I’m considering building a corrugated-steel-roofed and -sided house. The only thing is, my contractor is worried that the neoprene washers commonly used around the roofing screws will crack and leak in a few years. Has anyone else heard this? Anyone out there have a corrugated steel roof (not a standing-seam metal roof, mind you–that’s a different animal)?
I don’t think they will crack because neoprene is ozone- and weather resistant(http://www.dupont-dow.com/Products/Neoprene/neoprene.asp).
The roof on my carport is a corrugated metal and after 5 years, leaks like a seive where the nails and neoprene washers are located. I wish I would have used screws so the washers could be easily changed. I can’t pull the nails, it bends the metal. I encased about half of them in silicone sealant last fall and I am going to do the rest soon. Neoprene washers may be ozone and weather resistant may be weather resistant, it is the heat that kills them. Teflon washers are now the thing to use but they cost quite a bit more the neoprene.
Is a steel roof noisy? I was on Maui & there are a lot of them there from the old years &
everyone said how noisy they are.
Wow! I haven’t nailed on a metal roof in lots of years, I’ll guess it’s been 15 to 20 years ago that most if not all steel manufacturers came out with screws. Nails didn’t work well. I am finally having to go back on jobs completed many years ago and replace the nails/with washers with screws. Usually it is because of high wind exposure that worked the ring-shanked nails loose.
Usually the only time I’ve had to silicone metal roofs is when I have stripped it off of one roof and installed it on another.
Just in case you can’t tell…I love metal roofs. Call backs are a royal pain.
Neoprene seldom goes bad unless it is screwed down too tight, overheated (fire) or wind. I’ve occasionally had to go re-tighten a roof because the wood shrank enough after installation, that the metal worked up a bit.
Metal roofs are noisier than most anything else, however they are usually installed over well insulated roof or attic spaces, so it is no noisier than any other roofing.
I’ve got one. It’s a 5/12 pitch, 22 years old and was screwed on with the screws in the valleys. I think I saw a leaking screw about five years back, but I haven’t been able to find it since. I’ll put Geocel on the screws if I ever see another leak but haven’t bothered to do so yet.
Like I said, the screws are in the valleys. Fine Homebuilding did a sidebar on this a few months back, and it was their opinion that pitched roofs should be screwed on in the valleys* as the screws will be more firmly attached and they won’t distort the metal. They did say that fasteners on flat roofs should be put through the ridges.
*[sub]Go ahead, make that smart-alecked comment! :)[/sub]
I have installed many different brands and types of metal roofing. Each manufacturer has a required screw pattern for their particular brand that must be correct if the installation is under warrantee. Some screw through the ridges, some in the “valleys”, some through both.
Wow! So much expertise! Who knew?
So, bare, how long do the roofs usually go before major maintenance? As compared to asphalt roofs, etc?
There shouldn’t be any major maintenance on a properly installed metal roof. My personal experience with them goes back 25 years and all are still in great shape. They don’t respond well to tree damage, but then nothing else does either. Metal roofs make real sense here in the woods for the obvious fire resistant advantages.
Just last month we had to re-screw an entire roof. None of the folks I work with had ever seen the screws back out like that on an entire roof and we’re not sure the real cause. Since many of the existing screws were actually stripped, we guessed improper initial installation. Judging from the color fade and type of metal, that roof was over 20 years old.
Come to think of it, some of my sheds have aluminum roofing that is in it’s third life, having already outlived two buildings.
That’s beautiful. Thanks for the extremely helpful info.
one more thing, bare–I haven’t been able to find any rough price estimates anywhere. What sort of cost per square foot/etc. should I figure for corrugated metal roofing (either galvanized or galvalume)?
That is a tough call **toadspittle[b/]. I live here in the sticks, where labor is incredibly cheap! I can find folks willing to crawl a 6/12 pitch for minimum wage, way less than what one is worth. If I recall, it is around $5.15/hr.
My point being, even on toadspittle hill, labor is likely to cost you more than minimum wage. Tearing off and installing a proper roof is serious business. Get at least three qualified bids, check references, insurance, bonding and past local jobs. Don’t ask for the last three jobs, ask for references for the first three jobs the contractor did. Look around at other jobs too, I just argued tonight with another contrator who HATES metal roofing. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to complete the arguement, but I know I would have won.
Your area will have much to say regarding “CODE” as well. Insured installations will probably get down to the weight of the felt paper put underneath the roofing, as well as the sheating.