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Best Barndominium Steel Roofing and Siding in Coastal Areas

If you are one of many looking to install steel roofing and/or siding on your new barndominium, shouse (shop/house) or post frame home, understanding differences between galvanized and galvalume is essential to getting top performance you expect from your new steel roofing or siding..

In most residential steel roofing applications including near-coastal areas — beach homes located near shore, and even homes located in the middle of heavy salt-spray — severe marine environments, Galvalume steel will be a better and more corrosion-resistant option than galvanized steel.

Read more about Galvalume at https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2013/04/galvalume/

Galvalume steel should not be used in contact with concrete or mortar, as both are highly alkaline environments. Bare Galvalume steel and painted Galvalume sheets will suffer rapid corrosion when in contact with mortar and concrete.

Bare Galvanized steel and painted Galvanized steel perform better in this type of environment.

Now, because aluminum, one of two metals in Galvalume coating, provides a barrier protection for steel, instead of galvanic or self-healing protection in galvanized steel, scratches and cut edges in Galvalume are less protected.

Galvalume steel is best for use in prefabricated metal wall panels and standing seam metal roof applications with concealed fasteners.

Normally, Galvalume is offered in both bare and pre-coated (pre-painted) versions. Most residential-grade Galvalume metal roofing products – like galvanized steel – are coated with Kynar 500 or Hylar 5000 paint finishes. (For extended reading on Kynar: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2014/05/kynar/ )

Galvalume has an excellent performance lifespan in bare exposures (unpainted panels) as well. Both galvanized steel and Galvalume weigh 100 to 150 pounds per 100 square feet and contain about 35% recycled steel post-consumer content.

Galvalume is similar in investment to galvanized steel.

In the early 1800s galvanized steel was invented and developed for commercial use, so it has nearly 200 years of proven track record. Carbon sheet steel is dipped in molten zinc. It’s more than a coating, however. A chemical bond occurs and produces telltale “spangles,” a crystalline surface pattern found on galvanized steel.

Bethlehem Steel developed galvalume introducing it to the world in 1972, so it’s been in use nearly 60 years. Similar to galvanized steel, Galvalume is produced by a hot-dip process. Instead of 100% zinc, this dip is 55% aluminum, 43.5% zinc and 1.5% silicon.

  • Zinc bonds with a steel surface to create a barrier to corrosion-causing moisture
  • Aluminum naturally resists corrosion and reflects heat too
  • Silicon enhances coating adhesion coating, keeping it in place when steel is rolled, stamped or bent

How Corrosion Occurs in Each

Unpainted Galvalume vs. galvanized steel exposure over time.

Death of metal roofing, as we all know, is corrosion. Galvalume and galvanized steel roofing are affected differently by corrosion.

Galvalume: Aluminum has tremendous corrosion resistance, so it will generally corrode more slowly than galvanized steel. One exception is when coating is penetrated – scratched or chipped by falling or blowing debris, for example.

This exposed sheet metal beneath the coating will quickly corrode. However, aluminum coating will prevent corrosion from spreading; it will be contained.

Galvanized steel: More than just coating steel, galvanizing steel produces a chemical bond resistant to corrosion, scratches and nicks. Galvanized steel will self-heal for small scratches and along cut-edges.

Over-time, when galvanization layer in galvanized steel panels wears down or is penetrated, corrosion will begin to spread.

Uncoated/Unpainted Galvanized Steel vs. Galvalume Wear: 10, 15, 20 Years and Beyond

To illustrate differences in performance between galvanized and Galvalume steel, let’s consider how these two kinds of steel would perform in an uncoated/unpainted steel roofing application.

Note: With a quality paint finish such as Kynar 500, both G-90 galvanized steel and Galvalume steel should provide consistent, rust-free performance for 30 plus years when used in accordance with manufacturers’ specifications.

With unpainted steel galvanized steel often holds its rust-free good looks longer than Galvalume thanks to self-healing properties of zinc.

5 to 10 Years: A galvanized roof will look “perfect” except for some corrosion beginning where fasteners penetrated steel during installation. Galvalume roofing may show corrosion at nicks and scratches and around field-installed fastener holes.

10 to 15 years: Galvalume roofing will look about the same, but with a few more nicks producing isolated spots and lines of corrosion. Galvanized steel roofing will start showing its age. Corrosion has continued to spread outward from its starting point.

