"DIY roofing is definitely not for the faint of heart...seen plenty of ambitious homeowners underestimate the challenge."
Haha, guilty as charged. I thought I'd just hop up there and nail down a few shingles—how hard could it be, right? Turns out there's a whole science behind it. Didn't even know about the copper granules thing, that's pretty neat. Might give that zinc strip trick a shot too, since my roof's already looking like it's auditioning for a swamp monster movie...
Haha, you're definitely not alone there. I've inspected plenty of roofs where the homeowner started strong but ended up calling in backup halfway through. Roofing's one of those sneaky jobs—looks straightforward until you're balancing on a steep pitch with shingles sliding everywhere. Zinc strips can help, but make sure you get them placed right or you'll just have shiny streaks instead of swampy ones...speaking from experience here. Good luck!
Zinc strips are definitely helpful if placed correctly, but I've also seen copper strips used effectively to control moss and algae growth. Have you ever tried copper instead, or noticed any significant differences in performance between the two? Curious about your experience...
I've used both zinc and copper strips on roofs, and honestly, they're pretty similar in effectiveness. Zinc seems a bit more common, probably because it's usually cheaper and easier to find. Copper does have a slight edge in durability though—tends to hold up better over time without corroding as quickly. One thing I've noticed is placement matters a ton... if you don't install them high enough near the ridge line, neither metal will do much good. Curious if anyone else has seen copper staining shingles slightly greenish after heavy rains?
I've definitely seen copper strips leave that greenish tint you're talking about, especially after a good downpour. Had this one job a few years back on an older house with lighter shingles—homeowner insisted on copper because they'd heard it lasts longer. Well, it does, but they weren't thrilled when their roof started sporting that Statue of Liberty look after a couple heavy rains. I warned them beforehand, but you know how it is... some folks gotta see it to believe it.
Funny thing though, I've noticed it really depends on the shingle color and type too. Darker shingles tend to hide the staining pretty well, while lighter ones seem to highlight every little streak. And yeah, you're spot-on about the placement. Had another project where the homeowner installed zinc strips himself halfway down the roof slope—didn't do squat for algae prevention. Had to redo the whole thing properly at the ridge line, and finally saw some decent results.
Personally, I lean toward zinc most of the time just because it's more cost-effective and easier to source locally. But copper does have its place if you're working on something higher-end or historic where aesthetics matter more than usual. Just gotta make sure customers know what they're signing up for with those green streaks... or you'll be hearing from them again real soon.
