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Discussion Forum

Exposed Fastener Metal Roof: Pros/Cons?

farmhousemoderne | Posted in General Discussion on December 17, 2005 04:13am

We are building in spring and have had our hearts set on a metal roof for aesthetic and practical reasons (Michigan winters). We are now looking for ways to trim the budget, and of course the pricey standing-seam roof has come into question. Exposed-fastener metal roofing is much cheaper, and we think it looks good, though not as polished as a standing-seam roof. But it’s certainly more interesting than shingles. Any input on the pros or cons of an exposed-fastener roof? Thanks.

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  1. cb3 | Dec 17, 2005 06:57am | #1

    I dont know how much cheaper it was but the roofer just did a snap together standing metal seam roof on a good size equipment barn on this project I'm on. I'll ask him if you want more info.

  2. davidmeiland | Dec 17, 2005 07:09am | #2

    My roofer warned me off of anything with a lot of exposed fasteners. Apparently the neoprene gasket on the screw shrinks in the sun and water starts to get in and rust the fasteners. He said that in our climate it will be a problem within 10 years.

  3. VaTom | Dec 17, 2005 03:45pm | #3

    At one time conventional wisdom was: spend whatever you need on the foundation and the roof, whatever left-over in between.

    I wouldn't trust neoprene washers on anything I cared about.  Made that mistake, don't intend to repeat it.  I just put copper standing seam on my lumber shed.  Do it right once.

    PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!

  4. User avater
    MarkH | Dec 17, 2005 05:57pm | #4

    I dont think that type roof is really suitable for a house. Metal expands and contracts which eggs out the nail holes as well as loosening the nails.  Gaskets will deteriorate over time, and if wind gets under it a whole section or more will lift off.  The shacks in Kentucky that used this type roof always had leaks, and the occupants usually ended up coating the roof in tar or sealer to help keep dry.

  5. MikeFitz | Dec 18, 2005 06:24pm | #5

    I installed a hidden fastener roof which had some of the aesthetics of standing seam, at least to the untrained eye.  ABC was the manufacturer, ended up looking pretty decent and went together well.  12/12 pitch, never accumulates more than an inch or two of snow before it slides.  much cheaper than standing seam, especially b/c I could do it myself- I wouldn't be able to even guess how to do real standing seam.

    1. segundo | Dec 18, 2005 07:13pm | #6

      i just started working for a company installing metal roofing, always wanted to learn to do it, and pay is excellent due to a worker shortage in booming eastern carolina.

      working with the old timers and asking them questions i hear that even metal roofs installed without gaskets, just galvy nails will be sometimes leakfree for 20-30 years.

      typical re-roof is installed over existing composite shingles, which while they may be deteriorating, are still leak free, and with a new outer skin of exposed fastener metal roofing are good to go.

      if it was MY HOUSE, (new construction) and i was gonna go exposed fastener MR,  i would paper 2 layers 15# felt, then roll roofing with composite material similar to shingles, then install metal roof.

      just like anything else you get what you pay for to some degree, and while exposed fastener metal roof may be an upgrade to comp shingles, its not as good or expensive as standing seam and installed correctly will look good and last a long time.

      i hear that roofing contractors are getting over $500 a square for some of the re-roofs here in exposed fastener, and standing seam may be almost twice that.

       

      1. axemann | Dec 19, 2005 06:29am | #10

        Hello  After fixing a metal roof laid over a shingled one, I'd have to recommend never executing a metal roof installation this way. Especially in a northern climate. I'd at least get the fasteners into a solid substrate and make sure to never squash the gasket when fastening. Overtightening will greatly reduce the gasket's life span. Good luck!

        1. segundo | Dec 20, 2005 02:43am | #15

          hey thanks for the tip axeman. i always appreciate input.

          i agree with some other posters here as well as a co-worker who say that proper installation techniques (and using the right fasteners, no piffin screws) per type of roof installed as well as carefull craftsmanship and maintenece will produce a long lived exposed fastener metal roof.

          the guy i am working with who is training me in this trade is a perfectionist as am i. we are very proud of our work and deliver high quality workmanship. not the typical for the majority of construction types around here, but then i participate in the "fine homebuilding forum", and no-one else even knows what it is. 

          1. seeyou | Dec 20, 2005 03:26am | #16

            but then i participate in the "fine homebuilding forum", and no-one else even knows what it is. 

            Glad you're here, but there's no test or cover charge to get in here. For every experienced voice there's one spouting off lots of uninformed info.

            I'm following this thread closely since I refuse to put exposed fastener roofing on a house. and I've been asked to twice last week. I've never used it, but the concept seems bad to me. I've been proven wrong before.Birth, school, work, death.....................

            http://grantlogan.net/

          2. segundo | Dec 20, 2005 03:36am | #17

            i think there is a lot to craftsmanship holding up engineering, i was told by an engineer for my idea to create a gambrel roof with I-joists and gussets that the engineering calulations would be directly relevent to the quality and fit of the joints and gussets... same with most things i guess.

             

  6. WayneL5 | Dec 19, 2005 02:14am | #7

    I don't have enough knowledge to answer your question fully, but exposed-fastener roofs have gotten somewhat of a bad reputation because of incorrect installation.  Some people install the fasteners in the ridges of the corrugations, thinking that would keep them up out of the water.  But, you can't get tight compression of the gasket without crushing the ridge, so screws are not drawn down enough to seal.  The correct way is to place them on the flat in the valley, so they can be drawn down tight and not move up and down with changes in temperature.

