Corrugated steel

[glenn-k]

It is very easy to work with and able to be cut with a tin snips or a variety of other ways.  We now often use a small 4" hand held grinder with one of the thin cutting blades in it - 1/16" thick I think.  Abrasive blades are available in many other types also.  Wear safety glasses -maybe earplugs too.

Self drilling fasteners are available so drilling and fastening can be a one step operation.

Trim may take a bit of imagination on a curved wall - wood filler strips are available for straight walls.
If you are going to paint it, vinegar will etch the surface a bit so paint will stick better.  Various caulkings or silicone rubber should work, although it laps quite tightly anyway.  If you use silicone rubber, don't expect to ever get it apart easily.

[Daddymem]

heeeeeyyyy  That might be a good solution for something I want to do on our FirstDay...I was thinking about doing a drywall ceiling in our entrance to hide plumbing and electric, provide a place for pot lights, and provide a surface for "bam" in that room with paint.  This stuff would certainly look very interesting as ceiling material providing a surface for paint and it already has texture to it.  I may look into that...
If this works some other details could work too...
Counter back splash
Wainscoting
Custom sconce lights
Headboard
Shoji screens
Half walls
Wouldn't want to carry it too far but a clean mix of some of the items to tie it all together could work, or just a stand alone piece such as that wall.
As far as country?  I think it does have a country element...the "beat up" stuff reminds me of washboards.  I think Martha (wow can't believe I'm make a reference to her) might see it as shabby chic and shabby chic very often reminds me of country.  It is also in the spirit of the farmhouse  where use is made of everything owned since the old homestead didn't have much to begin with (yankee ingenuity).   Those shiny walls do not remind me of country though.

[glenn-k]

Sounds like you are getting lots of ideas, Daddymem.  One suggestion - I think the Pot Lights should have their own little secret locked room in the crawlspace or basement.    :-/

The new stuff has its own special industrial look and the old rusty stuff has it unique antique look.  (Hey -that rhymes.)

I'll bet some of you are secretly lusting after my old rusty barn tin.

Something I think looks good with the industrial look is Armoured Electric Cable and metal boxes surface mounted.

[cecilia]

When we were looking for partially rusty corrugated iron for our walls, we seemed to see just the perfect 'stuff' either on the roofs of old milking sheds or houses - sadly most of those were still in regular use!

Finally, the plumber who did our work at The Duckpond had to replace a roof up the end of this small country town, and didn't need all of it for his own project. I really liked knowing where our materials were in their previous life.

Our upstairs flooring (messmate boards) are re-machined from the structural timbers salvaged from the members stand at the old Melbourne Cricket Club Grounds. As I've already said somewhere else, our main house posts were salvaged from windrows in the valley here. The newel posts were salvaged from an old sweet factory near Prahran, and apparently smelt highly of molasses when first acquired by Bower Bird Timbers. I've given them a pretty good sniff, but can only smell the tung oil that I've finished them off with.

cecilia
www.duckpond-design.com.au/theduckpond

[jonseyhay]

Corrugated iron is a common building material in Australia it could almost be considered our national building material. As well as its use as cladding it is almost the universal roofing system in Australia. It has a long history in building, from colonial times where its was used in prefabricated buildings exported from Britain, through the war years when building materials where in short supply, to the present day and it's use in contemporary architecture.
Rural wood-and-corrugated-iron farm buildings (particularly shearing sheds) often influence the design of these newer buildings.
Some of the advantages of corrugated iron are; it is fire resistant, cheap, abundant, and is great for reflecting the heat. It is also flexible, this is important with our highly reactive clay soil; brick building eventually crack with the ground movement we have out here.
A few photos of some locale buildings, there are around 20 corrugated iron buildings in Hay, not bad for a town with a population of around 3000.



This is one of the older cottages in town, don't know when it was built.



This is one of the newer buildings, about 3 or 4 tears old. There are about half a dozen similar to this in Hay.



With this building you can see the influence of the shearing shed.



Here again, typical Australian bush architecture with the use of the screened veranda.



A home built in two sections, joined by a walkway entrance (the 3 shots above). The main living, kitchen, dinning area is one huge room, high ceiling with exposed beams. There is a laundry bathroom area at one end and the screened veranda (above) at the other. The floors in this house are sanded ply and I can tell you they look great. I will try and get some pic's of them sometime.

[glenn-k]

Nice pix, Jonesy.  Careful - you and Cecilia may convert the builders on this side of the pond over to corrugated iron.  Looks like Kathy is eyeing it for the bathroom wall.

I noticed the Dalmation in the last picture.  I used to have one.  I named her Spot. :-/

[Boatz]

I think I like it as a shower surround (as in the cabin with the drain in the floor)... as long as every thing gets sealed up really well...

