Construction and installation of standing seam roofing

Recommendation points

• Design options
• Terms and Definitions
• Seam roofing materials
• Steel
• Aluminum
• Copper
• Zinc-titanium
• Types of seam seams
• Seam roof technologies
• Tools, accessories
• Seam roof installation procedure
• Preparatory work
• Main works

Seam roof is a construction of metal strips, mechanically interconnected by a lock from the edges of the strips themselves. The device of such a roof with your own hands is available to any skillful owner. It is enough to choose the right material, prepare the tools and perform the preparatory work. We want to tell you about materials, methods of fastening strips, tools, and also a little about the price of the issue..

There is an opinion that a seam roof is something flat, even, boring. But now there are tools and accessories that allow you to create non-standard and interesting solutions.

Design options

A metal roof with a folded joint can be almost flat (minimum slope – 7 °) or steep, have a complex and even rounded shape. The flexibility of the metal and the sealed seam allow you to build fun roofs with the most original design.

Sometimes a metal covering with a folded joint is only a part of the roof as planned by the designer.

And some architects cover in this way not only the roof, but also the facades of houses..

The aesthetics of the folded roof are varied, and the device and installation techniques are not very complicated. And your home can be austere or whimsical..

Terms and Definitions

Let’s define the basic terms used in the manufacture of a seam roof. There are few of them:

1. Fold – joining metal strips to each other by curly bending of the edge. The lock connection is obtained tight without the use of sealants, and, in most cases, repairable.
2. Painting is the professional name for a rectangular strip of metal prepared for a seam connection. The connecting edges of the canvases have a profile prepared for closing.
3. Klammer – an element for attaching pictures to the roof lathing. Distinguish between movable and fixed clamps. A fixed cleat is used with a web length of no more than 6 m (according to other sources – 10 m). Due to the seasonal temperature expansion of the metal, the sliding (movable) clamp is used on longer paintings.

Sliding (1) and fixed (2) clamps

Seam roofing materials

The material for creating a seam roof can be rolled or in the form of measured segments. The thickness of the strips is small (usually 0.5-0.7 mm), so that it is possible to organize a lock, but not too much – so that the strength and rigidity of the entire structure remains high.

The most common metals and alloys (prices are at the beginning of 2017).

Steel

Steel Paintings Options:

• galvanized;
• non-galvanized for painting;
• with colored polymer coating.

The anti-corrosive zinc layer can have a different thickness and method of application, which affects the duration of its service life. Polymer coating is the most common option, but it is prone to sun fading.

The cost of the material depends on the manufacturer, alloy composition and coating. Coiled steel 0.5 mm thick can cost from 150 to 220 rubles / m². Galvanized steel – 250 rubles / m², with polyester coating – 350-500 rubles / m², with the Pural polymer recommended by experts – 650-800 rubles / m².

Average service life of a steel roof is 30-60 years.

Added rigidity by profiling the canvas

Aluminum

Corrosion resistant, lightweight metal. Reduces the load on the rafter system and building supports. Aluminum can be painted. Service life 80-100 years. Fastening to the base is desirable with floating clamps due to the high temperature expansion. Budget material. Coiled aluminum 0.7 mm thick costs about 850 rubles / m².

Copper

Lighter than steel, soft, flexible and beautiful metal. As long as the roof is new, it just shines in the sun. Over time, it becomes covered with an oxide film (patina) – it acquires brown and then green shades. The flexibility of the metal allows it to be used to create roof reliefs, waves, rounded turrets and other architectural delights. The softness of copper requires careful assembly and care. Better to have a noble patina than scratches on polished metal.

If you do not touch such a roof unnecessarily, it will last 100 years and all 200!

The disadvantage is the price. Coiled copper 0.6 mm thick costs 2.9-3.8 thousand rubles / m². However, with such a service life, it is worth its money and looks very rich.

Zinc-titanium

Durable and durable zinc alloy alloyed with titanium, aluminum and copper. The appearance does not undergo significant changes over time. Repairable – the damaged area can be soldered with tin. Capricious when installing. Such roofs are common in Europe and the USA. This material is mainly imported, so we will indicate the price in euros – 35-50 euros / m² (rolls and sheets 0.7 mm thick).

Installation requirements:

• laying on a solid crate;
• contact with steel, copper, some types of wood (larch, oak) is not allowed;
• do not lay on waterproofing material;
• installation is carried out only in a warm period (at least +7 ° C);
• the qualifications and experience of the installers are important.

Durability – 100-150 years.

Historical Museum (Moscow). Zinc-titanium seam roofing for over 100 years as new.

Types of seam seams

By the method of bending, they are distinguished:

• single fold;
• double fold.

By location:

• standing;
• recumbent;
• angular.

Double fold – more reliable than single, and absolutely tight connection.

Reclining seams are used in horizontal seams to join shorter strips into one long one. The bend should be directed towards the slope of the roof.

Standing seams are used to form vertical seams that perform an additional function of stiffening ribs.

Corner standing joints are sometimes used in roofs with a slope of more than 45 °, for attics, balustrades. Laying: horizontal, vertical, diagonal.

1 – standing single; 2 – standing double; 3 – recumbent single; 4 – recumbent double lock

Seam roof technologies

Roof forming technologies depend on the material used and the tools available. They differ in the method of obtaining a profile for a lock connection:

• formation of a seam profile manually – with hammers and special devices;
• formation of a fold by a manual sheet bending machine;
• the formation of a seam with a folding machine;
• self-locking ready-made profiles (with click-fold).

