How to remove or drill through this cladding?

[Dan Gravell]

I have some cladding over the top half of my house. I want to run some co-ax through a point in the middle of the cladding. I either need to (a) remove the tiles or (b) drill through them.

Pictures are at:

tried removing the nails to remove the tiles, but the nails won't come out. Is there a proper way of removing these tiles? A proper tool?

Is it possible to drill through these tiles? They are synthetic, but don't feel like concrete. Even if I could drill through them, I have no idea what is underneath, e.g. a membrane, bricks, who knows?

If anyone could provide some guidance I'd be grateful.

Dan

[Cicero]

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They look like Marley Eternit slates / cladding - about 3mm thick. If so, they're easily drilled using ordinary HSS bits. The rest of the roofing structure should be conventional felt on battens.

The nails might be copper and should come out like any other nail but you might crack the slate around the nail. A direct pull would be best rather than levering them out.

Cic.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Dan Gravell explained on 20/02/2010 :

could you not go all the way down, then back up under the eaves?

[Dan Gravell]

I tried pulling straight out, no dice. I'm on a step ladder too, which doesn't help.

So if I drilled through what measures should I take with regards water penetration?

[Dan Gravell]

Good point. To explain more, the co-ax is coming from the ground floor, not from the roof. It's a communal aerial system that I am splitting on my side (I've already tested the split, which gives satisfactory results).

Thanks, Dan

[Cicero]

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I think I would remove a slate by cutting the nails followed by drilling the hole for the cable. Then replace the slate with different securing holes unless you can drive new nails in the same holes at an angle.

Cic.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Dan Gravell formulated the question :

Snip or saw the bent end off, which would allow you to then lift the tile to get some better purchase on the nail.

If you drilled, you would certainly get water ingress. Any sealant used would not last long.

[Donwill]

Be careful, they look like asbestos slates to me. Don

[Dan Gravell]

Ye-ikes. I'll put my drill away then.

I'll have a go at cutting the nails and then replacing. There are only about five or six tiles that need to come off.

[John Rumm]

The "nails" to which you refer (I presume you mean the bits sticking out at the bottom of each slate) are actually not the nails at all, but clips that stop the bottom lifting. The "head" of the clip is trapped under the edges of the tiles beneath the one with the end of the clip protruding. These can be freed simply by unbending the shaft. However that will not release the slate, since that will be nailed higher up, where you cant get at them! Easy enough to slate from scratch - but harder to remove individual slates later.

To free a slate you will need a tool called a slater's rip. e.g:

slide up behind the slate and allow you to cut the nails holding the slate.

The problem with those is that once freed you will not be able to nail the slate back again in the same way, and will instead need to buy or make a slate hook/clip to replace it. (often done with a strip of lead nailed to a tile batten and laying under the replacement slate, with the end turned up to hold the slate in place.

So based on that, I would rather drill them!

[John Rumm]

The are made from a fibre reinforced material, but the fibre is not necessarily asbestos. You can still get them today and the look the same.

[geoff]

Don't be scared, wrong type of asbestos

[Donwill]

It depends when they were installed, I think asbestos was still being used as a fibre in slates in the 60s, I still think he should be carefull just in case. Google for advice and at the least wear a particle mask when drilling Dan. Don

[Donwill]

This might help Dan:

Luck Don

[John Rumm]

Indeed, and wet em first - that will trap most of the dust. Anything up to 1984 (IIRC) could in theory contain asbestos.

[Dan Gravell]

Thanks for the extra info everyone. House went up in the early 80s, before '84.

Yeah what John wrote about the clips/nails appears to be true, they just won't come out.

If I were to drill, what's the best sealant to use?

Dan

[John Rumm]

Silicone...

Form a drip loop on any cable that is not entering from the underside of the hole, and drill your hole at a slight upward angle from the outside.

[Dan Gravell]

So the options are:

1) Remove the tiles, tough work 2) Drill through the tiles: chance of death in twenty years, plus I would need to get a new ladder I think

I'm just wondering... I know it's frowned on generally, but in my situation would others try going through a PVC window frame instead? It is another option. I would keep well away from the glass of course, it would be in the 'frame' part of the window.