Metal roofs (both metal shingles and standing seam panels) are a premium product on the roofing market, and even though it is more expensive than regular asphalt/fiberglass shingle over time it proves to be more logical and least expensive choice. Metal roofs have many advantages against traditional roofing materials and I want to explain them in more details.

1. Metal roofing materials are much stronger than traditional roofing materials – which means that over time they won’t crack, break or peel or even get blown off with gusty winds.

2. They are much less sensitive to the elements, cold weather, UV, hail and other natural surprises. they are more resistant to the fire as well – meaning that the metal roof will last you longer. Most of the manufacturers give you 50 years limited lifetime warranty on their products.

3. Most of the metal roofing products are very light – as opposed to the regular (especially architectural style) asphalt shingles, they weight only about one third, thus there’s less pressure on the roof’s structural components.

4. Another very important aspect is appearance. Metal shingles usually come in three main styles – wood, slate and tile and they all look great. Color choice for both metal shingles and standing seam panels is very wide too. All trim can be custom made from the color matching coils to give your roof complete look.

5. Most of the metal roofs are energy efficient – they can keep your house cooler during the summer time which results in lower electrical bill.

6. Metal roof is the perfect answer to the ice dams formation – you will never get ice dams on the metal roof, even if they have low pitch, because the surface is pretty smooth and snow just slides down the roof instead of piling up. In general, metal roofs are pretty low maintenance.

7. There are certain benefits for the homeowner on the financial side – for example some insurance companies have lower rates for the houses with metal roofs. It also increases resale value of the house.

8. Metal shingles and standing seam panels are environmentally friendly choice. Not just that, because they are not oil’s derivative like asphalt shingles their price is not dependable on the price of oil. It is also made of recyclable materials which is a big deal our days.

So with all these point in mind you can really see, how paying a little more extra money upfront can actually save you more money and help avoid potential problems in the longer run.

Once the old roof was removed we discovered that the roof deck was made out of wood planks. It was in pretty good shape overall, almost no rot damage which shows that roof wasn’t leaking on the regular basis. There were, however, gaps between the planks, and because metal shingles are held in place with clips and nails, and in some of the rows nails could land in those gaps, we decided to install ⅜ inch plywood on top of the existing deck.

After new plywood was in placed we installed breathable GAF DeckArmour underlayment. Once this underlayment is installed the house is proved from leaks for up to six month, because it doesn’t let water in, but at the same time allows vapor to escape from under.

After that it we had to do repair on chimney. Chimneys and other roof penetrations should be an area of extra attention, because majority of the leaks happen in these areas. We took off a couple of brick rows, reinstalled them and re-pointed the chimney. Color matching chimney flashing and counter-flashing was made using prefabricated sidewall and trim coil.

We always use the same color trim (such as sidewalls, rake gables, drip edge and valleys) for all our metal roof installations. Two rows of snow-guards were installed above each entrance to protect these areas from falling snow, as the roof surface is very smooth and snow tends to slide down as opposed to accumulating on the roof.

When all work was done house gained very high end look and one of the best roofing materials, which definitely going to increase it’s resale value and take one of the worries off of the homeowners mind. Sequoya Red is also what Tamko call “cool color” meaning that these shingles will keep the house cooler during the summer time, which will result an a smaller electrical bill.

Once the old asphalt shingles were removed we installed insulation and PVC membrane, so that the upper part of the PVC flashing would go about 10 inches up under the remaining part of the roof. We had to use separation sheet (in this case we used GAF Deck Armor) to avoid the contact between PVC membrane and asphalt shingles because asphalt can damage membrane material. We also had to remove about 10 inches up of the existing red cedar siding to allow proper wall flashing installation. On the chimney we removed old led counter flashing and installed new flashing made of PVC membrane with white aluminum counter flashing. PVC flashing was also used to install two new skylights and flash a bathroom pipe.

Once the installation was completed, the roof became absolutely watertight and thus resolving the issues that forced the homeowner to replace the roof. Even if ice dams form again, water would not find its way under the roof because all seams were welded with hot air, forming a single piece of a membrane on the entire roof. And let’s not forget the lifetime warranty IB PVC roofing material has!

