While installing metal roofing could cost you more than a traditional roof, its advantages offset the higher price. Its durable, yet lightweight metal roofing materials provide many benefits, such as its resistance to fire, mildew, insects and wind. It also helps to reduce your costs of cooling by reflecting part of the sun’s rays.

Materials and Tools for Installing Metal Roofing

• Stepladder and extension ladder
• Measuring tape
• Chalk line with orange chalk
• Drill with three types of bits: regular bit, 5/16 inch bit for screw head, ¼ inch screw head bit
• Screws for metal roofing: 5/16 inch lap screws made of metal and ¼ inch screws made of wood
• Heavy duty hammer
• Half a pound of 1 ¼ inch roofing nails
• 10 pounds of 3 inch long head screws
• Snips for cutting metal
• Nail bag
• Roofing felt or 30 lb tarpaper

Steps for installing metal roofing:

1Measure your roof’s height. Add 2-4 inches for an overhang.

2Measure the length and height of the roof for the metal edging.

3Measure the trim pieces by their total length. Measure shingles by square feet. Include 3-6 inches of room to provide enough airflow space between each layer.

4Two basic types of metal roofing for residential homes: R-panel-comes in panel types of sheeting with high ridges. This one requires 5/16 inch screws. V-crimp does not need lap screws and is simpler to install.

5Remove old shingles.

6Create a base for new roofing by spreading roofing felt or 30lb tarpaper.

7If there is only one layer of shingles on roof, use 1 x 4 slat boards, which are pine wood boards, over the previous roofing with 3 inch screws. Lay them lengthwise every two feet from the bottom up to the top. The metal roof can be installed on top of these boards.

8Install metal edging that runs around the roof’s perimeter. Nail with 1 ¼ inch roofing nails

9Place the sheeting from top to bottom.

10Take one metal sheet. Using the ¼ inch wood metal screws, fix the roofing into the wooden slats or bolt down a straight chalk line across the length at every two feet. This will be your guide, as wood screws will be on either side every two feet.

11However, for the first sheet, fix the wood screws in the center, as well as on the inside edge every two feet.

12The next sheet will overlap the initial sheet. If you use a V-crimp, then a single crimp or dip of the top sheet will overlap a crimp of the bottom sheet. It you use an R-panel, one lip or ridge will overlap a ridge of the sheet that has already been fixed in with screws.

13Repeat until you are left with your last sheet in that side. Measure the extra amount of space left over, which will go past the edge of the roof on the last sheet. Cut all the way down, using the snips. Fit in the last piece.

14Repeat the process on the other side of the house.

15If the R-panel was used, after all the sheets are put on both sides of the house, you need to fix in 5/16 lap screws every four feet where there is an overlapping of two metal sheets.

16Metal trim must be installed along the edge and at the ridge or top peak of the roof. Put a notch in the middle to bend it over the roof’s ridge. Metal trims are fixed every two feet with the ¼ inch metal wood screws.

17If R-panel is used, closures need to be put in. They are made of foam rubber, in 3 foot lengths. They are designed according to the holes of the R-panel. Push into the openings along the edge of the roofing to prevent animals and birds from getting into the ridges. Closures have glue on the bottom side and stick and self seal when put in.

18Bottom of the sheets can be screwed down after foam closures. If V-crimps are used, you can screw down when bottom sheets are installed, since they do not have closures.

19xRidges need to be done. R-panels have foam closures to fill in gaps at the top of the sheets. Screw in the special metal ridge using 5/16 metal lap screws. Do this every two feet on either side of the ridge at the high point. This will be at the R for R-panels or the V for V-crimps.

You have finished installing metal roofing and have created a brand new look for your home.

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Comments (3)

• |2010-01-07 10:47:39 Joe Goodof  - Homeowner
  I have a 24 x 12 shed with slight slope...roll roofing on it presently.. I plan on removing roll roofing and felt.. cleaning off roof.. installing 30# tar felt and R sheeting from a local supplier.I've learned enough from your site, as well as from a dozen others to know that I CAN do the job myself... am 84 years old and think I'm as capabl;e as the roofers I've seen doing these small jobs.
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• |2010-01-22 07:36:39 Don Birdsall
  I need to install a metal roof on our home and need to know how to install the ridge caps on properly, where two intersecting ridges that are the same height intersect, the valleys have a raised vee running the full lenght. Where every thing meets at the ridge the cap is too high too screw down properly.
  Thanks
  Don
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• |2010-01-27 19:30:24 John Nutter  - Mr. Birdsail
  Don,
  
  If you are still looking for pointers on intersection of your ridge and valley email me at john@triadmetalroof.com and I can respond with a close-up picture of this for you. I beleive that it will help greatly.
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