Dreaming up a new space is a fun experience, and a custom project comes with an exciting – and sometimes intimidating – opportunity to select every material involved.
From the tip of the roof to the baseboards, each selection is important. To achieve the style you envision and attain the lasting quality you need, you have many important decisions ahead and we’re here to help!
Metal components are stylish additions to your project, and we have many methods to ensure the lasting visual appeal of our products. One method we employ is the addition of striations to our metal panels.
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What Are Striations?
Striations are a technique some metal panel manufacturers offer to reduce oil canning concerns. Striations involve introducing a series of minor bends spaced a few inches apart on the face of the panel. Some owners might be worried that panels with striations appear busy; however, striations typically aren’t visible from the ground after panel installation on the roof.
At McElroy Metal, striations don’t impact our lead time or cost. If you’re working with other metal panel manufacturers, you should always inquire about their ability to offer striations and any effect on your anticipated lead time and cost.
What Is Oil Canning?
Oil canning is a visual phenomenon that can make metal panels appear wavy or distorted. Oil canning can occur with any metal roofing substrate, including steel, copper, zinc, and aluminum. Oil canning is most common with concealed fastened wall and standing seam roof systems due the wide flat area in between major ribs.
The color of the roof, the finish, roof pitch, temperature, sunlight, season, and the angle all play a part in the visibility of oil canning. It is important to remember that oil canning is strictly a cosmetic concern and not an indication of a flaw or degradation of the metal materials. If you’d like to learn more about oil canning, please check out our earlier post, What is Oil Canning of a Metal Roof.
Other Options to Mitigate Oil Canning
If you’re worried about oil canning but want to consider options besides striations, consider the following:
- Reduce panel width: While switching from an 18” wide panel to a 12” wide panel increases product and labor costs, it can be an effective strategy to reduce oil canning.
- Increase panel gauge: While not absolute, material thickness can impact oil canning concerns, so moving from 26 ga. to 24 ga. or even 22 ga. product can help.
- Consider specialty options such as embossing or low gloss paints.
While any of the approaches above can effectively reduce the appearance of oil canning, they all carry additional costs. At this point, striations represent the best “no cost added” option to address oil canning in the metal wall and roof panels, and consequently, why we are proud to offer striations across our fourteen manufacturing facilities and robust product offering.
Have another question? Contact us; we’d love to help.
Learn everything you need to know about Residential Metal Roofing. Check out our metal roofing resources for inspiration and answers to your questions.
About McElroy Metal
Since 1963, McElroy Metal has served the construction industry with quality products and excellent customer service. The employee-owned components manufacturer is headquartered in Bossier City, La., and has 14 manufacturing facilities across the United States. Quality, service and performance have been the cornerstone of McElroy Metal’s business philosophy and have contributed to the success of the company through the years. As a preferred service provider, these values will continue to be at the forefront of McElroy Metal’s model along with a strong focus on the customer.
Topics: Metal Roofing, Residential
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