a ridge, a cornice, a roof cowl and so on. These elements can both improve a roof appearance and increase the whole cost of the house and vice versa bring the choice of expensive and genteel roofing to nothing.
The service period of the roof from copper is over 150 years without any extra operational expenses. Having ordered an installation of a copper roof in the company “Radeka” not only you provide your house with a reliable protection from weather precipitation but also make a profitable investment that is going to beat the index every decade.