20 years: Changes in Galvalume roofing are slow and imperceptible, though if you compared a picture of the roof when new to its current state, nicks and scratches would be visible. You might also notice a slight patina common to ageing aluminum.

Galvanized roof, depending on climatic factors, might show a light rust hue. This is a result of the zinc layer wearing away, leaving steel substrate exposed.

Beyond 20 years: Lifespan for unpainted galvanized roofing is 15-25 years depending on climate, less where oceanic salt spray is common. Unpainted Galvalume has a lifespan up to 40 years. Once corrosion has penetrated any steel roofing substrate, steel integrity will suffer and your steel roof will begin to fall apart.

For maintaining good looks and longevity in coastal applications Kynar paint over galvalume is a winning combination!

This entry was posted in Pole Building Comparisons, Steel Roofing & Siding, Barndominium, Shouse and tagged , , , , , on by .

See Those Pretty Chalk Lines – Forever

See Those Pretty Chalk Lines – Forever

Disclaimer – not a photo of a Hansen Pole Building

As kids, we grew up as the last house before the street surface changed from asphalt paving to dirt. Unlike today’s children, whose parents can buy “sidewalk chalk” in a myriad of colors, we improvised.

Whenever a new home was being drywalled near us, we would scrounge for scraps of sheetrock. As creative children of five and six years old, we’d use edges of these scrap pieces to outline chalk “roads” on our street’s pavement.

Doing this manually was tedious as well as tough on our little backs, so we took things a step further. My red Radio Flyer® wagon was hitched to behind my friend Danny’s older brother’s bike. Now this Radio Flyer® was designed for lots of things, however where we were going with this experiment, was probably none of those.

I’d lay down in my Radio Flyer®’s bed on my tummy, facing rearwards. Firmly held in each hand was a piece of sheetrock scrap. With the bike’s propulsion, we could produce (what to us anyhow) seemed like miles of chalk roads in no time at all.

Similar to an Ancient Roman adage, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye”, is “It’s all fun and games until someone gets launched from a Radio Flyer® wagon and fractures a clavicle”.

Thus ended our marking of chalk roads.

Growing up in a family where my Dad and Uncles were framing contractors, we found out chalk had uses other than for making “roads”.

Developed in ancient Egypt (think pyramids) “chalk boxes” are used by carpenters to mark long, straight lines on relatively flat surfaces, much farther than is practical by hand or with a straight edge. A chalk box draws a straight line by action of a taut cotton or similar string, coated with colored chalk (most often blue or red, but other colors such as yellow, white and fluorescent orange are available).

A chalk box string is laid across the surface to be marked, pulled taut, then snapped sharply, causing the string to strike the surface leaving behind a straight chalk line where the surface has been struck.

We sadly now live in an overly litigious society, so chalk box packages read like a television pharmaceutical commercial, “WARNING: TO AVOID RISK OF INJURY ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES AND OTHER APPROPRIATE SAFETY ITEMS FOR PROTECTION. FAILURE TO DO SO CAN RESULT IN BODILY INJURY.” There might be only one thing more embarrassing than being launched from a Radio Flyer®, would be to incur a debilitating chalk box accident.

Really fine chalk box packaging print adds, “CAUTION: RED, YELLOW, & FLUORESCENT CHALKS ARE PERMANENT COLORS. THERE IS NO KNOWN WAY TO REMOVE THEM.”

When it comes to using a chalk near steel roofing and siding, this following warning should have been added:

NEVER SNAP CHALK LINES ON STEEL SHEETING.

Even small moisture amounts will cause chalk dust lines (as well as any black or “lead” pencil marks) to permanently damage steel surfaces. These marks create an “electric cell”, deteriorating paint finishes. This will cause chalk lines or pencil marks to be “seen” on a building forever!

P.S. See the steel siding below the entry door? Not only did this builder make more work for himself (extra cutting and trim work), he also has created a situation where any concrete apron outside this door will have to be poured against steel siding (or be uncomfortably low).

This entry was posted in About The Pole Barn Guru, Pole Barn Planning, Steel Roofing & Siding, Building Contractor and tagged , , , , , on by .