  7. Alaska | Dec 19, 2005 03:31am | #8

    How much snow do you get?  Blown leaves and other debris?  I have a 7/12 pitch on my roof and exposed fasteners.  If I could do it over I would opt for hidden fasteners.  Even a small amount of friction allows snow and ice to accumulate.  Ice damages the seal and sooner or later one of them leaks. 

    My neighbors who have hidden fasteners are having less problems with their roofs.

    Of course, we get 30' of snow a year here (Valdez), so sliding is a big issue for us.

  8. axemann | Dec 19, 2005 06:22am | #9

    We once installed a hidden-fastener metal roof with the standing seam look on a barn and were very happy with the results. I've fixed several exposed-screw roofs with leaks due to shot fastener gaskets, including replacing every gasketed nail in my neighbors roof with longer neoprene screws. It was not fun on a 12-pitch. The standing-seam look roof we installed was by Fabrall, and needed no special tools for installation. Good luck!

  9. 4Lorn1 | Dec 19, 2005 07:59am | #11

    Reading up on the method and talking to a contractors who install such roofs, I pumped them for information with an eye toward installing one myself, and they pointed out that the objections to washers failing or fasteners rusting are a matter of whose fasteners you use and how they are applied.

    Better quality fasteners have polymer washers that are essentially immune to UV. Same material that has been used on commercial roofs for 25 years. One mentioned the name, might have been EDPM, but I forget. Slept since then. He also pointed out that the washers on quality fasteners with better washers properly applied are not exposed much as the washer doesn't protrude from under the washer more than a hair. He noted that almost all leaks are caused by people buying cheap screws with cheap neoprene washers and/or applying them incorrectly.

    Same with rusting fasteners. Mostly a matter of better plating seen on quality units. He said good fasteners will usually outlive the roof coating. And then you paint ever ten years or so. The original installation should last decades and with some painting and maintenance can go for much longer. I have seen roof at least 60 years old without leaks. Had to wire the place. Not too shabby for a roof which is only slightly more expensive than asphalt shingle job.

    Cited as advantages are that metal roofs with exposed fasteners are easier to install to meet tougher conditions, just add more fasteners, than standing seam units which can only be fastened at the seams and are far easier to repair if damaged. It is also a system which, if the roof is fairly simple and not too steep, can be installed by a HO with moderate skills and with common tools. Nothing too complicated about it.

  10. Mark | Dec 19, 2005 04:37pm | #12

    While I was in Texas I worked for a contractor who used exposed fastener metal roofs on most of their houses.   I probably repaired no less than 30 or 40 leaks during that time.

    The overwhelming majority of those leaks were due to the screws "backing out"  which was caused by expansion and contraction from temperature swing.

    Now, the average temperature swing in Texas is normally no more than maybe 40 or 50 degrees.   In Mich.  where you are, the average temp swing is over 100 degrees.  ( thank god I no longer live in the midwest!)  I would think that this would make that problem even more pronounced.  This reason alone would keep me from doing a metal roof on your house.

    Whatever you decide.  I came to the conclusion that if I ever did a metal roof on my own home it would only be a standing seam style.

    I liked the one poster who said "spend your money on the foundation and the roof.  Whatever's left over spend on whats in between."

    " If I were a carpenter"
  11. norskeboy | Dec 19, 2005 06:04pm | #13

    Been reading this thread with interest, guess I'll add my 2 cents. I build /remodel in Northern Mn. 23 yrs in this locale.I've installed many'xposed fast. roofs, including my own house built it 12 yrs ago. I thought geez I better go pull a few screws & see if my roof is in trouble. 8/12 pitch with a couple dormers/valleys etc. Pulled some screws on N. side no visible problems same on the S side.Our temp swing is upwards of 125 degrees. One thing I do is predrill screw holes. Holes are slightly oversize so that might allow the steel to move a little independently of the fasteners. As other posters have said don't crush the washers by overtightening. I've had 0 callbacks to this day on any x. f. roofs & I'm by no means the only one doing them in this area. they're really popular with second home owners & the local yards sell a lot of "pole barn steel" I'd use it on my house again in a heartbeat.  Good Luck

  12. GRCourter | Dec 20, 2005 12:53am | #14

    I put a Met-tile roof on a house one block off the beach in Florida (exposed faastners) 12 years ago and when I got a tour of the house last month from the new owners it looks fine and works fine.  I have a 103 year old house and the seperate garage has exposed faster metal roof and it is still functional.  How long do you plan on living in the house?  My though is anything less than 50 years and you should bo fine.

  13. nicollet79 | Jun 08, 2016 04:21am | #18

    Steel roof
    Hi there I have been talking to

    Some crews about putting a steel roof in my house are you interested in a cash job it's not going through insurance please send your info if you have some openings coming up to do the roof

  14. nicollet79 | Jun 08, 2016 04:22am | #19

    Steel roof
    Hi there I have been talking to

    Some crews about putting a steel roof in my house are you interested in a cash job it's not going through insurance please send your info if you have some openings coming up to do the roof

    1. calvin | Jun 08, 2016 06:23am | #20

      Good luck with that Nicollet ....

      Or Jon or whatever your name is.

      should be easy seeing as you leave no contact info, area of the world this roof is located or much else.

      Sure you're not trying to lead someone down a dark long driveway so you can have your way with them?

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