Your shingles have been replaced twice since you moved in, and the last hailstorm has you wondering if a steel roof would finally break the cycle. Or you already have steel on the house or the shop out back, and now there’s a drip along a row of screws. Either way, you want straight facts about steel roofing in Kansas City before you put real money into it.
That’s a fair thing to want. Steel is a long-term decision, the sales pitches can get loud, and a lot of what you’ll read online was written for a very different climate. You deserve to hear what steel does well here and where it falls short.
APC Roofing is a GAF Certified contractor, licensed and insured, and we’ve been roofing since 2017. We install and repair steel roofs across the Kansas City area, and your inspection and estimate are free. Call 913-398-5020 to set up a visit.
How steel roofing in Kansas City handles the weather
Kansas City asks a lot of a roof. Steel handles some of it better than others.
Hail is the big one. A steel roof doesn’t crack or shed granules the way asphalt shingles do, but a hard enough hailstone will dent it. Thicker panels, and panels with stiffening ribs or a textured surface, hold their shape better. Some dents are only cosmetic. Others chip the paint down to bare metal or bend a seam open, and those need attention before rust or water gets in. If you’re weighing steel partly because of hail, ask your insurance agent how your policy treats cosmetic dents on a metal roof.
Snow and ice come next. Snow slides off smooth painted steel far more easily than off shingles, which helps keep ice dams from building at the eaves. It also means a whole slope of snow can let go at once onto a walkway, a deck or your gutters. Snow guards over doors and paths break that load into smaller pieces.
Then there are the temperature swings. Steel grows a little as it heats and shrinks as it cools, and a spring or fall day here can swing a long way. A well-built steel roof is fastened so the panels can move without tearing at their screws or clips. When that movement isn’t allowed for, fastener holes slowly stretch into slots and start to leak. The ticking you might hear when the morning sun hits the roof is that movement, and on a roof built right it does no harm.
Summer heat is the easy part. A light color or a “cool” pigment reflects a good share of the sun, so the attic underneath stays cooler than it would under dark shingles.
Types of steel roofing for Kansas City homes and buildings
Standing seam steel
Long panels run from the ridge to the eave and lock together at raised seams. The fasteners hide under those seams on clips, so there are no exposed screws to wear out. That’s why standing seam is the usual pick for homes, and it’s also the priciest of the steel options. Our standing seam metal roofing in Kansas City page goes into more detail.
Ribbed and corrugated panels
These panels overlap at the edges and are screwed straight through the metal, with a rubber washer under each screw head. They go up faster and cost less, so you’ll see them on shops, barns, porches and some houses. The trade-off is upkeep. Those washers dry out after years of sun and cold, and at some point the roof needs new screws. If you like the classic wavy look, see corrugated metal roofing in Kansas City.
Stone-coated steel and steel shingles
This is steel pressed into the shape of shingles, shakes or tile, often finished with a layer of granules. It looks more like a traditional roof, which helps in neighborhoods where an HOA has a say, and the textured surface tends to hide small hail marks.
Gauge, coating and paint: what to ask about
Steel roofing is sold by gauge, and a lower number means thicker metal. Outbuildings commonly get 29-gauge. Homes more often get 26 or 24. Thicker steel costs more, but it resists dents and stays flatter, and that matters in hail country.
Under the paint, the steel is coated with zinc (galvanized) or an aluminum-zinc blend that fights rust. The paint goes on over that. PVDF finishes, often sold under the name Kynar, hold their color longest in strong sun. Polyester-based paints cost less and fade and chalk sooner.
When you compare bids, ask what gauge, what metal coating and what paint system each one includes. Two quotes that both say “steel roof” can describe very different products.
Do you tear off old shingles before steel goes on?
Yes. We tear the old roof off down to the deck before any steel goes on, so we can see and fix any soft or wet wood first.
Repairing a steel roof
Plenty of leaking steel roofs don’t need replacing. The usual fixes:
- New screws where the old washers have dried and cracked, either a few at a time or across the whole roof
- Resealing the laps where two panels overlap
- New flashing at chimneys, walls and pipe boots, which is where most leaks start
- Swapping out a single badly damaged panel (new paint rarely matches weathered paint exactly, so you’ll know what to expect)
When rust has eaten through panel after panel, or the seams are failing across the roof, replacement starts to make more sense. Our metal roof repair in Kansas City page covers repairs in more depth. If you’re switching from shingles, metal roof installation in Kansas City walks through that project.
How it works with APC Roofing
- Book your free inspection. Call 913-398-5020 or request a free online estimate.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. We look at the panels, fasteners, seams, flashing and attic, and you get photos with a written summary. If steel isn’t the right fit for your building, you’ll hear that from us.
- Your roof gets done and the site gets cleaned up. Repairs or the new roof go on, and the crew cleans up before leaving.
If you’d like to spread out the cost, financing is available through Aqua Finance, Fortifi, Hearth and Home Run Finance.
Steel roofing questions from Kansas City homeowners
Is a steel roof loud in the rain?
On a house, not usually. Decking, underlayment and attic insulation sit between the panels and your bedroom, so rain sounds a lot like it does on shingles. A shed with bare panels over open framing is a different story.
Will hail ruin a steel roof?
Small hail usually leaves no mark. Large hail can dent steel, and a dent that chips the paint or bends a seam should be fixed so the metal doesn’t rust or leak. Heavier gauges and textured or stone-coated panels hold up better.
Does a steel roof attract lightning?
No. A metal roof doesn’t make your house more likely to be struck.
Should I choose steel or aluminum?
For most Kansas City homes, steel. It’s stronger and costs less. Aluminum is lighter and won’t rust, but it’s softer and dents more easily in a hailstorm.
A roof you don’t have to worry about every spring
A small leak at a screw line or a piece of flashing doesn’t stay small. Water works into the decking and insulation for months before it shows on a ceiling, and a simple fix turns into a bigger one.
Get the facts on your roof now, while you have choices. Then the next storm warning can come and go while you stay dry, with no surprise bill and no second-guessing. Trust matters. Call 913-398-5020 to book your free inspection.
