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Insulation for Existing Building, Screws to Replace Nails, and Rusted Steel

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about insulating a metal post frame garage in Florida with vented soffits and peak, replacing nails with EPDM gasketed screws on an existing structure, and ideas to replace rusted steel on the lower 3′ of a structure.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have a metal post frame garage in south central Pa. I want to insulate this building. It is metal siding screwed to 2×4 wood purlins. It has vented soffits and is vented at the peak of the roof. How would I go about insulating this building? My hope is to use Polyiso foam board and insulate the slope of the roof, not the flat ceiling. Please give some advice for air gaps and vapor barriers for the roof and methods for insulating the walls. JASON in MANHEIM

DEAR JASON: Unless you are willing to use closed cell spray foam applied directly to underside of your roof steel, sealing off soffit and ridge vents, you are stuck without being able to insulate with slope of roof.

Why? Air impermeable insulation must be installed either directly above or below your roof deck – your roof purlins negate ability to consistently do this. Otherwise, an inch or more of unobstructed airflow must be provided directly below roof deck from eave-to-ridge (again, purlins are obstructing). Insulting at ceiling level is indeed your best bet. Install a ceiling and blow in granulated Rockwool (best) or fiberglass. Walls – completely fill insulation cavity with Rockwool batts, use a well-sealed interior vapor barrier (6mil or thicker clear visqueen).

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I have a 1000sf metal building with Galvalume roof (on 2×10 purlins, no deck) built in 1999 with gasketed nails. I’m experiencing some small leaks from some of the nails. The metal is still good. Do you know someone that can replace the nails with screws, approximately 800. MIKE in CINCINNATI

DEAR MIKE: I would recommend posting on your local craigslist under “gigs” for a project such as yours. Nails should be replaced by #14 diameter screws, ideally with at least a 1/2″ greater penetration into wood than your nails. Look for screws with EPDM rather than neoprene rubber gaskets.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: The bottom 3′ of our metal sided maintenance shop has been rusted out by salt. Do you know of an organization that could replace the bottom sections? MARK in ROCHESTER

DEAR MARK: For local projects, such as yours, I normally recommend posting in your nearby Craigslist under “Gigs”. You will usually get a fair number of responses. You may want to consider replacing this lower portion with material other than metal – something resistant to ravages of deterioration due to chemical reaction of salt with metal

This entry was posted in Building Interior, Lumber, Fasteners, Insulation, Pole Barn Heating, Pole Barn Questions, Pole Barn Design, Barndominium, Roofing Materials, Ventilation, Powder Coated Screws and tagged EPDM gasket, rock wool insulation, insulation, EPDM screws, vapor barrier, metal replacement, metal deterioration, Ventilation on April 9, 2025 by Rick Ochs.

Barn Screws Rotting Wood

Barn Screws Rotting Wood

Reader (and Contractor) JOHN in BIG RAPIDS writes:

“In a pole building constructed with trusses 2′ o.c 1/2″ OSB synthetic underlayment. We are finding out that the screw is riding the OSB around the screw. I have seen the same problem in standard pole barn construction with 2 x 4. Purlins. The screw will rot the wood and come loose. It is a problem with cold storage areas and condition space. We screw standing seam metal to 1/2″ OSB and nail shingles down with a straight shank nail. What is the issue with a barn screw rotting wood?”

You have a couple of different issues happening here.

First – screws will not hold in OSB, either with through screwed or standing seam panels. With standing seam, manufacturers typically recommend plywood substrates of at least 5/8-inch thickness.

