How to Install Corrugated Metal Roofing on a Pitched Roof

Measure the roof with a tape measure to determine how many panels you will need and what length. Use single panels from peak to eave if possible or size them to reduce the amount of cutting needed to fit. Find out the actual coverage dimensions to determine how many panels you need to cover the width of the roof.

Inspect the roof surface to make sure the strip sheathing is solid and adequate for the panels. Strip sheathing is boards, generally 1 by 4 inches, nailed across the width of the roof, 12 to 18 inches apart.

Start installing panels at the bottom of one corner, either flush with the bottom of the roof or with some overhang. Use galvanized steel or aluminum screws with a plastic washer top and a screw gun to fasten the panels to the sheathing. Secure both lower corners first, then both top corners, then add screws at every sheathing strip. Put the inside corner screw far enough from the edge to allow for the designated overlap.

Overlap the second panel -- generally one peak and one valley but this can vary -- and secure it with screws through both panels. Add panels side by side until the bottom of the roof is covered. Cut the last panel if necessary with tin snips or a metal saw. Cut the edge that will overlap so the outside edge is a factory-finished edge.

Start the second course of panels with a half-panel, cut lengthwise, so the vertical seams do not align with the panels below. Cut with tin snips or a metal saw and put the cut edge to the inside, where an overlap panel will cover it. Overlap panels top to bottom by about 6 inches or whatever length the manufacturer recommends.

Cover one side of the roof from eave to peak, then move to the other side and repeat the process. To seal the peak, add metal caps at the peak after both sides are covered; these are bent metal strips that overlap the panels on both sides of the roof and they are made to match the corrugations in the panels.

Finish the corrugated metal roof with a drip edge along the sides and eaves. This edging comes in various styles, and prevents water from seeping in under the metal panels and blocks sharp edges on the ends. Use edging from the same manufacturer and in a style that matches the corrugated roofing.