Features of the choice, calculation and installation of metal tiles

Recommendation points

• How to choose the right type of metal tile
• Calculation of material consumption
• Additional roof elements
• Protective systems and gutters
• Installation or supervision of work

Metal shingles are a good choice for roofing. This material deserves close attention due to not only attractive appearance, but also durability, ease of calculation and installation. Today we will tell you about a metal roofing.

How to choose the right type of metal tile

Even from a single manufacturer, metal tiles are represented by several separate products, while the most important differences are not at all in appearance. This material has a composite structure consisting of profiled steel sheet, primer layers and protective and decorative coating. The quality of each of the components is of equal importance for the preservation of both the structure of the metal tile and its appearance.

For a metal base, thickness is considered the primary quality factor. Its increase does not particularly work at the expense of lightness, but at the same time the strength of the coating significantly increases. The practical minimum for a metal tile is a sheet thickness of 0.4 mm, while making metal thicker than 0.6 mm usually does not make sense. The choice of the appropriate metal thickness should be based on the likelihood of the risk of damage from hail, falling fruits or broken tree branches. As a rule, a violation of the protective coating from such an effect cannot occur, however, the presence of dents on the coating will negate its similarity with the original tile roof.

Dealing with the varieties of protective and decorative coatings is much easier if you consider the range of a particular manufacturer. Typically, the product line of large manufacturers includes the three most popular form factors (relief) of metal tiles, each of which has the ability to apply more than a dozen types of polymer coatings. Each of them provides a different degree of resistance to paint fading, corrosion and mechanical damage with the corresponding cost and warranty period..

The difference is even 30-40 rubles per m² in terms of the total roof area can result in a significant excess of the budget. That is why the tiles must have sufficient durability in specific operating conditions and the widest possible choice of coatings is a definite plus. A characteristic feature of a reliable and conscientious manufacturer is compliance with the galvanizing standard for the second class of galvanized steels – not less than 250 g / m², in this case, the base must be passivated before priming and applying polymer protection.

Calculation of material consumption

The metal tile belongs to large-format materials. Despite the fact that the coating naturally enough imitates the roof of small shards, it is made in the form of sheets about a meter wide. The useful width of the sheet is slightly smaller; when calculating it, you need to take into account the overlap of the edges of about 5-7 cm.

When manufacturing metal tiles to order, it is widely practiced to supply sheets, the length of which is equal to the height of the roof slope. In this case, the roofing material is laid in one row, there are no additional overlaps, respectively, the material consumption is slightly less. This approach is optimal when working on roofs of a simple shape – from gable with gables to hip, to calculate the purchase volume, it remains only to divide the length of each slope by the useful width of the sheet.

When finishing multi-pitched, half-hip, gable roofs of complex shapes, all kinds of skylights, bay windows and other exquisite types of roofs, modular tiles are used. With its help, it is much easier to revet surfaces of complex shapes, however, both the calculation and installation of metal tiles in this case are much more difficult:

1. Since the roof as a whole consists of a set of flat surfaces, the first step is to draw up their unfolded and display it on the working sketch with the indication of the vertical axes.
2. Next, you need to choose the optimal format of the metal tile: with a meter sheet width, the length can vary within wide limits, but is always a multiple of the size of the corrugation row. For example, if the wave pitch is 350 mm, respectively, the length of the sheet will be equal to the number of rows of corrugation plus an overlap strip of about 50 mm. It is believed that the length of the leaf should be the smaller, the sharper the corners at the base of each individual slope..
3. On the unfolding of the roof planes, you need to impose a sheet layout scheme. This is done in such a way that the residues that go beyond the contour of the slopes remain liquid and can subsequently be used on other sections of the roof..

Additional roof elements

Sheathing the plane of the slopes with metal tiles is a fairly simple task, especially considering the ease of installation of large-format materials. However, this is far from the only stage in the construction of the roof, because it is also required to calculate and install additional elements and protection of abutments.