Proper Screw Location for Post Frame Steel Cladding

Proper Screw Location for Post Frame Steel Cladding

It was a pleasant October evening back in 1985 in Blacksburg, Virginia. My friend Dr. Frank Woeste was then a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences professor at Virginia Tech (officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and he had invited me to teach one of his classes for a day, in exchange for him providing some basic engineering software to design post frame building columns, roof purlins and wall girts.

Back in 1985, Virginia Tech had not yet become a NCAA football powerhouse it grew into under the direction of Hokies’ head coach Frank Beamer – having participated in post season bowl games for 23 consecutive seasons starting in 1993. This also long predated an April 16, 2007 tragedy when Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho fatally shot 32 faculty members and students, wounding 17 others before killing himself on campus. This shooting remains as the third deadliest mass shooting committed by a lone gunman in United States history.

Mid-way through an evening with Frank, after digesting a hearty meal and debating whether hops in our consumed liquids were a fruit or a vegetable (they actually are neither – they are flower cones), we digressed into Dr. Woeste’s research’s true essence at Virginia Tech – post frame buildings and prefabricated metal connector plated wood trusses.

Narrowing things down, a lively discussion occurred (including some of his grad students) on whether steel roofing and siding for post frame buildings should be attached with screws through ‘flats’ or on high rib tops.
You may be wondering what brought this particular subject to mind after so many years? In case you happened to, my Facebook friend Trenton had asked me this very question recently.

For years steel roofing and siding had been attached with ring shanked nails (read more about this and Dr. Woeste here:

( https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/12/ring-shank-nails/). Traditionally nails were located upon high rib crowns – knowing not all nails would be identically driven through steel into underlying wood. The belief was that rain running off a roof would never get high enough to leak around improperly seated nails on high rib tops!

So, what would happen if screws were improperly placed in those steel high rib tops?

Properly designed post frame buildings are dependent upon diaphragm action provided by the steel skin (roofing and siding). Numerous tests have been done to confirm shear strength of panels as properly fastened. When screws are placed through high ribs, there is a 5/8 to ¾ inch gap between high rib underside and framing below. Screw shanks can flex within this space, reducing shear load carrying capacity of this sheathing system.

Furthermore, screw flexation in this gap, allows steel panels to move slightly under wind or seismic loads, eventually contributing to slots being formed in steel around screw shanks, and over time, causing leaks.

Ultimately Frank and I agreed with every steel roofing and siding roll former – screws in flats, not on ribs!

This entry was posted in Steel Roofing & Siding, Powder Coated Screws, Fasteners, Pole Barn Design, About The Pole Barn Guru, Roofing Materials and tagged , , , , , , , on by .

Cool New Steel Cutting Tool

Cool New Tool?

In the world of tools, there is rarely a better mousetrap. However this steel cutting tool may or may not be an actual Cool New Tool:
https://coolnewtools.com/products/nibble-metal-cutting
(Author’s disclaimer: I have never used this product and this is not an endorsement. I do not receive a kick back in the event you happen to invest in one or more)

*Cool New Tools steel cutter

Accurately cutting steel roofing and siding (more often siding, as few buildings have door and window openings in their roofs) can be a daunting proposition. I’ve written about it in the past: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/cutting-steel/

This product is obviously being shipped to the purchaser from overseas (due to long ship times and all measurements being given in millimeters):
“Items shipped from our global warehouse may take up to 2 – 4 weeks for delivery due to customs check. If your tracking doesn’t show the most up to date status, please do not panic, it’s on its way!
On very rare occasions, shipping might take up to 6 weeks due to customs check.
We have a large assortment of products stocked in different warehouses when you order multiple items at a time, they may be shipped separately so they get to you faster. You may receive one item before the next.”

Here are the alleged features:
“Attaches to any standard drill transforming it into a safe, easy to use, sheet metal cutting tool.
It fits onto a standard drill (keyed or keyless chuck).
It cuts sheet metal and many other thin materials.
Ergonomic design handle for comfort.
Straight cutting and curve cutting capable.
Double cutting head and 360 degree adjustable.
Compact size, easy to operate and labor-saving.
Excellent cutting effect without any burrs and edges.
It should used with an 8mm electric drill or an air drill.
Suitable for car repair and maintenance and metal sheet productions.”

This product can be yours for $39.95, but wait…..there’s more!!
If you try to leave the page without ordering they offer a 10% discount!

In the event one or more of my loyal readers happens to try this steel cutting tool out, I’d appreciate feedback.

