metal roofs Archives | ABC Metal Roofing

Are Metal Roofs Noisy?

Posted on November 19, 2020May 31, 2023 by Tyler Roose

Many homeowners ask this question when considering metal roofing versus asphalt shingles: Are metal roofs noisy when it rains? The short answer is not necessarily. The perception that metal roofing is loud most likely comes from standing in a barn or shed when it’s raining. This comes down the roofing installation methods, which differ from residential and commercial construction to agricultural construction. The truth is that high quality metal roofing that is properly installed shouldn’t be louder than traditional asphalt shingles.

With traditional roofing installation, plywood decking, insulation and underlayment are used to add protection and reduce noise. The plywood decking or sheathing layer is installed first. Next, the underlayment is added, serving as a moisture barrier. Finally, add insulation in the attic airspace below.

Without these elements of a traditionally installed roof, the metal panels are installed directly on the framing. This means that there’s no barrier to reduce noise transfer to the interior of the building. This is common in secondary structures such as barns, sheds and other agricultural structures.

Tips to Reduce Metal Roof Noise

If your metal roof was installed without plywood decking, underlayment and insulation, here are some tips to reduce metal roof noise:

1) Add Insulation – Insulation serves as an acoustic barrier and reduces noise transfer to the interior of your building. It also improves the energy efficiency of your building, helping to reduce overall energy costs.

2) Properly Fasten Roof Panels – Proper installation is crucial to reducing noise. Use proper fasteners and don’t over or under-tighten them. Refer to the product manual for correct fastener layouts and spacing.

3) Replace Your Roof – Consider replacing your roof and using traditional methods for residential and commercial roofing installation. Insulated metal panels are also a great option as they provide thermal, moisture and vapor barriers in a single component.

Why Choose Metal Roofing?

When installed with decking, underlayment and insulation, metal roofing isn’t any louder than traditional shingle roofing. Compared to shingle roofing, metal roofing offers superior longevity, durability and sustainability. Metal roofing offers a lifespan of 50 years or longer. It can also stand up to harsh weather conditions such as high winds and heavy snow loads. Metal panels are made from 25%-35% recycled materials and are virtually 100% recyclable at the end of their life.

To learn more about metal roofing, browse our panel profiles and contact your local sales representative today.

Advances in Ordering Metal Building Products Online

Posted on April 17, 2019May 31, 2023 by Shelby Shipman

You’ve heard it before: “Online is the way of the future!” but do online solutions really meet the demands of traditional building? In recent blog posts, we’ve outlined the general benefits of using an online ordering platform to order metal building products. These include the customized metal roof and wall panels and trim American Building Components (ABC) offers. Beyond basic ordering functionalities (which are must-haves for an effective tool), there are additional features that manufacturers can incorporate to save you time and help you effectively build your projects when ordering metal online.

Time-saving features that improve ordering metal online include:

Copying and Merging Online Carts: Sophisticated online ordering tools now feature the ability to copy previously-created quotes, quote templates and/or orders. Once copied and/or merged, you can then modify item attributes like color and gauge to suit your preferences. These tools can also feature the ability to merge all items from several sources into a single, combined cart.

Consolidated Carts: Some online ordering tools take care to consider not just the actual tool functionality, but the experience people have when using it. Part of this is ensuring users can quickly and easily view order details. Enhanced online ordering websites are attempting this by grouping like-products together—thus reducing the page length of quotes and orders. This minimizes the time needed to view quotes and orders, and enables you to easily see the most important details.

Changing Multiple Items at Once: Large quotes and orders often require that the same specifications apply across a series of different items. For example, you may want the same panels but in a different color, texture or thickness. Likewise, you may even want to remove entire product types (like panels or trim). Instead of modifying cart items one at a time, you can now change to several products at once.

