Do-It-Yourself Tin Roofing

Installing the First Sheet

• 1

  Roll out roofing felt starting along the bottom edge of the roof. Cut the felt to length at the end of the roof with a utility knife. Install additional rows of felt, overlapping the previous row by a few inches. Nail the felt into place using 1-inch roofing nails with nylon washers. Install one nail every 12 inches.

• 2

  Fit the first sheet of metal along one gable edge at the bottom of the roof. Screw the sheet in place with 1 1/4-inch self-tapping hex head sheet metal screws and a cordless drill with a nut driver. Install one screw every 12-inches in the valleys of the metal.

• 3

  Position the next sheet beside with the first, overlapping the long vertical edges by one or two ridges so that they fit together. Attach it in the same way you did the first. Add full-width sheets as far as you can.

Finishing the Roof

• 4

  Measure from the last full sheet to the edge of the roof. Cut a sheet of tin roofing to width using a circular saw with a metal cutting blade. Leave two ridges to overlap with the last sheet. Screw the last piece into place.

• 5

  Roll out and adhere a strip of butyl sealing tape along the top edges of the sheets in this first row. Overlap the next row on top of the tape and press it down. Screw the sheets to the roof in the same fashion as before.

• 6

  Install full-height rows in the same way by overlapping the sheets. Do this as far as possible. Cut sheets to height two inches below the peak. Install felt and tin on the other face of the roof in the same way.

• 7

  Measure the peak of the roof and cut peak trim to cover the peak, overlapping the top edges of the two sides and pressing it down to the butyl tape. Screw the trim in place with one screw every eight inches along both long edges.