Second – screws do not rot wood. It is a function of one or more of three things – screws improperly seated (screws into high ribs rather than flats; over or under driven; or not driven perpendicular to panels). Or, screws with neoprene gaskets (most are), instead of EPDM. Neoprene is not UV resistant, so quickly becomes brittle and cracks. Standard screws are #9 or #10 diameter and these narrow shanks will cause slotting of steel panels, over time, due to cyclic wind loads. Shanks are acting like knives! We found this when we did full scale diaphragm testing of steel panels over three decades ago. This was solved by our engineer, who did our testing, designing what is now known as “Diaphragm Screws”. Produced by Leland Industries in Canada, Hansen Pole Buildings provides them exclusively for through screwed steel panels. 1-1/2″ long, they are a #12 shank, except right below head (where screw passes through panels) it is a #14 diameter. These screws also have EPDM gaskets, have a JS1000 plating (read more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2024/01/what-does-js-1000-screw-plating-mean-to-you/) and are powder coated, rather than wet painted.

Any of these conditions will allow water to seep around screw shanks and eventually decaying surrounding wood fibers.

On an unrelated note – we have clients in search of qualified building erectors in many markets. We connect you directly with client to quote your labor, no fees to us, no markup – strictly a service. You are also welcome to quote/provide any other services direct to client (site prep, flatwork, etc., even turnkey). This will be an ongoing relationship, not necessarily a ‘we have a client for you today’, and we will be promoting your business long term at no charge. We provide America’s strongest, fully engineered post frame building including full multi-page 24” x 36” structural blueprints detailing the location and attachment of every piece. All 3000f glulam columns, highest quality lumber (most 2400f msr, no standard or stud grade), framing connected with provided Simpson structural screws, delivered onsite. If interested please click this link: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/builder-application/

This entry was posted in Pole Barn Design, Roofing Materials, Constructing a Pole Building, Pole Barn Planning, Powder Coated Screws, Barndominium, Lumber, Pole Barn Questions and tagged diaphragm screws, EPDM gasket, screw patterns, post frame screws, rotten wood on January 16, 2025 by Rick Ochs.

Solving Steel Roofing Leaks

Nothing much more frustrating than finding your post frame building’s new steel roofing has a leak (or two) – however they can be solved!

Reader (and client) BRYAN from MECHANICSVILLE writes:

“I’m really loving my pole barn.

With all of the rain we’ve had, I’ve noticed two leaks, I believe they are coming through roof screw holes, what is your recommended way of correcting the problem? Should I put a sealer around the screws, replace the screws or something else?

Thank you for your time and help!”

Quite pleased you are loving your new pole barn! In case anyone has wondered why we do what we do, this would be why – there are such great rewards in being able to aid clients in their new building journeys!

If you have been able to narrow a water issue down to these two locations, you have solved a most challenging puzzle piece. Often, with use of a Radiant Reflective Barrier under the roof steel, water will enter in one place and leak out in a different location. This can cause leak searching to be a true chore.

Under no circumstance should a sealant be used around or over top of screws. Eventually this sealant works away from the screw and the leak is back! Now it becomes diagnosing why there a leak exists and how to best fix it.

Most often leaks are caused by a predrilled screw hole not having a screw in it. Although this sounds obvious – it does occur. Easiest fix, put a screw in hole. Next up would be a screw has missed a purlin. If this happens to be your case, chances are you can see a “shiner” (galvanized screw shank) alongside, or poking out a side of, a purlin. Provided screw holes were pre-drilled, this can be resolved by removing offending screw, as well as its adjacent neighbors for several feet in each direction along the purlin. Have someone push that purlin uphill or pull it downhill until a screw can be replaced into solid wood.

In event of a random miss, for whatever reason, have someone hold a block of 2×4 under the screw hole and drive a screw through roofing and into the block.

Next possible culprit would be a screw not properly seated. If under driven, (EPDM gasket not compressed) screw can normally be driven in further. If over driven (gasket smashed) screw should be replaced with either a larger diameter and longer length screw (say #14 x 2″) or by driving a wooden match stick or other slender piece of solid wood into screw hole, then use an originally sized screw back in original hole. If a screw was driven in other than perpendicular to roofing, it may be possible to remove the screw and drive it straight in.