When fires were running rampant in the Los Angeles area in October, many newspapers carried a dramatic picture of two houses destroyed in the blaze while the house between them survived.
The house on the left had a wooden shake roof that easily caught fire from flying embers. Winds blew embers under the roof tiles of the house on the right and set it ablaze as well.The house in the center had stone-coated steel roofing manufactured in Corona, Calif., by Sierra Roofing Systems, head-quar-tered in Irvine, Calif. Jon Wilson, product manager for Sierra, said pictures were dramatic proof of the superiority of his company's product, which also has been credited with withstanding earthquakes.
Wilson said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has installed stone-coated steel roofs on several of its buildings. The company has sold 150,000 roofs in Southern California, an area susceptible to fires and earthquakes, he said.
In Utah, stone-coated steel roofing is installed by Roofing Center Inc., 195 W. Main, American Fork, and apparently the product is becoming popular, especially with people who reroof existing homes. Steve Davis, president of Roofing Center, said his company's business doubles every year and 90 percent of his work is at residences rather than businesses.
Davis said his company has been handling stone-coated steel roofing for 10 years and initially brought it in for commercial installations, but it soon discovered how good it is for residential application, especially over existing asphalt shingle or tar and gravel roofs.
Stone-coated steel roofing was developed more than 50 years ago in New Zealand, where the homes need protection from heavy rains, hurricane-force winds and hot, dry summer fires. The roofing combines strong, lightweight steel, coated with corrosion-resistant zinc primers; natural earthstone granules; and clear, weather-resistant acrylic sealers.
The roofing looks like shake shingles or tiles and comes in 16 colors. The panels are stackable, and enough roofing for a house doesn't take up much space, Davis said.
For all the protection the roofing provides, according to Monty Davis, Steve's brother and vice president of the company, stone-coated steel roofing is surprisingly light, only 1.5 pounds per square foot. Other types of roofing weigh considerably more.
Monty Davis said stone-coated steel roofing goes over every type of roofing except concrete tiles, which must be removed. Factory-trained installers nail a grid of 2-by-2-inch boards 14 1/2 inches apart to the roof. Each sheet of the roofing material has seven simulated tiles, which are screwed onto the wood.
The installation of cap material on the top of the roof and trim around the edges completes the job.
Monty Davis said stone-coated steel roofing has a Class A fire rating, the highest obtainable; is guaranteed not to lift off in winds up to 120 mph; has a leakproof guarantee, even without costly underlayments; and improves the roof's ability to withstand earthquakes by 400 percent.
He said the roofing has been tested for hail damage with outstanding results by firing large ice balls from a pressurized tube. That's important in Utah where hail can cause plenty of damage quickly.
Because of the sturdiness of the product, it carries a 50-year guarantee that is transferable when the house is sold. Steve Davis said that is an important factor when selling a house. He said the price is 2 1/2 times the cost of an asphalt shingle roof.
Steve Davis, 37, is a native of Salt Lake City, but his family spent several years in Idaho Falls. He majored in history and music at Idaho State University and Brigham Young University and is a few hours away from graduating. He has been in construction for 20 years and, while working for Monolithic Constructors in Idaho Falls, built several large churches and grain storage buildings.
In 1982, he worked for Utah Monolithic Builders in American Fork as a subcontractor. Because he didn't like the travel involved, he started his own construction company and brought in stone-coated steel roofing as a sideline. After he sold his heavy construction equipment, he concentrated on the roofing business.
Monty Davis was born in Idaho Falls and attended Ricks College and Utah Valley State College. He started his roofing career as an installer for his brother and now has the job of production manager to see the roofs are properly installed.