# Sealing a barn roof?



## Tomjracer (Jan 30, 2015)

I'm looking for suggestions on sealing the corrugated steel roof on my 1925 dairy barn. It's in pretty decent shape, but there are a few leaks when we get a steady rain. It's had a couple coats of paint in the last 35 years and the nails were all replaced with screws about 8 years ago.

If anyone has experience with this please let me know what to look for. I'm seeing a few people recommend a spray on sealer like AMES.


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## M5farm (Jan 14, 2014)

there are several products that you can do yourself to fix this roof. some very good companies are Henry , apoc and tropical they have a long history in the coating industry. 3 main types of coating Silicone is what alot of people are using now and its a very good product but once it is put on you can only re coat with silicone product. Elastomeric is a product that is tried and true , easy to apply and last a long time . these 2 products will be white . aluminum roof coating is a good option also Most has a fiber in it that helps seal tiny holes and areas that could be allowing water in . on coatings general rule if thumb is a 1.5 gal per square min 2 coats . Silicone and elastomeric can be applied with roller the aluminum coating should be applied with a brush due to fibers not laying down when rolled .


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## Tomjracer (Jan 30, 2015)

I was leaning toward elastomeric and we are covering about 10,000 sq ft (36'x126' hipped roof barn). I was hoping to use a boom lift and commercial sprayer.


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## ridgerunner1965 (Apr 13, 2013)

they spray on coatings are all good im sure.

if your like me you might look at some or the roof coatings sold in 5 gallon buckets for mobile homes. apply with a mop roller.

another thing I have done is back out the screws and apply a bit of mastic under each head and tighten back down. if they wont titghten back down you will have to go with the next larger screw to get a fresh bite in the wood.

fixing a old tin roof can be very tedious and laborious, but not near as much as building a new barn.

one thing I recommend above all others is do it now before it gets hot. ive fixed many tin roofs in the hot sun and it was not fun at all.


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## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

All the above are good recommendations. I will just add that if you have any "larger" leaks, make sure you fix them before you coat. Elasto and tar will do only so much and it's much easier to fix any bigger leaks before you put on a continuous coat.


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## ridgerunner1965 (Apr 13, 2013)

I remember fixing a tin roof with my son when he was in high school. our sweat ran down the roof and out the gutters. working with him was like working with a stand up comedien. it was hilarious ,him telling jokes and us working together.

he now is a engineer. he didn't like working in the hot sun.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

ridgerunner1965 said:


> if they wont titghten back down you will have to go with the next larger screw to get a fresh bite in the wood.


You can reuse the same screws by sticking some wooden toothpicks and some wood glue in the holes.

I've had good results with Kool-Seal aluminum coating, but it can't be sprayed.


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## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

I would concentrate on the screws. The rubber washers last 8 to 12 years... Roofing screws are responsible for the majority of leaks on metal roofs. Often over tightened; under tightened or on an angle. Once the wash degrades it leaks. Odds are new screws and old screws will have different size heads so 2 impact drivers are best. Start in the worst area and see if you are happy with results.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

First think a little bit about how a metal roof goes together. They are XX" wide x XX' long metal sheets with no holes in them, then they lay them down and screw or nail through them with fasteners. The only place they are going to leak is at the fasteners, at the side laps, at the end laps, or at a penetration or flashing. 

First order of business is to make sure you have no loose fasteners, then seal each and every one. Then inspect, secure and reseal all side and end laps, penetrations and flashing. These steps are what makes the roof water tight. You wouldn't actually need the complete coating at this point, but most put it on to give the roof a neat uniform appearance and to protect against future rusting.

I make the above points so bring home the point that you can't simply spray a coating on your metal roof and expect it to be water tight, if you don't first put the time and effort into correctly repairing all of the penetrations, flashings and laps.


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## Tomjracer (Jan 30, 2015)

Appreciate those that offered advice. Thought I would follow up on this now that we finished up the project. We used AMES Super Primer followed by their Maximum Stretch sealer which is a sprayable elastic acrylic coating. The boom lift made the job much easier.

I spent quite a bit of time sealing the edges of the panels as well as each of the screw heads, but still have a few leaks. We were able to get rid of all of the major leaks, so I'm pleased so far. Might add another coat next year if we rent a lift, when we paint the siding.

Before shots:








To give you an idea on size that is an 8 ft wide basket on the lift. The blueish color is the primer.









The after shots (don't give me too much grief for the overspray)


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Awesome old barn !


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## Rob (Jan 4, 2018)

NICE BARN! The roof looks GREAT! Thanks for sharing the results.


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## macmad (Dec 22, 2012)

Very nice!


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

That is a very well maintained 100 year old barn!


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## Tomjracer (Jan 30, 2015)

GTX63 said:


> That is a very well maintained 100 year old barn!


It's not perfect, but it was built well. The mid 1800's barn burned to the ground in 1924 and this barn was put up by Michigan State in 1925 to show what could be done with a dairy barn. The dairy parlor is quite impressive for it's age as well. All concrete gutters and troughs.


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## ridgerunner1965 (Apr 13, 2013)

very impressed with the work you have put into that old barn! 

I have seen many old barns rot to the ground and it saddens me greatly. when you walk into a old barn and see all handwork and labor that went into it, it is amazing.

the first thing that comes into my head in a old barn like that is, holy crap they did all this with a hand saw!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

They don't build them like that anymore. Those old barns were built to last and they will with proper maintenance. It makes me sad to see old beautiful barns falling apart when they needed just a bit of work to keep them standing.

Looks good. Thanks for the update.


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## Tomjracer (Jan 30, 2015)

Appreciate the kind words on the barn. We are doing our best to catch up and keep up with the maintenance on the barn. The barn is not perfect, but it's perfect for us.

The hay loft is probably the most impressive part of the barn. (The township won't allow us to do weddings for paying customers, but they can't stop us from using the barn for friends and family members)


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

That is awesome! I bet the township couldn't stop you from receiving donations to keep the barn maintained.  Just thinking outside the box.


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## joelynnpamplin (10 mo ago)

Have you thought about changing the material covering your entire roof? In the process of replacing it, you can find all the weak spots and replace everything with a new one.


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## barnebasguitano (10 mo ago)

You can take elastomer and foam plastic as insulation. Sometimes, people use paint foam for this, but I don't recommend fixing the roof or the siding of your house with foam. After all, leaks can come back in that case. Your roof leaks only during the snowmelt in the spring or during the rains too. I had a leaking roof once and called a repair crew who fixed it in one day. I wish I'd asked them what materials they used. I didn't care at the time. I was too busy with my work and was just grateful that the roof had stopped leaking. Before, my roof leaked even from light rain, and water leaked in the windows. Now they pulled my roof and fixed the top layer of my roof.


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## Johnaprov (4 mo ago)

Sorry to be off-topic, but I'm interested in how not only the roof feels, but also your barn walls. My warehouse is also built in 1925, and I try to keep it in good condition. Local teenagers are annoyed by the freshly painted walls of this building, and they constantly draw all sorts of obscenities there. I've lost count of how many times I've called the guys from https://sparklewash.com/foxvalley/. They wash away these scrawls, I repaint the walls, but I'm thinking about covering them with something slippery. If you have any ideas, let me know. Thanks!


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