TECHNICAL STUDY

DETAILING ZINC AND

SHEET METAL
CLADDING
The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only.
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or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author.

© 2022 Detail Library. All Rights Reserved.

TABLE OF
CONTENTS

01 Introduction

02 Standing Seam Materials

03 Facade

04 Roofing

Things to consider when detailing

05
standing seam zinc

06 Next Steps

07 Thank you!
01

INTRODUCTION
Zinc and other sheet metals such as aluminium and copper are a versatile
cladding material. They can be used at nearly all angles and their most
common form of installation on residential projects is standing seam on a
plywood substrate. This allows the designer to be creative with shapes and
produce interesting faceted roofs and walls.

Details are not the details. They make the design.

– Charles Eames

All sheet metal materials are a great option when transitioning between roofs
and external walls as they can be used as both roofing and façade cladding
material. Zinc, for example, is used widely throughout Paris’ Haussmannian
mansard roofs.

When designing a zinc or sheet metal roof or wall, it is important to contact

the manufacturer or supplier at the earliest date possible. They will be able to
advise on which recommended build-up to use in accordance with the size of
the building, use, location, use as a façade material or roofing only, etc.

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02

MATERIALS USED IN
STANDING SEAM
Zinc

Zinc is a fairly common roofing material as it is naturally resistant to corrosion

and is therefore long lasting. Even if the cladding gets scratched, the surface
will heal itself and blend with the existing zinc. Some people prefer to specify
pre-weathered zinc so that all the surfaces will have the same matt grey finish
from the start. Natural zinc however, will take around 10 years for the matt grey
patina to appear. The zinc will start with a shiny metallic appearance, and
depending on the location and exposure, will weather at different speeds.

There are large range of other finishing options, some giving the appearance of
other metals such as aluminium and copper or colours to match solar panels
and surrounding building materials. These are produced by adding a special
pigment layer to the zinc creating a tonal effect rather than a block colour.
However, these finishes are not scratch resistant and are not recommended in
highly exposed coastal areas.

Zinc normally comes in sheet rolls and can be installed or preformed in lots of
different ways including standing seam vertical and horizontal, flat lock panels,
interlocking panels, overlapping panels and tiles.

There are a large range of finishes including those that imitate other metals
such as copper, although the standard pre-weathered or raw zinc are the most
common. Zinc roofs can however have a relatively expensive upfront cost as
the installation must be completed by an approved installer.

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Copper

Copper is a popular choice for both roofing and facades due to its eye catching
colours. Whilst the green patina is very common in historic clad buildings,
copper can now be installed with a number of finishes. The raw copper is still
very common as well as the pre-weathered option which comes installed with
the green patina as new. Many prefer the natural colour of the copper and go
for a pre-oxidised option which only turns green in areas exposed to more rain
and air such as the roof. If you want to maintain the initial copper colour, it can
be mixed with other metals as an alloy so that the original copper colour is not
lost through time.

Copper-aluminium alloy and brass options are also available for a gold or
yellowy brass colour finishes.

Aluminium

Aluminium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal and is
therefore an incredibly strong material. However, it can be very expensive for
use in standing seam sheet installation and is therefore more commonly seen
as corrugated façade or roofing panels. Some panels are even manufactured
with insulation to create easy to install roofing sections. Although all sheet
metals can be easily recycled, aluminium is an infinitely recyclable metal,
although this can be difficult if adhered to another material such as the
insulation. It is also a popular option for rainwater goods, flashing and sills as it
can be powder coated in any colour to match or contrast with building
materials or openings.

Stainless and painted galvanised steel

Stainless steel and painted galvanised steel standing seam options also exist,
but these tend to be used within more industrial settings and as pre-fabricated
panels.

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03

FACADE
Whilst a warm wall is possible, most manufacturers and organisations such as
the NHBC recommend a vented cold wall construction for facades, especially
in a residential setting. If you are using standing seam for walls and roof it is
recommended to use a vented plywood build-up for the walls and roof to
maintain a similar build-up throughout. Insulated wall panels can be used but
are more typical in industrial construction settings.

As well as standing seam, there are a number of other rainscreen style façade
options including:
Composite cassettes
Interlocking panels
Overlapping wall panels

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04

ROOFING
There are a huge range of options when it comes to sheet materials and
roofing. The most common of these is standing seam but we will also explore
other warm roof options.

