How To Nail Drip Edge On Roof

There are several layers inside a proper covering job that are necessary to provide the most protection against water damage. Of all of them, the start line of defense is to install drip border flashing. Unfortunately, many contractors tend to neglect this stride.

The elimination of this installation can end up being your future nightmare. So, if you are re-roofing your firm, be certain to need a drip edge. If your roof is already finished (sans drip border), you can still do a drip edge retrofit installation.

What Is Drip Edge Flashing?

Drip edging is a strip of flashing that is practical to the border of roofing prior to the installation of other items. It is designed to protect the roof's sheathing from water damage acquired by rain, snowfall, or ice beingness blown or rolling dorsum beneath the edge of the shingles.

When placed on the eaves side of a roof, the drip edge will prevent capillary action water damage caused by surface tension. When placed on the rakes' side, it protects the sheathing from wind driven (or forced) rain blowing back into the sheathing.

Why Y'all Need a Roof Drip Edge

Without the installation of a drip edge, water can wick into the edges of the roof sheathing and cause the roof to develop rot and/or mold. In worse cases, a leak volition develop in the ceiling or along the walls.

Although it is not the intention, drip edge flashing volition also provide protection for the fascia board. Because the drip edge directs the water directly down and into the gutters, the back of the fascia is protected from excessive moisture. This helps to extend the life of the wood.

Another do good that wasn't intended simply has been a useful upshot from installing a drip edge is that it prevents rodents, squirrels, and birds from existence able to access the attic infinite via the builder's gap. If you have ever had a family unit of squirrels living in your attic, you can appreciate this actress bonus.

Why Doesn't My Roof Have a Drip Edge?

If your house is like many, you may find that y'all do not have baste edge flashing installed. Frequently the common exercise is to exit out the drip edge and recoup by installing asphalt roof shingles so that they hang over the edge past an inch or two.

This has been a common practice that is becoming less and less popular. It is now more often understood that a roof needs this extra protection. In 2012 the Internation Code Council inverse things to reflect the requirement of drip edging on all asphalt roofs.

Parts of Roof Drip Edge Flashing

How to Install Drip Border Flashing to a New Roof

To install a drip edge on a newly constructed roof or on a re-roofing job, adhere the drip edge along the roof's eaves commencement. The roof leg should extend a minimum of 2" back onto the roof sheathing. While the vertical leg should exist placed 1/4" – ane/ii" away from the fascia.

Omitting the spacing between the fascia and the baste edge is a common fault that contractors often make. It is not uncommon for them to place the drip border right against the fascia.

Doing this will cause surface tension water to roll dorsum onto the fascia. The end effect is chop-chop deteriorating forest. And then, brand sure you accept that gap.

Next, whorl out and install the underlayment or felt. The proper layering is for the membrane to be installed over the drip edge at the eaves and nether the baste border for the rakes.

Video demonstrating water run-off without drip edge and with proper placements vs wrong placement.

Corners and Joints:

All joints should overlap past virtually ii inches including joints made at or near the corners.

Outside Corner Cuts

To make the outside corner turns, place a direct cut through the roof leg. Brand sure that you lot are wrapping a minimum of two inches. For Florida residents, the requirements call for 4" overlaps.

Bend on the vertical leg and make sure the flap on the roof leg is on top of the roof leg of the eaves.

Within Corner Cuts

To brand the inside corner turns, you volition need to create an overlap that meets at the interior of the corner. That means that you will brand cuts at the ends of two sections of drip edging and overlap the ii at the juncture.

A mutual mistake made past contractors is to place a direct cut downwardly the roof leg (same equally shown for the outer corner) then curve the section into the corner. However, doing information technology this way leaves an exposed foursquare of sheathing right in the center of the valley.

Although this section will be covered with membrane, the valleys are i of the about vulnerable spots for water harm. Water run-off is very heavy in these locations and information technology is best to make cuts that forestall any exposure.

To make proper cuts and bends for the inner corners, place a cutting line at the location where the roof leg meets the vertical leg.

Cuts for the Rake Side

After the membrane is installed, attach the baste edge to the rakes making sure to start at the bottom and piece of work your fashion towards the peak. This ensures that a step upshot is accomplished which will permit the water run-off to move correctly.

There are a few recommendations out there for making the bends and the cuts at the peak of the rake side. I have experimented with several but plant my method to be far easier and just every bit constructive.

To do the rakes, I marshal my drip edge slice up with the superlative and make a cut straight up through the vertical leg. So, I make the bend on the roof leg over the peak.

Next, I place a line downwards the other side of the vertical leg, again using the the peak seam as a guide. So, I snip off the kick-out that crosses over that line. This allows the overlap section to fit flush below the forepart drip edge piece.

Finally, I slip the overlap beneath the first cutting and utilise a thin dewdrop of 100% silicone forth the seam for extra balls.

Types of nails to employ:

For most applications, the use of galvanized roofing nails is the best practice. Ever use the appropriate nails and/or adhesive that is required by your local lawmaking.

 Where to place nails:

Nails should be placed forth two separate rows in a staggered "W" design. The maximum spacing is 12" on center. However, 10" on center is a ameliorate spacing and will give a better performance.

If you lot alive in an surface area where high winds are an issue (i.east Florida), the recommended spacing is 4" on middle. This spacing varies from one location to another. So, be sure to bank check your local lawmaking requirements.

Install Baste Edge Flashing to Old Roof

When installing baste border to a finished roof, the process is the same with one not-so-tiny addition. Ideally, you desire to be able to smash the drip edge in place without doing whatever damage to the roof shingles.

This often means that the lower run (starter shingles and 1st course) have to be removed or loosened enough to allow admission for tools. Removal will provide the easiest install for the drip border.

