30-year-old Pole Barn Roof Nails

[ecarecar]

I have a 30-year-old pole type barn. The roof is leaking in spots. I am very sure that the problem is that the nails holding the metal sheeting on the roof have worked loose over the years.

What is the best way to deal with this problem?

[Steve Barker LT]

Re roof.

[Dan Deckert]

Basically, 2 economically viable choices.

1. Replace the nails that are loose/suspect to leaks with modern day screws with neoprene washer heads. "On the assumption the washer heads would cover the nail holes and properly seal."
2. Replace the loose/suspect nails and replace with an appropriate sized screw without the neoprene washer heads and use a polyurethane-based, elastomeric sealant as a cover over the screw head.

I'd seriously refrain from trying to redrive the existing nails and caulking them over as they'll never retain any cohesion with the wood. I'd highly suspect these same nails have a lead washer-head under them. Should you choose to use neoprene washer heads, they can be installed with a variable speed 3/8" drill and a magnetic nut driver. Use caution when installing these types of screws. The washer head is designed to be """snugged down""", not squashed!

Dan

[ecarecar]

Good idea! I should have thought of it considering I recently re-hung the very long eves trough by taking out the nails and re-installing it with screws. They worked much better than the long nails originally used.

Thanks very much for the details. I wouldn't have known about that.

Dan Deckert wrote: