It is also quite a soft material which means that it is often damaged or comes away from a roof’s surface relatively easily e.g. if a tile, brick or other item on the roof is dislodged and makes contact with the lead. If it is used in large quantities on a roof it can also be subject to theft when metal prices are high.
An Alternative to Roof Lead
A long lasting and highly effective alternative to using lead on a roof is to use single ply roofing membrane system such as Alwitra, Bauder, Cefil and Sarnafil. In large areas of roof space which would traditionally have used a lot of lead or perhaps a mixture leaded areas with felt or bitumen based roofing surfaces a complete single ply membrane solution is a highly effective solution because:
- It can be made to look very much like lead. A ‘Lead Grey’ Sarnafil membrane for example has a very similar surface appearance to lead. Imitation lead batten rolls and mop sticks can be used with it to make a roof surface look just like the lead surface it is replacing.
- It is very long lasting. For example The British Board of Agrement state that Sarnafil roofs last in excess 30 years.
- It is maintenance free. The strength of the membrane and its mechanically attached and heat sealed joints, its resistance to temperature extremes and UV mean that it will provide a superb waterproof barrier that unlike lead will not require costly maintenance work.
- It is guaranteed. Long insurance backed guarantees are offered on systems such as Sarnafil e.g. 15 years.
Single ply membranes are flexible as well as strong and so they can be cut to fit smaller roof areas where lead would traditionally be used e.g. above bay windows. |