If removal of the roof shingles is not an option, you lot tin can yet get some good protection past doing a cement attachment. Doing this is a subpar installation method to using the above method, and does not run into the standards fix by the International Code Council of using mechanical attachments, only is notwithstanding better than having no drip edge at all.

To apply this method, yous will need to loosen the lower run of shingles with a putty knife. And then, skid the roof drip edge under the shingles (and the tar paper on the eaves). Place a bead of roofing cement along the pinnacle edge of the drip edging and press down on the loose shingles.

To prevent causing damage to the roof shingles, it is ameliorate to practise this when the temperatures are warm enough to brand the shingles pliable. In common cold temps, the roof shingles go strong and breakable and will intermission very easily.

In addition, the warmer temps will allow the loosened shingles to reseal themselves in a quicker fashion. If you have to await out the cold weather for the seal to retake, you run the risk of wind damage in the interim.

And then, try to time all repair work that requires lifting or moving roof shingles to coincide with temps around 70 degrees. This includes shingle repairs and/or installing gutter guards.

How Many Wrong Things Do You Run into?

I wanted to include examples of some mistakes that you lot want to avoid and explain why these will cause issues. In the epitome above, the handyman is doing several things incorrectly.

Commencement of all, the drip edge that he is using has a vertical leg that is way as well short to fit inside the gutter. This, in and of itself, isn't necessarily wrong, but it is a combination of mistakes that make it a bad install.

The whole point of installing baste edges is to direct the water into the gutters and away from the fascia and house foundation. To correct this situation, make certain to purchase drip edge flashing with a long enough vertical leg to reach the gutter. If the gutters have been installed too low, they may demand to be raised and corrected.

If you lot notice yourself in a state of affairs where you are using drip edging that can not achieve your gutters, you tin still increment your protection by using the proper drip edge to fascia distance. Unfortunately, this is the next mistake that he is making.

He is placing the drip edge right confronting the fascia. If spaced properly, the drip border would still provide some protection despite the gutter issue. But installed this fashion is going to result in surface tension h2o running down the face of the fascia board and behind the gutter.

To right this mistake, the drip edge should be pulled forward by 1/2". This will help continue the run-off from reaching the fascia lath and will allow it to drip down into the gutter.

Although this is not as practiced every bit having the drip edge inside the gutter, it is far better than the manner he is doing it. Withal, information technology yet exposes the fascia to windblown pelting which volition also run downwardly backside the gutter.

The next thing that just jumps out to me is that he is non creating the proper overlap at the corners. You can see that he is snipping the corner flush with the eaves side and is doing the same with the rakes' side.

What is going to happen in this situation is the rain is going to run down the corner and wick back between the infinite where these ii sections see. You should never, never, never butt two seams up against each other when doing any type of flashing.

To correct this state of affairs, make sure at that place is at least two" of drip border available to wrap around the corners. (more if your situation or code merits it). Learn how to do the proper cuts to make the wraps. Practise on some scraps if needed.

Situations Yous May Face:

In a perfect world, the drip edge would be installed prior to roofing shingles.  The vertical leg would extend downwards into the gutters and not have whatever face nails or screws.  It would be spaced 1/ii" away from the fascia lath and exist supported by one/2" furring strips.

In an imperfect world, you are probable to notice that retrofitting drip edging presents y'all with some questionable situations. For case, how do you install drip edge flashing around gutter clips that are in the way?

Some may tell you lot to make two relief cuts around the gutter clips and fold the tab up. I don't similar that method because it interrupts the continuous bulwark desired. There is no mode to overlap these cuts and h2o can piece of work its way behind the exposed edges.

Instead, I adopt to place the clip screws through both the gutter and the drip edge. I always swap out the old spiral with a fresh i (roofing screws with sealing washers) and then apply a dollop of 100% silicone over the screw for extra security.

Things to Remember

The drip edge should e'er be installed with the flashing under the felt on the eaves side and over felt on the rakes unless local lawmaking dictates otherwise. A few places (Florida) may require an culling way of drip border installation.

Mostly, they want information technology installed and so that the drip edge must go over the underlayment and then exist cemented to the shingle's starter course and/or tar newspaper.

The best practice is to always install the drip edge and then that it is inside the gutter. The whole purpose is to direct the water into the gutters. It should never be installed outside the gutter (i.east against the fascia board).

For proper water drainage, the drip border on the rakes should always overlap the drip border on the eaves. This works out correctly if yous do the eaves starting time. Then, finish by installing the drip edge flashing on the rakes.

Use the boom spacing and pattern dictated by your code and/or location. Avoid placing nails within i one/2" of the roof border. E'er prepare the nails back close to the border of the roof leg.

In some locations, it is acceptable for the roof shingles to line up with the baste edge. Notwithstanding, when permitted information technology is best to have the roof shingles hang over the drip edge by a minimum of one/4" and a maximum of 3/iv".  When combined with the drip edge spacing, the shingles will articulate the fascia by iii/4″ – 1 1/four″ total.

Recollect that every region, metropolis, or local may have slightly unlike requirements. It is best to double check these instruction against your local code.

Last Comments

Regardless of the type of drip edge that you utilize, or whether you are installing drip edge on a new roof or are retrofitting an erstwhile roof, y'all should e'er follow your local lawmaking requirements. In addition, you should follow the shingle manufacturer's instructions for installation.

Go along in mind that going exterior of the shingle manufacturer's requirements tin void your warranty. You want to counterbalance any situational adjustments confronting that adventure.

Did I miss something? Drop a question or annotate below and I'll answer or respond.

Source: https://www.queenbeeofhoneydos.com/install-drip-edge/

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