Making roofs

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Poly Hive

Queen Bee
Joined
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Location
Scottish Borders
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
12 and 18 Nucs
Roofs.

I have no problem in making roofs but I do have a problem with making them water tight.

What do you do?

Anyone else considered glass fibre as a way to go?

PH
 
.
I use often aluminium sheet. It is easy to cut.
Is it 0,5 mm, I don't remember.
 
Last edited:
Aluminium sheet is OK but please check it's spec before use , some specs are brittle and will fracture on bending . L59 is a durable easily formed aluminium, there must be others equally good .

John Wilkinson
 
What about a good thick piece of pond liner ?

Whats the price from the metal company that have a stand at Stoneleigh ?

I have just ordered 4 complete cedar roofs with galvanised steel tops@ ?17 each including postage from a local company.
 
i wondered about pvc tongue and grove boards, from the various fascia companies about. It would need a slight slope to allow the water to run off but might work ok.

mark
 
I think pond liner would work out a bit expensive. How about Polyester cap sheet and secured with a grab adhesive or PVA building adhesive on an otherwise conventional roof. Even using 1sq metre for each roof wouldn't break the bank.

PH, when you say fibreglass, do you mean a product "similar" to the above or do you mean moulded fibreglass. In Ferrari Red perhaps? I would expect it to be a bit of an expensive option. With a large bit of foam for insulation? Would this be susceptible to breakage?

Does anyone make their roofs with a single (2 inch?) drop so that the rain drains off onto the grass, or would that be considered awkward? Simpler to construct than a WBC type roof, no more or less attractive than a Standard National roof.
 
I have thought about having a slight single drop as described above, it sounds a good idea, but have never got round to trying it.
 
I was thinking of fibreglass in this way.

make the roof out of marine ply, prob 9mm, and then lay fibreglass matting on it and apply the resin to bond it to the ply.

Put 50mm of insulation inside the roof so the sides would need to be 150 or so.

PH
 
Visit your friendly local printer - "do you have any old printing plates I could scrounge/exchange for a beer token?" - 20"x14" (or if you're lucky, larger) sheets of thin aluminium for very little - smear of silicone for joints- job done!
 

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