Since the 1950s roofs made of stone coated steel have been in use in Australia and New Zealand and they are still in use today from Sandra Brown's blog

It's important to understand how stone coated metal roofs were developed and how they compare to other metal roofing options – especially if you're looking for the most cost-effective and long-lasting roofing solution for your home – before investing in one for your home.

Since the 1950s, stone coated steel roofs have been used in Australia and New Zealand, and they are still in use today in both countries. The invention occurred at a time when a process for bonding stone coatings to the surface of metal roofing after the metal panel had been formed was in the process of being developed. It was essentially road tar that was used to bond the panel together when it was first put together in order to prevent the small stones from falling out during the construction process. These coatings experienced widespread premature failure in the 1960s and 1970s, resulting in the failure of thousands of roofs over the course of several decades.



The advancement of stone coat technology over time has resulted in the development of a category of steel roofing products that are essentially galvalume or galvanized base steel panels with granules or stones glued to the surface of the panels (also known as stone coat shingles). Water-based acrylic resin is used in the production of this particular glue, and it softens as a result of changes in weather conditions. The use of warm water to soften a section of stone-coated roofing for 20 seconds will allow the resin to be scraped off with a fingernail, allowing the Metal roofing colors to be repaired without damaging it further.

Over time, as a result of exposure to the various cycles of weather that the elements can produce, the bonding agent in stone-coated products degrades. In addition, as the bonding resin degrades, granules begin to separate from the panels, allowing more water to seep into the building's structural members and cause it to collapse. Moisture will eventually find its way through the resin and into the steel frame, where it will cause corrosion to the steel frame.

A result is the formation of corrosion and rust, as well as an eventual separation of the stones from the steel panels, exposing large expanses of stone to the elements. The field-repair solution for these roofs consists of a bag of granules and a tube of glue, which are used to re-cover the areas of the White metal roof that have been damaged by the hurricane. When it comes down to it, most homeowners are left with a Black metal roof that is rapidly deteriorating, and in many cases, there is no warranty coverage available for corrosion or granular loss.

Additionally, when it comes to stone-coated steel roofing, there are two additional considerations to take into account: durability and cost. They are frequently installed on battens with exposed fasteners to give them a more finished appearance than they would have if they were not installed in this manner. Fasteners that are exposed to the elements loosen and pull out in a relatively short period of time as a result of the natural expansion-contraction cycles that occur in nature. In the metal roof suppliers, thousands of loosened fasteners have created a pathway for rainwater to seep through to the decking and into the interior of the building.

In spite of the fact that some stone coated roofing systems make use of concealed fasteners, those fasteners only interlock on the top and bottom of the panels, exposing the sides of the panels to the elements. In addition to being more difficult to install than other types of roofing systems, fully interlocking metal roofing systems have the obvious disadvantage of being more expensive to purchase.