what sheet Aluminium roof thickness should I be looking for?

[HughMann]

I have some roofs to make up that need sheeting on top. Ali seems a good choice, but what thickness is best? Starts at .5 mm by the look - is that too thin?

 

[hemo]

I remove my galv roofs and replaced by laying fibreglass for a jointless/seamless fit esp at corners and continuing down the sides 50 - 60mm, top coated in grey.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I used 0.5 Ali for nuc roofs but it is very thin and I think 0,8mm would be much better.
As far as economics go I think it’s cheaper to buy cheap galv roof covering.

 

[HughMann]

I remove my galv roofs and replaced by laying fibreglass for a jointless/seamless fit esp at corners and continuing down the sides 50 - 60mm, top coated in grey.

Thanks, I like that idea. Do you have a good source you can share?

 

[derekm]

I have some roofs to make up that need sheeting on top. Ali seems a good choice, but what thickness is best? Starts at .5 mm by the look - is that too thin?

0.5mm is well good enough. I have used this to protect PIR hives from blue tits.

 

[Nige.Coll]

I used a product called stucco. A;iminium sheet used in pipe lagging and fire proofing amongst other things. They had a fair amount at the scrap yard for pennies.
About .5 to .7 mm thick I think.

 

[hemo]

The matting,resin & top coat isn't exactly cheap but then again nor is ali sheet.
I had the idea to waterproof the roofs properly during early lockdown as I had spare after prepping and wrapping my Finlock concrete gutters to make them 100% water proof, it was either have one of the gutter companies con me out of 1000's for a day's work or spend £300 on materials and do the job my self. I chose the latter with little else to do and nice dry warm weather.

I cut 125mm strips first and applied them to the sides and to the roof top edge allowing about 70mm cover to the roof top, about 200ml of resin mix used to do this.
Then for a national roof covered with 300gsm matting I found that about 400/425ml of mixed resin was enough to fully wet the matting to the roof board making sure I lapped the over the edge strips by 50mm. I did pre-seal the roof board to stop the resin being sucked in to quickly, for this I used a G4 pond sealer which was tack dry in about 20 mins.

The polyester top coat I use about 125/150g of mixed paint, with both one has to work quite quickly before it starts to turn.
2% cat mix reaction was too quick for me so I kept it to 1 - 1.25% to give me about 25mins working time at 18/20c.

Some 60grit ali oxide sanding sheet to rub down any spikes of hard dry matting before the top coat goes on and to key the surface.
I didn't need a roller or bubble roller to remove air but used the brush to stipple the surface to ensure no air pockets. For brushes I bought very cheap 10/12 packs of disposable 40/50mm blue ones, not worth trying to clean them.

Make sure the roof edges are rolled/rounded matting doesn't like square edges and air gets trapped. one only needs a 6-8 mm radius edge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5kg-Gene...=233724932454235f5de64f22477c9b7877310e934e32https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1m-x-10m...=2743407956442d36f13e49e44fa381873791600edd83https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fibregla...275520?hash=item4d89511a40:g:0ocAAOSwkXdaylQ-

 

[Antipodes]

G'day Hugh,

I've used .7mm. Whilst that is the only thickness I've used, I wouldn't consider using thinner. I think I worked out I could get something like 17 from a 10 metre roll.

 

[Apple]

Once upon a time, before the printing revolution.... offset litho plates could be found for free!

Sheet was very thin and the roofs I did have made from this have long since been replaced.
1mm 8 x 4 sheets of alli cost about £25 plus VAT. just bought some 4mm 8 x 4 for £30 plus vat.
for a project... would not like to cut and bend that without a guillotine and a plate former/ bender
Have used old caravan alli plate... but needs annealing before bending!
Not had so many towed rooms abandoned on the A30 this year due to Covid~19!!!
Chons da

 

[fizzle]

I bought an 8 x 4 galvanised sheet of 0.6mm from a local farm supplier/hardware store. Easy enough to cut with a mini grinder although I learned not to cut all the way through or you are left with sharp edges. Better to score the sheet with a couple of passes and then bend up and down until it breaks off. Same for bending corners. Score sheet on inside corner and bend up. Use a straight edge like angle iron to get a nice clean line.