For this project we decided to go with 50-mil white PVC membrane, mechanically attached over ½ inch Styrofoam insulation. Originally there was one layer of asphalt shingles on the roof, but since the roof deck was in a great shape, we decided to leave them and go over top, which essentially cut the cost for the homeowner. We cut back shingles along the edges, removed the old drip edge, and installed 6 inch wide pressure-treated nailer to allow proper PVC coated drip edge installation. In this case we decided to weld membrane directly to the drip edge (as opposed to the method when drip edge goes on top of the membrane and then the 6 inch stripes are welded over), and we used extra screws every 6 inches to hold drip edge in place really tight.

Because this roof had a ridge vent on it, we installed a pressure-treated 2×4 stud along the ridge and wrapped it with pre-welded PVC flashing piece, to serve the purpose of a substrate for the new ridge vent and ridge cap installation.

Another possible problem is snow slide during the winter. Usually it is not a problem on the flat or almost flat roofs, but shed dormers usually have substantial pitch (somewhere between 2 and 4). In addition, wet PVC membrane is pretty slippery. These two issues can be causes of snow slide formation. Since our client had a big porch under the roof section where work was done, we decided to install plastic snow guards – every foot in staggered formation. To ensure the proper installation, we installed another piece of 6 inch pressure-treated nailer one foot above the one along the edge prior to the membrane set up. We used special screws with rubber gaskets to hold the snow guards in place and we also used SolarSeal 900 sealant between the snow guard and the roof to cover the screws up. We also installed two 5 inch two-way vets to ensure proper condensate evaporation from under the membrane.

As the two layers of old roof were removed (old rubber and rolled asphalt under it) we discovered that there was a significant water damage to the roof deck. Water was getting under the rubber constantly, so some of the fascia boards had to be replaced and new 3/8 inch plywood was installed over the old roof deck.

We also decided to raise and tilt all three skylights to prevent them from getting covered with snow during the winter, so the new skylight curbs were built. Tilting the skylights also prologs their service life, because if they are too flat water would sit on its surface for a long time, little by little getting under the rubber seal and gradually destroying it especially during the winter time. And finally 3.3 inch pressure treated parapets were built along the perimeter of the roof to match the new insulation height and also to serve as a nailer for the drip edge.

PVC membrane was installed using the mechanically attached method, pre-manufactured PVC flashings were used for the pipes and the 6 inch PVC pipe that was installed through the roof for the future range hood. Skylight curbs and chimney were flashed with the same membrane as the main roof using pre-manufactured outside corners. Aluminum counter-flashing was installed on the chimney. Gravel stop was installed along the three sides of the roof to prevent water getting off the roof on the sides and regular drip edge was installed along the lower side.

New aluminum fascia was also installed to cover up the new parapets and finally new 6 inch seamless gutter with two 3×4 inch downspouts was installed to handle the water load from the roof. This project was done in late November with temperatures swinging around 32 degrees Fahrenheit – well below the threshold allowed for EPDM rubber.

This article describes installation of the IB Traditions – basically it is the same IB membrane only it has the image of the architectural shingles printed on them. The owner of the recently built house in Lenox, MA decided that he wanted to build the screened porch with flat roof and to match gray shingles on the main house we decided to go with Gray IB Traditions.

It has very similar installation procedure to the regular PVC membrane (mechanically attached with two inch barbed plates over ½ inch fan fold insulation) except for the fact that it’s welded right to the drip edge, unlike regular membrane, were drip edge goes over and then 6 inch stripes are welded on top. In case of IB traditions it can’t be done because it would break the pattern of shingles. The wall flashing is done with the same membrane and 10 inches up to the wall so it could be covered with the siding board to make it completely watertight.

Even from a short distance it is hard to tell the difference between real shingles and the one painted on the membrane. Another thing worth mentioning is that the whole project was done in one day with temperature being 18 degrees Fahrenheit – it shows that because PVC roofs are hot air welded rather than glued they can be installed all year round unlike EPDM rubber.

]]> http://idflatroof.com/ib-traditions-installation-lenox-ma/feed/ 1 http://idflatroof.com/ib-deckshield-installation-newport/ http://idflatroof.com/ib-deckshield-installation-newport/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:10:38 +0000 admin http://idflatroof.com/?p=94 Continue reading →]]> A beautiful mansion in Newport on the famous Bellevue Ave has a penthouse with an EPDM rubber roof and deck that have multiple issues.

