Zincalume or Colourbond? What's the difference? We're getting quotes to get a new roof. Apart from the certainty...
We're getting quotes to get a new roof. Apart from the certainty that Colourbond's about $2,500 more expensive, what's the difference? Zincalume is the silver stuff, right? Which would you recommend and why?
Yes zincalume is silver surrounded by colour. As mentioned, the steel is either painted & callled "colourbond" or it is treated with zinc and call "zincalume".
The physically differences arent worth worrying about too much. I'd base your outcome purely on asthetics. ...Which is the right colour for you and your house?.
And yerh the darker the roof, the more heat it will hold and therefore warm the house up. We chose a white roof for the house we are contained by now and it is so much cooler than our last house near a green roof.
Also zincalume is not allowed in abundant estates.
Zincalume is NOT galvanised iron; it is a lower grade metal. Therefore it is not as good as gal, as the zinc electrolytically protects the iron/steel it is covering. This is sacrificial protection - the zinc covers the steel, and if at hand is a crack, the iron does not rust but the zinc and iron together create a galvanic cell which keeps the iron as metal, not oxidising. The zinc does oxidise.
Colourbond is steel, with a special level paint coating top and bottom. The colour is on one side and a a coating is on the reverse side.
It's horses for courses; but when I built a garage (detached steel shed) I used colourbond on visible sides and zincalume of the other half (half roof too).
The colourbond seem stronger and "harder" and I reckon is worth the extra cost. Zincalume starts off very reflective and looks too shiny.
Answers: Zincalume is zinc plated - it is a silvery color, and does not need to be painted.
Colorbond is one and the same roof - only painted. I would pay the extra and receive the colorbond. If you pick the right color, it looks much better than zinc plated roofing. Remember that the roof is highly visible, and it is worth spending the extra money to engineer it look good. The better it looks, the more valuable your house will be...
EDIT: A topical roof will increase the value of your home, regardless of which option you choose.. Its basically that humans are highly visual creatures, and will gravitate more to items that look righteous. My personal opinion is that zinc roofs look more at home on garages and outhouses. Colorbond looks better, and enhances the look of the house. I own 2 decking roofs fitted with colorbond attached to my house, and they look certainly fantastic.