Welcome, welcome! Come on in to your step-by-step guide for installing metal roofing trims on your very own DIY Pole Barn! This here guide will walk you through putting on your eave trim, the gable (or rake) trim, and the ridge cap too. We’ll be using good stuff like Emseal expanding foam closure tape, Marco Flex-O-Vent, and those trusty ZXL screws from ST Fasteners to make sure you get a weather-tight, professional-looking finish.
Safety First
Now listen up, this here’s important. Safety is king when you’re working on a roof.
- Only get up there and work when the weather is dry and calm. Metal gets mighty slippery when it’s wet or icy, you hear?
- Always wear your cut-resistant gloves, get those safety glasses on, and make sure you’ve got boots with good traction.
- If you’re working up high, use your harnesses and anchors. It’s just plain smart.
- Keep all your materials and any ladders a good 10 to 15 feet away from any overhead power lines.
- Get a helper, a good buddy, for carrying and positioning those long trim pieces.
- And know your tools, especially that screw gun. Get comfortable with it before you start.
Your DIY Pole Barns Trim Toolkit
Alright, here’s what you’ll want to have handy in your toolkit:
- A good tape measure, a pencil or maybe a felt marker, a blue or white chalk line, and a speed square.
- Aviation snips, you’ll want a left, a right, and a straight cut pair. Please, avoid using grinders for this.
- Your screw gun or drill with a hex-head magnetic driver bit, and a hammer.
- Fasteners, now these are important:
- 1.5 inch roofing nails (you’ll use these for the eave trim).
- 1.5 inch ST Fasteners’ ZXL screws (these are for your gable trim).
- 2.5 inch ST Fasteners’ ZXL screws (for that ridge cap).
- Emseal expanding foam closure tape (this is for the eave).
- Marco Flex-O-Vent (this goes up on the ridge).
- Some cleaning rags and a utility knife.
A Handy Tip
Here are a few tips from old Albert to help things go smooth:
- Measure twice, and then cut once. That’s advice as old as the hills and still true.
- Use your snips for cutting; they give you nice, straight edges without any burrs.
- When you’re tightening those ZXL screws, go until the washer is snug, but don’t you over-tighten them.
- Always remember, upper over lower for water shedding. That’s key for keeping things dry.
- Brush off any metal shavings right away. If you leave them, they can cause rust spots.
- And always take a peek at the manufacturer’s instructions for your Emseal, Marco, and ST Fasteners products.
Installation Sequence
Here’s the order we’re going to tackle this:
- Eave Trim & Emseal Expanding Foam Closure Tape
- Gable (Rake) Trim—One-Sided Miter at the Peak
- Ridge Cap & Marco Flex-O-Vent
Step 1: Eave Trim and Emseal Expanding Foam Closure Tape
Now, your eave trim, or drip edge as some folks call it, that’s what finishes off the lower edge of your roof. It also does a bang-up job directing water away from your building.
- You’ll position the vertical face of the trim right up against the fascia. The top flange part of it will sit nice and flat on your roof deck or the purlins.
- Fasten it down with those 1.5 inch roofing nails, putting one in about every 12 to 18 inches.
- When you overlap your trim sections, give them a good 2 to 3 inches of overlap, and always remember, upper piece over the lower piece for proper water flow.
- Next, you’ll stick that Emseal tape along the top of the eave trim’s flange, or you can put it just above the flange, right on the roof deck.
- Apply it in one continuous line. Don’t go stretching it, and when you start a new roll, butt the ends up tight against each other.
- That tape will stay compressed nice and tight until your roof panels go on. Then, it’ll expand on its own to fill any gaps and seal everything up tight against the weather.
Step 2: Gable (Rake) Trim One Sided Miter at the Peak
Your gable trim, sometimes called rake trim, that’s what covers the sloped ends of your roof. It protects the edges of your panels and the gable fascia board. For a real clean, professional look up at the peak, we’re going to use what I call the “one-sided miter” method.