Flashings on the lower roof were installed improperly and were leaking, seams on both roof and deck were leaking as well due to the ponding water, and also green carpet on the deck served more like a sponge, which held the water within it for days, making the deck practically impossible to use and causing a nasty smell.

To fix all these problems we decided to go with white 50-mill IB Membrane on the lower roof, mechanically attached over ½ inch fan-fold insulation and with gray DeckShield Membrane on the deck, fully adhered over ½ inch Dens Deck boards.

There were a couple of things we had to do differently than usual, because the mansion is right next to the ocean. First of all, due to the high wind uplift we had to install double half sheets along the edges, and use barbed plates every 6 inches to ensure that membrane will stay in place no matter what. Second of all, because of the salty ocean air, which dramatically increases corrosion, a regular drip edge could not be used, so we had to order custom made stainless steel PVC coated drip edge. Another thing we had to keep in mind was that under any circumstances we could not allow any water to get inside the penthouse during roof replacement because it would ruin the freshly made interior. To address that issue we decided to brake this roof into a couple of segments and do them one by one, striping and covering them one at a time and making temporary PVC to rubber seams every evening using Solar Seal 900 adhesive and barbed plates.

And finally we had to build a parapet wall along the far side of the roof, because there is a skywalk underneath it and owners did not want nay water falling from the roof on it.

Once all these major points were figured out it was pretty much usual IB membrane installation.

On the upper deck old carpet and rubber were removed and the Dens Deck boards were installed.

They were glued down using liquid nails and then screwed down to ensure the proper bonding. After Dens Deck boars were installed all gaps and holes were filled using joint compound to make sure the surface is smooth and even, because any imperfection or seam would be seen after DeckShield would be installed.

The next step was adhesive and the DeckShield application, after which we welded the overlapping sides in the manner we do with the regular IB membrane.

As the result – all issues are taking care of, both roof and deck are watertight and look much better.

Both these issues were resolved by installing single ply 50-mill white IB membrane. First of all old rubber and insulation were removed and roof deck was inspected for the rot damage. Because homeowner addressed his leak issues in the timely manner no rot damage was found and no repairs were necessary. We installed new ½ inch fan fold insulation and IB membrane on top of it. To properly flash the membrane to the walls 3 rows of siding where removed, membrane was flashed 1 foot up to the wall and a few inches into the gap under the sliders.

After the siding was reinstalled and all the gaps sealed, leaking problem was taken care of, as well as dining room’s overheating, because white membrane reflects about 90% of sunlight, thus making living areas under it much cooler.

We decided to strip top two layers, recreate original slope and install 50 mill IB PVC membrane over ½ inch fan-fold insulation.

After the strip was done we discovered that because water was getting under the roof for a long time there were multiple places were roof deck was completely rotten and deteriorated, we even found a termite colony at one place (wood and moisture, talk about better combination for termites!). Another problem was the drain itself: after multiple repair attempts it had some build-up around it making it not the lowest point of the roof.

After all rot damage was repaired and frame was rebuild we proceeded with installing IB membrane. 6 inch wide pressure treated wood nailer was installed around all edges. Than we installed ½ inch thick insulation and started rolling out IB membrane.

Two old vents were removed and replaced with IB vents; both chimneys were wrapped around about two feet high and terminated with masonry anchors and termination bar. After all seams were hot air welded together – forming one continuous piece of membrane – it was a time to replace the drain. We cut the old piece out and installed new 3 inch IB drain with rubber gasket to prevent possible back-flow and aluminum dome over it to prevent it from clogging with leaves and other debris.

As a result – nice watertight roof, no ponding water and one happy customer.

First of all we had to strip two layers of existing asphalt shingles and inspect the roof deck for any rot damage.

In general, it is a good idea to inspect a roof deck before installing a permanent solution such as metal shingles or IB membrane. After the strip was done we installed GAF Deck Armor breathable underlayment to make sure it was watertight. After putting drip edge and trim in place we started installing shingles themselves.

Two chimneys were flashed with custom made flashings from the color matching trim coil.

The shingles are interlocking, which means that they have locks on all four sides and each shingle in this system is held in place with six other shingles. After the shingles where done a metal ridge caps were installed on all ridges.

As the result – beautiful new roof that matched the house and brick fence with a lifetime warranty.