The Story of DECRA: How a War-Time Invention Became a Roof
DECRA is a popular metal roofing brand today. But it didn’t start as a roofing product. It started as a way to protect buildings during World War II.
It Began During the War
During World War II, Germany bombed many cities in Britain. This was called the Blitz. Buildings were destroyed and had to be rebuilt fast.
Builders used metal panels to fix roofs quickly. But there was a problem. The metal was shiny. At night, the shine reflected light and made buildings easy targets for bombers.
A company called Decraspray Co. found a fix. They made a coating that stopped the shine. It also worked well in bad weather, like heavy rain and salty sea air. This coating did two jobs at once: It hid buildings from bombers and it protected them from the weather.
It Became a Product After the War
After the war, people noticed the coating was very tough. It was hard to remove, which meant it lasted a long time. Builders across Europe wanted to use it.
A man named Lou Fisher from New Zealand liked the idea. In 1955, he bought the rights to make the coating outside the UK. He gave it a new name: Decramastic.
Fisher made one big change. He added small crushed stones to the coating. This stopped the metal panels from sticking together. It also made the roofing look better. This is how stone-coated metal roofing was born.
The Name DECRA Was Born
In 1978, the product was officially named DECRA Metal Roofing.
DECRA became really popular in the 1980s. Why? Because of wildfires in California. Many areas banned wooden roofs because they caught fire easily. Homeowners needed a roof that looked similar but wouldn’t burn.
DECRA was perfect. It looked like wood, tile or shingles, but it didn’t burn. It earned the highest fire safety rating from Underwriters Laboratories (UL). As wildfires became a bigger problem across the whole country, more people trusted DECRA.
DECRA Today
DECRA roofing has come a long way since the war. Today, it can handle:
– Strong hurricane winds
– Large hailstones
– Heavy rain
– Heavy snow
It still looks like traditional roofing (shingles, shakes or tiles), but it’s much stronger.
The Big Idea
DECRA started as a simple wartime fix. Now it’s one of the toughest roofing materials you can buy. The same idea that saved buildings during the war — strength that doesn’t break down under pressure — is still what makes DECRA special today.
DECRA in Kenya
DECRA’s journey has reached Kenya too, where the same strength that saved buildings during the war now protects homes from tropical downpours, hailstorms and strong winds. In Kenya, genuine DECRA Stone Coated Roofing Tiles are exclusively distributed by Builders Duka Ltd, meaning every authentic tile sold in the country passes through them, always bearing the DECRA logo on the back as proof of originality.
Kenyan homeowners and builders choose DECRA for the same reasons it became popular after the war and during the California wildfires: it looks like traditional shingles, shakes or tiles, but stands up to harsh weather without warping, rusting or burning. It is also a popular choice for rainwater harvesting, since Decra roofs are certified safe for collecting drinking water.
Builders Duka’s showroom and head office is at Godown No. 2, Libra House, Mombasa Road, Nairobi, where you can view the different DECRA tile profiles in person before buying.