- First off, your roof panels should be all installed and sitting flush with the gable fascia board. You don’t want any overhang there.
- You’ll start at the bottom of the gable and work your way up. For a nice neat transition where it meets the eave trim, you can make a small angled cut, or a “dog ear” as we call it, at the bottom of your first piece of gable trim so it wraps nicely over the eave trim.
- Run that first piece all the way up the gable, letting it extend just a little bit past the peak, say about a half-inch to an inch. You don’t need to make a miter cut on this piece.
- Fasten the top flange of this trim to the flat part of your roof panel, and then fasten the vertical face to the fascia board using those 1.5 inch ZXL screws. Put them in about every 12 to 18 inches.
- Now, hold your second piece of gable trim in place, overlapping the first one at the peak. You’ll mark and cut a plumb (that’s a vertical) miter on this second piece so it sits nice and flush against the first trim piece.
- Fasten right through both layers there at the peak. That’ll give you a good, secure joint.
- For any other pieces going up, overlap each higher trim piece over the lower one by at least 3 inches. If you want a real flat overlap, you can carefully remove the hem on the underlapping piece, just in the area where they overlap.
- Make sure you get a tight fit and then fasten through both layers.
- Don’t you worry about the very top; the ridge cap will cover that, making sure everything is weather-tight and looking sharp as a tack.
Pro Tip from Albert: That one-sided miter method, it’s easier, it’s faster, and it’s a whole lot more forgiving for us DIY folks. Plus, it gives you a real crisp, professional-looking result!
Step 3: Ridge Cap and Marco Flex O Vent
Alright, the ridge cap, that’s the grand finale for your roof, the finishing piece. And that Marco Flex-O-Vent, that’s what provides good attic ventilation and blocks out the weather.
Flex-O-Vent™ Installation
- You’ll want to start at one end of your ridge. Roll out that Flex-O-Vent™ along the whole length of the ridge, making sure you do it on both sides.
- Make absolutely sure the Flex-O-Vent™ is positioned “up-slope” from where the edge of your ridge cap is going to sit. This is important because it ensures the vent will be fully compressed and completely covered by the ridge cap once it’s on.
- Now, if your Flex-O-Vent™ has an adhesive backing on it, you can just peel and stick it down as you go along. If it doesn’t, no problem, just hold it in place for the next step.
- Carefully place your ridge cap over the Flex-O-Vent™, making double sure it’s centered and that it covers the vent completely.
- The ridge cap should press down and compress the Flex-O-Vent™ nice and snug between itself and the major ribs of your roof panels.
- Using your screw gun and those 2.5 inch ZXL screws, you’re going to fasten the ridge cap down at every major rib. Drive the screws right through the ridge cap, through the Flex-O-Vent™, and into the panel or the purlin down below. Keep your fasteners spaced about every 9 inches or so for a real secure, weather-tight fit.
Pro Tip from Albert: Take an extra second to double-check that your Flex-O-Vent™ is continuous and unbroken all the way along the entire ridge. No gaps allowed! This ensures you get the best ventilation and top-notch protection from that wind-driven rain, pesky bugs, and any debris trying to sneak in.
Final Checks and Clean Up
Almost there, friend!
- Go on and make sure all your fasteners are snug, not too tight, not too loose. Check that your overlaps are correct, and that your Emseal and Flex-O-Vent are installed just right.
- Then, remove all your tools, any scraps of material, and especially get every last one of those little metal shavings off the roof and the ground around your barn.
Stand Back and Admire!
You’ve done it! You’ve just given your DIY Pole Barn a crisp, clean, weather-tight finish using some of the best products and methods out there. Take a moment, step back, and appreciate your craftsmanship. Your barn is now protected and looking fantastic for many, many years to come!
Questions? Just let us know! We here at DIY Pole Barns are always ready to help you build with confidence!
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