Standing Seam - Cold roof on vented plywood

One of the most popular forms of installing zinc is on a vented plywood base.
As mentioned previously, this option can be used both for walls and roofing
and is a great cost effective option for small residential projects. It can be
installed both vertically and horizontal and the detailing does vary for each
option.

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Timber boarding - Cold construction on vented timber boarding

Zinc on timber boarding is a traditional installation method and therefore still

used in restoration projects or when working with older buildings that may
already have timber boarding installed under the roofing material.

There are a number of warm roof constructions possible with zinc although
many of these options will only be cost effective on larger projects and require
the provision that the build-up is 100% vapour resistant. It is also important to
consider the fire requirements of the building and fire class of the insulation
used. Below is a short summary for each and when their use is recommended.

Structural roof - Warm construction

This method involves installing the sheet metal over a rigid insulation using
special fixing clips and screws supplied by the manufacturer. To avoid
corrosion from any condensation between the metal and insulation, a
protective layer of metal is added. This increases the cost of the sheet metal
material. A manufacturer’ recommended membrane may also be required
between the sheet metal and insulation.

Insulated metal panel - Warm construction

Some manufacturers offer prefabricated roofing panels where the metal,

insulation and vapour barrier have been mechanically adhered to prevent
thermal bridging, condensation and corrosion to the underside of the metal. A
facing sheet metal such as zinc can then be added to the surface making sure
the correct membrane is used between the two. As with the structural roof, a
protective layer on the underside of the zinc is also required.

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Metdeck - Warm construction

This system involves the installation of zinc over a pre-fabricated roofing panel.
This panel is made up of a 18mm WBP exterior grade plywood substrate which
is bonded to phenolic foam and has a continuous aluminium foil backed
bituminous self-sealing vapour barrier on the underside. This plywood allows
for greater flexibility and eliminates the need to penetrate the insulation layer
with fixings, however as with the previous warm roof options, a protective layer
to the underside of the zinc is required.

Compact Roof – Warm construction on cellular glass insulation

For roofs installed over any building with a high vapour content such as
swimming pools or saunas, a high tech option exists which prevents any
vapour reaching the underside of the metal cladding.

The sheet metal is usually fixed to Foamglas or cellular glass insulation with a
polyethylene film and bitumous membrane. This system does not require
mechanical fixings that penetrate the insulation, reducing thermal bridges.

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05
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN
DETAILING STANDING SEAM
ZINC

Setting out

When designing for standing seam it is really important to consider the panel
width setting out in accordance with your openings and corners of you
building. A typical standing seam panel is 430mm from seam to seam due to
the thickness of the rolled metal minus the standing seam fold, although this
can be made thinner if the sheet metal is trimmed. Some designers will
choose irregular panel widths to break up a façade. This width may also dictate
where openings are located so that windows and doors either align with the
seams or are purposefully offset so that the seams never align with junctions.

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Edges of the panel

When detailing vertical and horizontal standing seam zinc, there are a huge
range of corner options to choose from. An important consideration when
picking the corner design is the proximity to people passing. For areas with
high human traffic, a folded option might be chosen. For areas that are not
accessible, a projected option might be chosen to define the edge of the
building.

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Integration of rainwater goods

Zinc is a great material to allow for integration of gutters, downpipes and other
features such as sills and reveals. There are a number of recommended box,
hidden and valley gutter details which can be integrated into any project as
well as snow guards for roofs in areas with high snowfall. Along with standard
rainwater goods, there are also many preformed elements to decorate a
building.

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06

NEXT STEPS

RESOURCES

If you want more inspiration on sheet metal cladding, roofs, detailing and
precedents be sure to follow Detail Library on Pinterest where we have lots of
façade and roof options.

STANDING SEAM FACADE METAL FACADE

DOWNLOAD THE DETAILS

For more information on how to detail zinc and other sheet metal walls and
roofs check out the fully resolved zinc details via the link below.

CHECK OUT THE DETAILS

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07

THANK YOU!
I hope you have found this guide useful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you have any questions or comments please send us an email at -

hello@detail-library.co.uk

Thanks again,
The Detail Library Team
https://detail-library.co.uk/

HAPPY DETAILING ;)

Author

Written by Aida Rodriguez-Vega, architect and researcher. At the

Detail Library, Aida keeps busy by carrying out technical research
and drawing new details for the ever-growing library.

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