The implementation of this task begins with calculating the length of all skates and valleys and ordering slats for them. Given that the molding of these additional elements is usually 2 meters, you should take into account the length of the cut residues and use them on the next segment. For valleys, it is necessary to purchase both the lower lining strips and the upper ones that perform a decorative function.

In addition to skates and valleys, the eaves and gable overhangs should be protected, for which, respectively, end and eaves overhead strips are provided. If the roof slopes are adjacent to walls or technical wells, installation of overhead L-shaped strips will be required. They can be mounted in pairs, like valley strips, if the slope is not adjacent to the wall at a right angle and water leakage under the roof is possible.

Almost all additional elements of the roof are laid with an overlap of about 150-200 mm, this must also be taken into account in the calculations. The overlap is not considered only when determining the length of the ridge and end strip seals. Finally, the required amount of fasteners for the roof should be calculated, which quite predictably depends on the pitch of the tile wave, on average from 6 to 10 pcs / m². By the way, precisely because of the different step of corrugation, the choice of metal tiles should be carried out even before the roof sheathing is installed..

On a note:many manufacturers of metal tiles supply all other elements necessary for the completed installation together with sheet or modular metal tiles. As a rule, with a complex ordering of materials for the roofing, it is not necessary to independently determine the required quantity, it is enough just to provide working drawings and indicate the desired roof configuration. Experts will carry out the calculation quickly and independently using professional software that is not available to the average person.

Protective systems and gutters

In no case should we forget about special systems for the roof that facilitate its maintenance and make operation safe. First of all, this applies to snow holders: their installation is mandatory due to the fact that the minimum slope of the slope under the metal tile cannot be less than 14?, While the smoothness of the roofing material well contributes to the avalanche-like descent of snow and ice.

Snow protectors for metal tiles have a simple device and are usually included in the range of roofing materials and additional elements. The number and location of snow holders is determined by both the snow area and the size of the slopes and their slope. To make the descent of the snow mass from the roof controlled, it is often necessary to do without walkways and ladders, which make it possible to manually crush and discharge the snow mass..

If the snow barriers and the maintenance system can well be installed upon completion of the installation or immediately before the building is put into operation, then the drainage system is fixed even before the roofing begins. The metal tile is laid from bottom to top, while gutter holders are attached to the crate under the bottom row. Again, the ideal color combination of gutters and roofing is possible only when all the necessary roofing elements are ordered from one supplier, including ventilation outlets and sealing collars for them..

Installation or supervision of work

Finally, we will give some more important recommendations. Metal tiles require careful handling during delivery and installation. Therefore, if roofing is carried out by employees, all stages of the process should be carefully monitored. Here are some key points:

1. Trimming of sheets should not be carried out with abrasive cut-off wheels, only scissor tools or circular saws with a victorious tooth.
2. Restoring the protective coating on the cuts when cutting with a nibbler is not required, only when working with a jigsaw or circular saw.
3. MCH fastening is carried out exclusively with self-tapping screws with neoprene washers. Anodized self-tapping screws with a conical head should be used to fasten the underlay trays on the junctions and valleys, which, after screwing in, are painted over with ordinary alkyd enamel.
4. The metal tile is attached to each row of corrugation in every 3-4 wave deflection. Fastening to the cornice is performed in every second deflection.
5. It is recommended to first complete the flooring of metal tiles over the entire area of ​​the slope, securing each sheet with 2-3 self-tapping screws, and only then add additional attachment points.
6. When moving along the metal tile, the foot can only be placed in a deflection along the direction of the slope and at the same time use special shoes or soft shoe covers.
7. Additional elements are attached not only to the support system, but also to the edges of the sheets that they cover.
8. The abutment of the roof to the walls should be carried out with cutting a groove and sealing the upper edge of the apron in it.
9. The scheme of laying and fixing different types of metal tiles may differ slightly, therefore, before starting work, you should carefully study the installation instructions from the manufacturer.