Metal Roofing
Every exposed-fastener metal roof has thousands of screws, each sealed by a rubber washer, and every one of those washers is aging in the sun. After 10 to 15 years in Charlotte they harden, shrink and let water follow the screw shank into the deck. Meanwhile the panels have expanded and contracted a few thousand times and backed a share of the screws out. The fix is to replace every fastener with a larger-diameter screw that bites fresh wood and a new washer - not to dab caulk on the ones that look bad.
An exposed-fastener roof is held on by self-drilling screws with a rubber washer under the head, typically one every 12 to 24 inches along every purlin line - four to six thousand on an average home. Two things happen to them in a Charlotte decade. The EPDM or neoprene washer hardens in UV and heat, shrinks, cracks and stops sealing. And the panel, which grows and shrinks with every hot afternoon and cool night, works the screw back and forth in its hole until the hole is oval, the screw is proud, and water follows the shank into the deck. On a barn in Monroe the first sign is a drip line down a purlin; on a house in Gastonia it is a stain that seems to move.
Replace every fastener, not the ones that look bad, with a screw one size larger in diameter and a new bonded washer. The larger screw bites fresh wood around the enlarged hole, and the new washer seals. Where the original was a #9 or #10 screw, we go to a #12 or #14; where the deck under it is compromised we use a longer screw to reach sound wood. Side-lap stitch screws are replaced with the same logic. Every one is set with a depth-sensing driver so the washer seats without splitting - the over-driven washer is the most common installation fault we find on the roofs of Kannapolis and Concord.
Priced per screw, which is why we count on the roof rather than estimating from the driveway. The trigger point is typically 10 to 15 years after installation in this climate, earlier on a south-facing slope or a dark roof. Done on time it resets the roof for another 10 to 15 years. Left until the deck is wet, it becomes a panel and deck repair, and a roof that has also lost its paint is a candidate for a coating over the new fasteners.
If this is the second time the screws have needed doing, it is worth running the numbers on standing seam, which has no exposed fasteners to age. On outbuildings and rentals, another round of screws is the economical answer and we'll say so. We replace fasteners on homes, shops and ag buildings from Mooresville to Rock Hill and everywhere between, including the horse barns and equipment sheds around Waxhaw.
How long does it take? One day for most homes. We count screws on the roof, not from the driveway.
These usually come up on the same roof, and we can quote them in the same visit:
Seam and lap leaks, split panels, failed flashing at chimneys and skylights, storm and tree damage. Diagnosed before it's priced.
Learn More →Exposed-fastener corrugated or R-panel. The cheapest metal option. Screws need replacing every 10 to 15 years, and we do that too.
Learn More →Elastomeric or silicone recoat on aging Galvalume and painted panels. Rust treated, seams reinforced, another 10 to 20 years without a tear-off.
Learn More →Free - No Obligation
Ballpark now, exact quote after we measure. Tell us the home size and the panel you have in mind.
We'll text a range and call once to schedule the measurement. Need us sooner? (704) 828-7723
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