How to Install Metal Roofing

Metal roofing is a fast and efficient process. With the basic metal materials ready to go as multiple shingles and sheets, you’ll have less cost per square foot when you install it. Quicker installation also means there’s less time that your home is exposed to the elements – like rain, snow or hail. Individual metal shingles are just as simple to install, although installation time will increase with individual positioning.

• Electric drills, shears, and nibblers, and metal snippers are used for installation.

While care must be taken to place metal shingles or panels evenly, and attach them cleanly and firmly, the installation process is fairly straightforward.

With no need for the removal or disposal of any existing roofing materials, installation goes even more quickly and efficiently. Be sure however to remove any part of the existing roofing that may be damaged or rotting before proceeding.

How to Install a Standing Seam Metal Roofing System

You’ll start installation of standing seam metal roofing starts with the drip edge. Prep your deck by removing the old drip edge. Install the underlayment, then the drip edge itself. The drip edge can be installed using either screws or nails, overlapping each individual section by at least two inches. You’ll want to install the drip edge along every eave.

Next comes the installation of your gable trim. This can be done either now, at the beginning of roof installation process or later, at the end of the process, depending up on how you are laying out your roofing panels. After you’ve prepared and laid out your first or your last panel, you’ll want to line that panel up to the rake board to hook your gable trim. Sometimes you may need to use a drip edge rather than a custom gable trim. Depending on which you use, you’ll bend it to hook it accordingly.

Now it’s time to install your first panel. Regardless of whether you’re utilizing gable trim or drip edge, the first panel is the most important in order to keep your roof square. Be sure to hook the first panel carefully to the drip edge, aligning it with the rake board, and installing one screw through the pan at the top of the panel to hold it in place while panel clips are secured. You’ll need flat head screws to attach the panel to the roof deck itself.

Once you have put the first panel in place, you’ll snap on the next panel, making sure that roof panel seams are snapped through the use of a rubber mallet. You’ll simply repeat this same process with every panel on one side of your home and then repeat it again when you roof the other side of your home.

In regard to a vent pipe, you’ll need a properly sized pipe boot that has a flexible bottom for adjusting it. You will need to cut a hole in the appropriate panel to fit, and then install the flashing for the pipe using solar seal to caulk it.

How to Install a Metal Shingle Roof

When you install metal roofing using shingles, remember that it can be placed over an existing roof or plywood. Use a synthetic underlayment versus tar paper if you are starting from the roof deck. Tar paper can tear and not afford the same longevity of a different type of underlayment.

Next, you’ll install the drip edge and starter flashing. You’ll secure the flashing with aluminum nails at twelve inch intervals. Follow this installation with gable flashing at half inch spacing, overlapping the drip edge.

Chimney and wall flashing come next, along with pre-cutting of the ridge vent space and any vent pipe openings.

To begin installing the shingles, it’s a good idea to use chalk lines as guides to assure straight installation

Start with a half full shingle at the left side of the gable, following this with a full shingle until you’ve completed a row. The second row begins with a full shingle to the end of that row.

You’ll want to go in a diagonal installation pattern, to raise the rows of shingles gradually.

When you reach the roof ridge, flash the end walls, any sky light or chimneys, and install the ridge vent, covering it with a ridge cap that is interlocking.

The Value of a Metal Roof

Regardless of what type of metal roof you chose to install, metal roofing installation is an excellent choice for home owners and consumers who seek a simple to install, ecologically efficient roofing system that’s reliable, long lasting, and lightweight. It’s both installation and homeowner friendly, creating savings and longevity.