USED tin roofing--pros and cons

[Kansaseq]

I'm building a coop addition, and am trying to do it as cheaply as possible. I've heard people mention using used barn tin, and wondered how useful this is. I've got a pile of it on my property; problem is, it's used, so it has holes in it from where the nails used to be. How do people patch these holes? Is it really worth it to re-use it? Any and all insights welcome

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Use it! Caulk the holes, & paint it .

 

[dirtsaver]

Quote:
That's exactly what I did. To prevent excess heat buildup in the summer I only used the tin on the roof and the side of the coop that backs up to the barn but even that saved me a ton of cash. I found some roof patching caulk to fill the nail holes and my coop stays dry in even the hardest downpours.

Go for it!

Larry

 

[can you hear me now?]

Or you can attach the tin in the same holes. There are screws that have sealing washers on them. Usually they come galvanized or painted. That is if the holes not too big. If they are too big then just as before you can cauliflower them and then paint the tin. I actually put a roofing coumpound from hardware store on out mobile home roof which is metal and used screen for the patch. It has held so.far but it isn't.real cheap.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Pros - It's cheap or even free, it'll last for years and it's recycled.

Cons, It's gonna leak the first year.

I patched all the holes in ours with black tar roof patch and it's taken me about a year to plug all the leaks. I still have a few tiny places I can't seem to find, but I used a can of moble home roofing coat on the worst place about three months ago and so far that fixed all the leaks I couldn't find. I'm going to coat the whole roof with it next spring to plug anything I missed and to help the tin reflect heat better.
I've got a couple of pictures of our barn on "my page", you can see the tin and the place I patched. All the tin I used had been used at least twice before and was pretty rusty and ragged, but it turned out fine.

So go for it, and post pics for us to see when you get it done!

 

[Kansaseq]

Thanks for the input! I did start a coop page, but there isn't much there yet.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Lol at least I am not the only one to suggest the silver mobile home roof patch. We used it on our roof and so far no leaks. Will be hitting it again as well when spring comes back around.

 

[tammyd57]

I'm using tin sheets I got free on Freecycle

They do have holes, but most are re-used when it's installed. The ones that aren't can just be caulked to seal them. I also painted mine to reflect the hot summer sun. Actually, I guess I should say I whitewashed them. Whitewash is sooo much cheaper than paint. A 50# bag of lime cost $7, mixed with water it will make about 20 gallons of whitewash. I'm only using the whitewash on the tin roof and the inside walls, because it will eventually wear off in the weather (or on my clothes, LOL)
Whitewash tip: most recipes you will find online include salt as an ingredient, if you are whitewashing anything metal, ie: tin roof, wood that is nailed or screwed. leave the salt out or it will corrode the metal very quickly. I learned this before I made that mistake

 

[Kansaseq]

Mississippi, I love your barn and brooder! I've been wanting a brooder like that for some time, and may have to build one next year.

Wow, so many good ideas! I may go ahead and roof my older coop with the tin to try it out, then see how I like it.

Oh, how do you cut that stuff?

And how long does a white wash application last indoors??? So many good ideas!!!

 

[can you hear me now?]

Only thing I have to cut it with is tin snip and I would think that is a lot of cutting for tin snip. Maybe someone else has the right answer.