how to attach PALruf to a roof?

[dftkarin]

I have a 3'x5' coop with a flat (slanted) wooden roof that I am going to paint or stain and then I need to cover it with something (a stapled on shower curtain, rolled roofing stuff, something). At HD they sell palruf for $13 a panel - I think 8'x4'. If I bought 1 and had them cut it in half, could I overlap the pieces and allow a 6" overhang on all sides of the roof? How does it get attached to a flat wooden roof? Screws and then a dab of caulk? Would it be strong enough to let to hang beyond the edges of the wood roof? How about even just 3 inches instead of 6?

 

[LynneP]

We have an 18' run roofed with PalRUF. When you buy it, also ask for the special crews that attach it. They have waterproof washers on each one to make the seal. The PalRUF will also come with instructions on how to space the supports and you can go to their website to get more ideas!

Ours is shown in the link below.

 

[patandchickens]

The store you buy it from should have the brochure they're supposed to give you that details all of the specs for installation - see if you can get it from them.

The general plan is, you use metal roofing screws (they have a washer and gasket), and you really ought to buy the wavy profile piece that fills the gap between the palruf panel and your roof or nailer -- that way you can screw thru the RIDGE (not valley) thru the profiled filler piece and into your roof wood. Screwing on the ridges not valleys makes the roof much much more leakproof - even with the gasketed washers if you screw in the valleys you WILL get rot gradually forming around each screw, and may even get leaks into the coop.

It would be best to be screwing into a decent amount of material. Optimally you would have 1" or more of actual roof wood, meaning nailers under your plywood. Failing that, if you are not in a very windy place you could prolly get along fairly well by securely screwing the filler strips to the plywood (put some screws in from the outside, starting them into the filler strip; put other screws out from the inside, starting them into the inside of the plywood roofing) and then use roofing screws that are sized to go all the way through the filler strip and plywood but just not *quite* come out the other side. (you don't want exposed pointy things studding the ceiling of the coop, plus screws don't hold nearly as well if the point goes all the way thru and comes out the other side of the material)

That palruf stuff is really soft and flexible. I do not think I'd overhang it even 3" - you don't want it so bendy that gusts of wind could curl it up a little bit where a *strong* wind could catch it and rip it off/apart. Personally I'd give it maybe a 1" overhang max.

Good luck and have fun,

Pat

 

[4hLuvers]

We just put on our white PALruf yesterday. We used i think like 2 and a half inch screws with small washers. Then below the washers we just put 2 circles of foam we cut from the stuff you sometimes get in packages. Ten we just screwed them in every third peak or so (with the foam of course). We also have about a 3 inch overhang on the sides and a 6 inch overhang on the front with our door. Oh, also since our run is 10ft long we cut some of our 8ft Palruf Sheets in half. Then we alternated using a half then a whole, half then whole and so on.
Good Luck!!!

 

[JHaller]

I'm having a similar problem putting roofing on my coop. The websites for Palruf were not very helpful, as I am not much of a builder. They don't talk about small For small applications, such as pet housing.

Do we really need an overhang? I got the 24" wide sheets, which was the only width available, and it just barely spans my 4' x 4' coop. The roof slants "3 inches in 12" and the palruf overhangs the high end and the low end by 6 inches, but the sides don't have an overhang. Will I have problems?

Thanks, everyone, this is a helpful discussion for me.

Judith

 

[LynneP]

Another thing you can do if you're concerned about wind is to use a couple of 'hurrican hangers' on the beams underneath. Strengthens the entire structure.

 

[jubylives]

If you don't have a overhang all water will run down the entire outer wall and could compromise the foundation. I'd recommend an overhang.


jeremy

 

[patandchickens]

The pamphlet specifies the manufacturer's recommendations for overhangs at the edge of the roof: for the rake edge (gable-end overhang -- the slopy edge of your coop roof) they say only 1/2 - 3/4", and for the bottom (eave) edge of the roof they say 1 - 1 1/2". So I think *they* think it's dangerously flexible, too

and you might be wise to go out there with a stout pair of scissors and trim your overhangs back to something resembling those amounts.

You do need some overhang, especially at the eave (low) end of the roof, so that water drips off clear of the structur rather than running down the wood and wicking back up the roof decking. If the mfr's recommendations seem insufficient to you, it's still prolly a better idea to FOLLOW them but just add flashing to help protect the wood.

I'd be a bit worried about shimming up the peak screws using foam or anything else that can be expected to deteriorate through exposure to light and heat and thru simple 'time'... if the shim you've screwed through becomes weak or crumbles apart, the roof acquires a bunch of flexibility that is likely to lead to a) leaks and b) roof damage or loss in high winds. It would really be a lot better to use either the manufacturer's purpose-designed filler strips, or something similar you (rather laboriously) craft out of wood.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[JHaller]

How much overhang should I have on the sides?

I have about 5 inches at the top of the slope and at the bottom, is that too much?

Thanks very much,

Judith

 

[vfem]

I just bought single roofing shingles from Home Depot. They sell them out of broken bundles for $0.72 each! Not back and a quick install. You should call your local home depot.