 

[RichardBeeW]

The matting,resin & top coat isn't exactly cheap but then again nor is ali sheet.
I had the idea to waterproof the roofs properly during early lockdown as I had spare after prepping and wrapping my Finlock concrete gutters to make them 100% water proof, it was either have one of the gutter companies con me out of 1000's for a day's work or spend £300 on materials and do the job my self. I chose the latter with little else to do and nice dry warm weather.

I cut 125mm strips first and applied them to the sides and to the roof top edge allowing about 70mm cover to the roof top, about 200ml of resin mix used to do this.
Then for a national roof covered with 300gsm matting I found that about 400/425ml of mixed resin was enough to fully wet the matting to the roof board making sure I lapped the over the edge strips by 50mm. I did pre-seal the roof board to stop the resin being sucked in to quickly, for this I used a G4 pond sealer which was tack dry in about 20 mins.

The polyester top coat I use about 125/150g of mixed paint, with both one has to work quite quickly before it starts to turn.
2% cat mix reaction was too quick for me so I kept it to 1 - 1.25% to give me about 25mins working time at 18/20c.

Some 60grit ali oxide sanding sheet to rub down any spikes of hard dry matting before the top coat goes on and to key the surface.
I didn't need a roller or bubble roller to remove air but used the brush to stipple the surface to ensure no air pockets. For brushes I bought very cheap 10/12 packs of disposable 40/50mm blue ones, not worth trying to clean them.

Make sure the roof edges are rolled/rounded matting doesn't like square edges and air gets trapped. one only needs a 6-8 mm radius edge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5kg-Gene...=233724932454235f5de64f22477c9b7877310e934e32https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1m-x-10m...=2743407956442d36f13e49e44fa381873791600edd83https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fibregla...275520?hash=item4d89511a40:g:0ocAAOSwkXdaylQ-

This is a great idea, thanks! I’ve been using heavy duty roofing felt (as I did 30 years ago before undiagnosed kidney disease- supposedly all in my head - stopped me after about six years). Just begun with bees again this spring as just now slowly making some recovery with ten years treatment after 34 years of 1/2 the time being in bed. I did make a 1mtr plywood aquarium before I fell ill with just a panel routed out at front for the glass (of course ) and sealed all with glass fibre so should have thought of your solution myself - but didn’t. It lasted a decade and I only gave it away when we moved house. I’ll give your suggestion a try, thank you

 

[victor meldrew]

Make sure the aluminium you obtain is malleable , otherwise it will crack when you fold it . L59 fits the bill.

 

[hemo]

The issue with any metal sheeting is jointing corners, eventually damp will get in via the corners as I have found with std galv supplied roofs, the board under gets very damp/wet.

I tried various joint compounds on the metal corners but still had issues so went for the GRP.


Felt works but is too pliable/soft when the sun gets to work so damage can occur and is heavy (good for windy spots).

GRP top coat should be good for 20 -30 years, re coating if needed is a simple rub down/key and reapplication.
Down sides are a little more costly (cheaper to buy 2.5l or 5l quantities of resin then small 1ltrs ), the smell, some mess and prep time.
Don't try and layup square edges.
Con's are quite quick curing times so one can prep and resin several roofs in ago and by the time last one is done the first will/should be dry for quick prep for the top coat if being done the same day.
Make sure any bonding/joint overlap of matting is min of 50 or 60mm.
Choice of colours & 1ltr of top coat will cover about 5 or 6 National or Com's roof size.

 

[Erichalfbee]

How about buying Abelo's deep roofs and be done with?

 

[hemo]

How about buying Abelo's deep roofs and be done with?

Certainly a good solution for replacement and the price is good.
In my case I used up excess materials rather then dump them.

 

[understanding_bees]

The issue with any metal sheeting is jointing corners, eventually damp will get in via the corners as I have found with std galv supplied roofs, the board under gets very damp/wet.

I have used galvanised steel sheet for hive roof covers. It is far more satisfactory to use a tin snips / shears for cutting thin steel sheet (about 0.7mm thickness), rather than using an angle grinder. I have made a very simple sheet-metal folder by clamping the steel sheet between two pieces of angle iron, and using a rubber mallet to encourage the steel sheet to fold neatly and cleanly. I suggest angle iron size approx 50mm x 50mm x 6mm. It is not difficult to cut corner tabs which close the corners tightly, and if you want the cover to be really 100% waterproof then silicone sealant can be applied to the inside of the corners before the metal cover is attached to the wooden hive cover.

 

[Antipodes]

Photo of one of my lids with .7 mm aluminium. Cut free corners. Folds superbly.