The first traditional method requires experience, skill, time consuming and long.

The second method is less time consuming and does not require the purchase of expensive machines..

The third is a great option for roofing crews.

The fourth one is ideal for those who are not too confident in their abilities as a tinsmith or for whom the time spent on roofing is expensive.

Tools, accessories

To obtain a seam connection, special tools are used. It is possible to form a folded profile using various technological methods using the appropriate tools..

Roller manual bending machine for forming a seam profile

Such a tool can be purchased or made by yourself. Compare the work of typewriters on video.

Profile machines are the next, more professional step. They can be manual, electric, automatic – a matter of performance and budget.

Folding machine

Rolling machine – rebate and ribs

You can also close or roll up the seam using different tools..

Electric folding machine

Universal frame for manual closing of the fold

Manual folding tool

In addition to the plane of the roof, metal must be used to cover the edges and breaks of the roof, bypass skylights and chimneys.

You can make your life easier using ready-made components – additional elements:

• picture with a ridge (ventilated or regular);
• planks of valleys (inner corner formed by roof slopes);
• drippers (condensate drainage);
• corners;
• cornice, frontal, end strips.

Additional elements: 1 – simple ridge; 2 – figure skate aerator; 3 – figured skate; 4 – outdoor curly valley; 5 – outdoor valley; 6 – inner valley; 7 – snow holder; 8 – cornice strip (corrugated board); 9 – cornice; 10 – adjoining the wall; 11 – external junction; 12 – pediment; 13 – wall profile

Do not forget to provide security elements. To retain snow and prevent its avalanche-like collapse, install snow holders in the form of a special profile of paintings or individual elements. If you plan to go to the roof, equip it with a strong fence, waist-high for an adult..

Seam roof installation procedure

Before starting work, you need to collect all materials, components, fasteners and tools. The calculation of materials before purchase is carried out taking into account the cutting and with a small margin.

Fasteners must be selected corresponding to the base metal: for copper paintings – from copper or stainless steel, for others – from stainless or galvanized steel.

Preparatory work

Before laying the paintings, you need to perform preparatory work: crate, hydro, heat and sound insulation.

The lathing can be solid or sparse. It is advisable to lay copper and aluminum on a solid surface made of moisture-resistant plywood or OSB boards (from 12 mm thick) or 25 mm tongue-and-groove boards.

For other materials, you need to be guided by the recommendations for the step of the lathing, depending on the thickness of the metal, on the width of the picture, and the features of the rafter system. Most often the pitch is 50–150 mm. The wood should be chosen clean, dense and dried – so that there is no deformation and damage by organic matter as a result. Desirable impregnation – antiseptics, drying oil. The lathing itself should not create irregularities on the surface – bulges and dents. Installation of planks begins from the eaves and leads to the ridge.

Additional sheathing boards are laid under snow holders, bridges, railings.

An anti-condensation film is placed under the continuous crate. To save heat, heat insulation is installed. Roll out and fix the soundproof tape (canvas) with construction brackets over the crate.

Main works

Still on the ground, you need to make all the elements of the roof – paintings, shaped strips, gutters, cornice, frontal and frontal strips. If the length of the slope is not a multiple of the width of the paintings, narrower stripes need to be made. Two options are possible here: both extreme pictures are narrowed or only one – a question of symmetry and design. If the roof has a complex shape, the stripes can be rectangular or isosceles triangles. The length of the belt should leave a few centimeters to the ridge uncovered for ventilation (if provided). Then this site is drawn up with the appropriate addition.

If necessary, make a cut in metal, it is advisable to immediately remove the sawdust and protect the cut with a suitable compound (for steel).

Then the work is moved to the roof. Mount hooks-brackets under the gutters and the gutters themselves. Droppers are installed to drain condensate (with an insulated roof). Attach the valleys and the frontal board. Fix the cornice strips to the self-tapping screws.

With the help of clamps, the first sheet is fixed. Its profile differs from the ordinary panel.

The accuracy of the installation of the first picture is the key to the correct installation of the entire roof. Bend the clamp in place so as to securely fix the strip.

There should be a right angle between the canvas and the cornice – control with a large square. The edges of the paintings above the cornice are folded from the outside under the cornice strip – to increase the tightness.

If there are valleys in the roof, installation starts from these strips. Sometimes one valley is laid, sometimes two – upper and lower. Then markings are applied to the complement. The side adjacent to the cornice is brought under the cornice bar. The markings on the sides are needed to neatly position the pictures of the stingrays. In these places, a sealant is applied under the edges of the panels..

The second panel, the third, and so on is placed on the starting panel with the corresponding side. Check the perpendicularity of the rebate, if necessary, tap the strip with a wooden mallet so that the strips fit closely. All pictures are fixed with clamps.

When the fabric is assembled in one of the ways (manually, with a semi-automatic or automatic machine), a seam is formed – single or double. If self-locking pictures are used for installation, then for their “rolling” it is enough just to press the future seam with your foot.

If it is required to pass a ventilation or chimney through the roof, bypass another structure, cut a hole with a smaller section in advance or in place in the picture, cut it radially to the desired size, fold the allowance up and then squeeze it around the built-in object. If the section of the structure affects several pictures, cut out fittings with an allowance.