This entry was posted in Constructing a Pole Building, Steel Roofing & Siding and tagged , , , on by .

Why Use Stainless Steel Screws with Steel Roofing and Siding?

One of our prospective clients recently contacted me with a list of features being promoted by a builder he was considering investing in a post frame building kit with. One of the features happened to be the use of stainless steel screws to attach the steel roofing and siding. My quick, off the cuff, response to the client was why – when the manufacturer of the screws provided by Hansen Pole Buildings guarantees them (and they are not stainless steel) to outlive the steel! Along with this, I stated the stainless steel screws would be about four times as expensive.

Well, I was wrong.

I checked the prices on stainless steel screws vs. standard screws at a major big box store today and found I could purchase five pounds of standard screws for the exact same price as one pound of the stainless steel ones of the same size!!

Now stainless steel screws do have their place. If one is using them to drive into ACQ pressure treated lumber (please read more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/06/acq-treated-lumber/), then stainless is the way to go. Fortunately, ACQ is now rarely used for post frame construction, as other alternative methods of preserving lumber have been developed.

So, what is so special about the screws provided by Hansen Pole Buildings?

The JS1000 plating system has been developed by Leland Industries and has been proven to remain completely rust free in over 1000 hours of salt spray testing. This is 20 to 25 times the corrosion resistance of regular electro-zinc products – and considerably more than the best known coatings on the market.

This plating system provides for a high lubricity for reducing tapping torque and less stress on small diameter screws. JS1000 is completely non-toxic. It is compatible with aluminum and other construction metals. It is hexavalent Chromium free and RoHS compliant, making it an environmentally friendly product.

For those who “just have to know”, RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, originated in the European Nation. It restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.

In our case, we order these screws powder coated, which when used over JS1000 increases salt spray testing rust resistance by over three times!!

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Questions, Steel Roofing & Siding, Powder Coated Screws and tagged , , on by .

Steel Roofing: Screw in the Flats or the High Ribs

It was a pleasant October evening back in 1985 in Blacksburg, Virginia. My friend Dr. Frank Woeste was then a professor in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech (officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and he had invited me to teach one of his classes for a day, in exchange for him providing some basic engineering software which would design post frame building columns, roof purlins and wall girts.

Now back in 1985, Virginia Tech had not yet become the NCAA football powerhouse it grew into under the direction of Hokies’ head coach Frank Beamer – having now participated in post season bowl games for each of the last 23 seasons. This also long predated the April 16, 2007 tragedy in which Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho fatally shot 32 faculty members and students, wounding 17 others before killing himself on campus. This shooting remains the deadliest mass shooting committed by a lone gunman in United States history.

Mid-way through the evening with Frank, after digesting a hearty meal and debating whether the hops in the liquid consumed were a fruit or a vegetable (they actually are neither – they are flower cones), we digressed into the true essence of Dr. Woeste’s research at Virginia Tech – which was post frame buildings and prefabricated metal connector plated wood trusses.

Narrowing things down, a lively discussion occurred (including some of his grad students) on whether steel roofing and siding for post frame buildings should be attached with screws through the ‘flats’ or on the tops of the high ribs.

For years steel roofing and siding had been attached with ring shanked nails (read more about this and Dr. Woeste here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2011/12/ring-shank-nails/). The traditional location of the nails was at the crown of the high ribs – knowing not all of the nails would be identically driven through the steel into the underlying wood. The concept was rain running off the roof would never get high enough to leak around the improperly seated nails on the tops of the high ribs!

So, what would happen if screws were improperly placed in the crowns of the steel high ribs?

Properly designed post frame buildings are dependent upon the diaphragm action contributed by the skin (roofing and siding) and numerous tests have been done to confirm the shear strength of the panels as properly fastened. When screws are placed through the high ribs, there is a 5/8 to ¾ inch gap between the underside of the high rib and the framing below. The screw can flex within this space, reducing the shear load carrying capacity of the sheathing system.

Furthermore, the flexation of the screws in this gap, allows the steel panels to move slightly under wind or seismic loads, eventually contributing to slots being formed in the steel around the screw shanks, and over time, causing leaks.

The answer Frank and I came up with is the same one espoused by every steel roofing and siding roll former – screw in the flats, not on the ribs!

This entry was posted in Roofing Materials, Steel Roofing & Siding and tagged , , , on by .
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