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Posted: Feb 14, 2023

Tips For A Watertight Standing Seam Roof

By Kathi Miller

Standing seam roof systems are often recognized as the best metal roofing system available. And without a doubt, they offer unparalleled protection when properly specified, manufactured, and installed. Unfortunately, as long as individuals are involved in the process, the potential for mistakes exists. In her latest column for DesignandBuildwithMetal, Kathi Miller of McElroy Metal roofers installation tips for a weathertight standing seam roof system.

Posted: Jan 31, 2023

Using Snow Retention Systems To Prevent Rooftop Snow Avalanches

By Terry Anderson

Events in which snow or ice slides off roofs and leads to people’s deaths happen too often. This article highlights the information we should consider to best protect people and property from roof avalanches. It is based on what I have learned in my years studying and contributing to manuals about roofs in snowy and icy climates. In the list that follows, I pose key questions and explain their significance for the prevention of roof avalanches.

Posted: Nov 15, 2022

How Slope Affects Exposed Fastener Metal Panel Installation

By Kathi Miller

Metal roofing is well-known for its outstanding performance against mother nature. From hailstorms to hurricanes, metal roofing performs better than other material options like membrane roofing and shingles. With that said, like with any other product, problems can occur. And while installation errors lead to most issues, panel side laps, incorrect panel profile selection, and fastener locations can be problematic for exposed fastener panel installations, particularly on lower roof slopes.

Posted: Nov 01, 2022

Simple Steps To Strengthen An Old Metal Roof On A Budget

By Dale Nelson

Hurricane Ian has provided us with yet another stark reminder of the importance of the strength of your building and, in particular, your roof. So what if your old metal roof is still in ok shape and you do not have the cost of a retrofit roof in the budget at this time? There are a few things you can do to make your existing roof stronger, giving your building and its contents a better chance of surviving an extreme storm event.

Posted: Aug 02, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions About Metal-Over-Metal Roof Retrofits

By Dale Nelson

Retrofitting of older metal building roofs continues to grow in popularity with good reason. This popularity has given rise to many questions about what can and cannot be done over an old metal roof. The following are the questions we most commonly hear from owners, contractors and designers considering retrofitting an existing metal roofed building.

Posted: Apr 26, 2022

How To Specify Insulation For Metal Building Systems

By David Tomchak

Not all insulation materials are the same. There are various reasons to use insulation, ranging from keeping cool spaces cool or keeping warm spaces warm, to keeping noise in or keeping noise out, or for fire protection, etc. The best advice we can give is to first understand what you need to insulate, and more importantly, why you need to insulate it.

Posted: Jan 18, 2022

The Importance Of Flatness In Aluminum Panels

By Steven Soderberg

Anodized sheet products are often chosen for the aesthetics and lasting durability of the surface finish, but one issue that should not be overlooked in purchasing anodized aluminum sheets is the flatness. Why is flatness important, how is it defined and measured, what causes a lack of flatness and how can it be prevented or corrected?

Posted: Jan 05, 2022

These Days, It's Important To Have A Plan B

By Rob Haddock

One thing I have learned in life is to always have a Plan B. Things don’t always go the way you think they will. The pandemic is a stark reminder. For some, with the onset of COVID-19, it appeared as though the greatest economic boom period in history had come to a complete standstill. And today, with increasing costs of goods and raw materials, supply chain backlogs and the labor shortage, it can still feel like an uphill battle.

Posted: Oct 12, 2021

How Anodize Crazing Forms And How To Avoid It

By Steven Soderberg

Anodized aluminum offers a durable, beautiful, lightweight and cost-effective alternative to stainless steel and painted metals for a wide variety of applications in architecture, transportation and consumer goods. But, like all materials, it has its limitations. When subjected to extreme levels of thermal and mechanical stress, the surface layer can exhibit signs of micro fracturing called “anodize crazing”. Several proven strategies can be employed to minimize or eliminate crazing.

Posted: Sep 07, 2021

Five Benefits Of Specifying Manufacturer-Certified Installers For Your Metal Construction Projects

By Kathi Miller

Manufacturer certification programs can be a source of confusion. Most often, the confusion stems from using words like “certified,” “approved,” “authorized,” and “qualified” interchangeably. While they may mean the same thing to architects and building owners, those terms often mean completely different things to manufacturers. Kathi Miller explains in her latest blog.

Posted: Mar 18, 2021

What To Do When Your Metal Roof Has A Leak

By Dale Nelson

"Every year we provide framing systems that allow a new metal roof to be installed over an existing metal roof," writes Dale Nelson of Roof Hugger LLC. "Sadly, in many cases the roof is being replaced not because it had reached the end of its useful life but rather because it had been improperly repaired."

Posted: Jan 21, 2021

Rooftop Snow Retention Products And Guarantees

By Brian Stearns

As a leading authority on rooftop snow management systems, Brian Stearns, founder and president of Alpine SnowGuards, addresses a frequently asked question: Can a snow guard manufacturer guarantee that their snow retention device will retain all snow and ice on a roof top?

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Metal-Over-Metal Retrofit: Survive Economic Swings By Diversifying Your Business

By Dale Nelson

New construction has been a booming business for the past five years or so but as always “this too will change” and as a result of Covid-19, boy oh boy, has it changed. Many projects have been slowed down, many have been delayed and others cancelled. Having another steady base of business is critical to dealing with these sudden and unforeseen market changes.

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

What Is The Cost Difference Between Standard, Premium And Metallic PVDFs

By Kathi Miller

The paint used to coat metal roofing and siding panels has three basic components: pigment, which creates the color; solvent, which helps to dissolve the pigment; and binder or resin, which acts like the glue to hold everything together. Due to differences in both pigment cost and the amount of pigment required, most metal panel manufacturers segment their PVDF offering into three pricing tiers.

Posted: Aug 18, 2020

Metal Roof And Wall Panel Colors Offer Endless Design Choices

By Shawn Zuver

Color is a time-tested method of adding personality to buildings, albeit sometimes more effectively than others. Its use can offer a way for buildings to blend with the environment, with surrounding structures, or to create a stronger—sometimes even bold—statement to make the building stand out.

Posted: Jun 16, 2020

Four Steps To Proper Color Matching During Panel Installation

By Scott Moffatt

Even when the variables covered in the first four articles of this series are monitored closely, problems can still arise when metal panels are installed that result in a checkerboard appearance. In fact, such problems are more likely to occur during installation than during any other part of the process.

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

The Road To A More Sustainable Future

By Julie Geyer

Imagine a world where all commercial buildings and building products are manufactured from non-hazardous, renewable materials, and provide more than 40 years of unparalleled weathering performance. Carbon emissions are on the decline. Landfills are becoming a thing of the past. The oceans are a bright, brilliant blue and global warming is now written in the history books rather than dooming future generations.

Posted: Jun 02, 2020

Minimizing Color Variation Across Multiple Metal Profiles

By Scott Moffatt

Profiles are extruded metal components used to construct curtain walls, louvers and other decorative accents. They usually contain intricate details, including angles, edges, grooves, recessed areas and other contours that make paint coverage difficult. Since paint thicknesses vary on these components, color consistency will, too.

Posted: May 26, 2020

Roll Forming Changeovers Evolve To Tool Repositioning

By Joe Repovs

Things weren’t always simpler in so-called simpler times. Until the early 1970s, the image of tool changeovers within the roll forming industry was of an operator – or several operators – laboriously removing clumsy stands and heavy roll tooling and reloading with a different set of roll tooling.

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