Complete Building Assemblies: Ordering metal online helps make getting the products you need easier and faster. But what if you know what you want to build, but aren’t sure about which products you’ll need? Online ordering tools like ABC’s now provide a selection of “Building Assemblies” to help. This feature groups all products needed to complete a project into single, pre-defined bundles. Selecting an assembly bundle puts all products needed for that building type into your online cart with just a few clicks of your mouse. In addition to saving time and effort, these assemblies can include warranty protection if all other conditions are met. Note that it’s also possible to remove specific products (like fasteners, sealant, etc.) if you already have them.

Account Management Improvements: Controlling who can place orders has been a key benefit of many online ordering systems. Based on customer feedback, ABC has overhauled this part of our tool, making it much easier for your organization’s designated account administrator to add and modify users, as well as set access and spending limits and track user activity within the system. Overall, these seemingly basic improvements allow you to more effectively manage your business.

View All Quotes and Orders: Common to many e-commerce sites, only the user who creates the quotes and/or orders generated through their account can see them. However, because most organizations rely on several people collaborating to best service their customers, more sophisticated capabilities are required. New features allow your account administrator to grant multiple users access to view quotes and orders while controlling the level of detail shared. This allows your team access what they need to do their jobs while also protecting sensitive details at your discretion.

Industry-first features like these further support building contractors, project managers and suppliers in meeting the needs of their customers. ABC has recognized the value tools and features like these can provide. As more people begin ordering metal online, we aim to continue enacting improvements that positively impact the ABC ordering process.

To find out more about ordering metal online, including how to price, quote and place orders, visit us online or contact your local ABC representative today. To be notified when we launch time-saving online ordering enhancements, stay tuned to our blog, email and social media posts.

Ordering Custom Products Online

Posted on March 12, 2019May 31, 2023 by Shelby Shipman

In a prior blog post, we introduced the capability of ordering metal roof and wall panels, trim and building components online using the American Building Components online ordering website. While most people are familiar with ordering products online from a list of standard offerings, there is another exciting aspect to these sites–you can use them to order custom trim and structural products too! That means you don’t need to call or meet a sales rep during business hours to place a custom order. Custom trim and structural products can be ordered online anytime it is convenient! Here’s how it works.

When Standard Isn’t Enough

Most companies with online ordering websites offer products in standard shapes and lengths. Recognizing that not every job is standard, the ABC online ordering website offers customers the ability to order custom trim and structural products online 24/7. Using the “Custom Trim” or “Custom Structural” product categories, you can select the trim or structural product you want. Once selected, you can customize the product by indicating all desired specifications using the provided menu options. These include steel thickness, color, stretch-out (material width before it’s bent), breaks needed in the trim, hems and other features.

Visualizing Custom Trim and Structural Products

Even with the ability to set custom specifications, sometimes visuals can help ensure products are manufactured correctly. To help, ABC takes product customization a step further than most. You can use the ABC online ordering tool to add your own custom hand-drawn or drafted drawings. These help show the complete layout of the product as a supplement to the specifications you select online.

You can easily upload and link already-prepared drawings to your ABC order in any common electronic file format. If drawings aren’t done, ABC’s online ordering website provides an easy-to-use template that walks you through how to create simple hand-drawn or digital drawings.

A Time-Saving Process

Once all of the customization information is input, simply check for accuracy and add the item(s) to your cart. Then, simple repeat for as many custom trim and structural products required. Additionally, you can save each custom item created with it’s own product name to quickly add them to future orders.

Online ordering tools that offer a quick and seamless way to include custom trim and structural products can save you time and help your business run more efficiently. The ability to customize products online makes it significantly easier to do business with the material supplier, particularly since most other online tools only offer standard products.

To find out more about how to quote, order and build custom and standard products online and to sign up for an online ordering account today, visit http://www.abcmetalroofing.com/shop/ or contact your local ABC representative. Stay tuned to be the first to know when we launch new time-saving enhancements. Upcoming features include the ability to:

copy and merge items from multiple quotes onto one,
edit multiple items at one time,
add entire product packages (assemblies) based on building specifications,
and more!