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Thread: Metal Roof Question

  1. #16
    Interesting info ,Mark. But I think copper flashing that is failing is just too thin.

  2. #17
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    I think the longevity of exposed fastener metal roofs went down when 18v impact drivers became available. I get called to troubleshoot leaking roofs, and find the highest percentage to be caused by over-torqued fasteners. Also, the quality of fasteners has gone down since they started all coming from overseas. I've seen some fasteners less than 10 years old rusted out. You can find all stainless ones, in different sizes, and that's what we replace the rusted out ones with.

    I won't ever put an exposed fastener roof on anything else though. All we've done for a decade, or so, is standing seam.

    Here, you get the choice of 24 or 26 gauge in 40 year metal. I don't know what gauge the 10 year stuff is.

    I have an exposed fastener roof on my barn that is still good, that was installed in 1980 with a cordless drill. It's the lightest color, next to white.

    The companies that sell the roofing panels in a number of different profiles, like the one I mentioned in South Hill, Va., also use roll forming machines, but they're huge, computer controlled ones.

    That copper roof that I built in 1991 just recently started to turn green, so I guess acid rain is not much of an issue here.

    The linked article talks about how soft copper is, but doesn't mention that it comes in several different hardnesses. I doubt anyone makes a copper roof out of dead soft copper, which is pretty typical when you buy a roll of copper flashing. I do use dead soft for flashing old chimneys, but get 20 oz., instead of the common 16 oz. I have seen thinner, but don't remember what weight it is. I have seen the thin stuff eaten up by asphalt shingles. It's all sold by the pound, so the heavier the weight, stated in weight per square foot, the more it costs. That copper roof was 1/4 hard, which is fairly typical for a standing seam roof.

    I have a page on chimney flashing on my website too, but not allowed to post a link on these forums. Click on my name, and I think you can find a link.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 12-13-2018 at 7:22 PM.

  3. #18
    My grandfather put a metal roof on my barn in 1935. Every 10 years it gets a coat of tar paint... Still doing a good job...

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike OMelia View Post
    ...Pole Barn folks tell me unpainted metal roof will rust out in 10 years. ...
    Maybe their cheap roofing material won't last. The galvanized roof on my barn was still in good shape after at least 80 years, maybe more, unpainted. I replaced it, not because of any rusting but to rebuild some of the support structure. I always use galvalume unless it's on a shed for the animals. Sorry, I don't know a thing about the fancy colored metal roofs.

  5. #20
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    I wish that metal that lasts 80 years was still available. I have one old house we work on that has one of those. It's 5V tin, but a very low carbon steel. It's very soft compared to later "tin". The lower edges have a sort of double chevron design stamped into the edge that keeps it down tight on the layer below.

    I haven't found anyone alive that remembers when you could buy that type of tin new.

    It's on a 1798 house, and the only other roof it's had on it was the original Cypress shingle roof. The galvanizing has long since left on the surface, but being low carbon, it has not rusted away to amount to anything, even though it's been brown rust color for several decades. The galvanizing on the under side is still in remarkable shape, and could pass for just being put up a few months ago.

    I did find another old fellow that said he had some of the same stuff on some of his farm buildings, and he thought they were built in the late thirties.

    The last time I remember being able to buy decent, galvanized 5V tin was in the 60's, and 70's. My friend, and I built an observatory, when we were teenagers in the 60's, with one of those tin roofs, and only in the past decade has it started to rust. My family sold that farm when I was in college, but I still drive by there once in a while.

    The 5v tin panels that Home Depot sells can be cut with a pair of scissors, and I don't have anything I'd use it on.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 12-13-2018 at 7:23 PM.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I wish that metal that lasts 80 years was still available. ...
    The last time I remember being able to buy decent, galvanized 5V tin was in the 60's, and 70's. ...
    The 5v tin panels that Home Depot sells can be cut with a pair of scissors, and I don't have anything I'd use it on.
    The 5v galvalum is pretty good stuff, much heavier at 26 ga than the galvanized 5v most farmers around here get from the co-op. You can easily walk on it between the purlins. I can't imagine buying roofing at Home Depot...

    JKJ

  7. #22
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    It's probably 24 ga. My metal company has 5V listed on the shapes they can form. I expect what you're talking about is probably that. They may have a 40 year galvalume, but I haven't checked.

    The 24 ga. is sold for longer spans between purlins. The 24 ga. is noticeably stiffer than the 26 ga. It seems like it's twice the effort required to fold the edges of 24 ga. standing seam compared to 26 ga. Standing seam panels are folded around the lip of the drip edge.

  8. #23
    I'm a masonry flashing junkie myself. I really enjoy how nice a well flashed masonry job looks. When people see the flashings possible with lead they are usually blown away.

    I'm with you on exposed fastener metal and the roll formers. The company our metal came from have a facility with rolling lines that are the size of a house.

    Standing seam is a different game and no one here will pay the price for the panels and fasteners alone forget about a true crimped seam standing seam roof. Even faux standing seem we can buy from the classic rib shops never can get any traction at twice the material cost and labor.

  9. #24
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    Bridgersteel.com they have some neat "natural" finish options that might mimic the look you want. I'm going to try some on a coming project, haven't yet though.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    Interesting info ,Mark. But I think copper flashing that is failing is just too thin.
    No idea Mel but we are in a region called "chemical valley". It gotten better but..

  11. #26
    We have one company in this town that will do standing seam and make all the "pans" ,or order and install the pans. I guess one reason they continue is there are so many old buildings owned by U.S. And state governments.

  12. #27
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    I'm sure I couldn't do what I do anywhere else. I don't do much roofing, but will occasionally take on one where the customer doesn't care what it costs, and is particular. First priority is that it's close to home. I very rarely go farther than 10 miles from home. That copper roof was on a spec house. This was for a neighbor maybe a quarter mile from home. I did their house too, that was really complicated with intersecting gambrels, and ten custom skylights with the curbs folded into the standing seam panels-can't find a picture of the house.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Tom M King; 12-13-2018 at 9:55 PM.

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    Follansbee Steel, the company that made Terne coated, went out of business in something like 2011 or 12. The roll formed roofing steel put them out of business. I hadn't heard of it being put back on the market since then.
    Tom, I'm sure you are correct. I should have noted that job was about 17 years ago

  14. #29
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    I could easily be wrong about when I said they went out of business. I'm old enough now that it's like an old man told me one time that Christmas came twice a year now for him.

    edited to add: I decided to do a Google search, to see how close my memory was (ends up it was in 2012, so pretty close). It looks like someone bought Follansbee Steel, and is now producing a bit different product than the rolls of metal that they used to sell:
    https://www.constructionmagnet.com/m...op-island-home
    Last edited by Tom M King; 12-14-2018 at 8:15 PM.

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