[glenn-k]

We've been talking about and working out details on that.

4" or so Galvanized flat stock can be screwed to the wall studs- sealed at the wall to floor joint then the steel sheeting screwed to it with wafer head drill point screws.

[Boatz]

I just never get over all the good ideas and solutions that pop up here!

[glenn-k]

Curves can also be made with light sheetmetal angle.  Just cut slots in one leg as needed and bend in or out as required to follow your curve.  The angle should be available in steel building products or roofing drip edge could be used.

With the proper loads (.22 or other suitable powder actuated fastener) and nails the angle can be instantly shot down to a concrete floor or wall.  You may need various strengths of loads to prevent the nail from continuing through the tin angle and out the backside.  Special Solid metal discs can also be used to clamp the angle and stop the nail.

[jonseyhay]

These are the tekscrews that are used for fixing corrugated iron roofing in Australia. The pointed one is for timber purlin and the other is for steel. The rubber washer should be snug not crushed. The waferhead screw would be the one to use on the shower lining, with a rubber washer or a couple of small rubber O rings.



Don't forget that corrugated iron roofing needs to be tuned properly for acoustic comfort. There was an old thread on this somewhere. (Glenn may dig it out for us if we are nice to him)

[glenn-k]

Gotcha covered, Jonesy ---brought the relevant parts here  for your listening pleasure -- just ---please don't hit that bass note until the roof is properly tuned -- you know that a bad resonant frequency can completely destroy a building -------Ref. Tesla Resonance Experiments --about the turn ot the last century ---circa 1900

See the next post.  

[glenn-k]

By Jonesy
Just a little observation.
I have gathered from some recent posts, that corrugated iron doesn't seem to be in common use in the US. I was wondering why this is so. Here in Australia it is used widely for roofing and as an external cladding, in fact it has a great history in residential and commercial buildings.  

I noticed in one post that the sound of rain on an iron roof was a reason for not using it. This fascinated me somewhat, as this is one of the features that I like about corrugated iron. If you where to ask most folk down this end, I'm sure they would agree with me.

Of course, purlin spacing is critical in getting the right sound i.e. (not too loud or too soft) and indeed specialist roof tuners are in high demand in this neck of the woods. This is one of the trades that are dying out here, with all the new roofing products on the market. Consequently, good roofers can name their own price and iron is starting to get beyond the reach of the average homeowner.

Here in Hay we have one of the most technically advanced corrugated iron structures in Australia. This masterpiece was a collaboration between architect's, construction crews, roofing specialist and the Meteorological Services. The building has been designed to play Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' during the rainstorms that pass through this area in the summer. Probably the most difficult problem was the placement of the lightning towers. These needed to be sited correctly to get the crashes in just the right place in the score.  Of course the weather needs to be from the right direction or all you get is rock and roll. Fine if you like that, but me, I'm an opera fan.

http://www.visithay.com.au/shearoutback.html

You will all no doubt be familiar with the Sydney Opera house and all the trouble during the building of that. The original building was to be a corrugated iron structure, designed to play Beethoven's 5th symphony  (see mockup below). A crying shame when you consider what we ended up with.
jonesy.



glenn kangiser       Mar 18th, 2005, 10:01pm
Jonesy,

I didn't know you folks down under had taken the art of tin toilet wall tuning to such a precariously  high level.  Possibly you can help me.  My outback outhouse at first had no walls.  Just a plywood structure with two holes in it.  You could sit there and contemplate your future while enjoying the view of the valley below while listening to the steady drone of the meat bees.  This was great when it was just the wife and I.  One day just as the moon came out, and my wife saw it shining, the old fellow that delivers my building plans drove up unannounced.  Needless to say there was a mad scramble to get things under cover and we decided it was time to put walls on the privy.  (I don't believe on this forum we are allowed to call it the John - will have to check the censored word list).

My question for you is this -- Is there a special stud spacing that will make the music emanating from the  new corrugated iron walls sound pleasing to the ears?  Obviously I have framed something wrong as the bass sounds from the tuba seem excessive.  Thanks in advance for your expertise. Grin

Posted by: jonseyhay        Mar 18th, 2005, 10:45pm

No problem Glenn,
Of coarse no walls is great for good airflow, but not so good when it comes to acoustics. I am sure that "Special stud spacing" is the key. The proper spacing would probably be a matter of trial and error, dependant on the particular tone required. Tuning forks would be great for this or possibly the odd rock thrown from a good distance. The distance required, of course, would be dependent on the foot speed of the occupant at the time.
I am really not that au fait with modern dunny acoustics but I'm sure there is some excellent information on the net somewhere.  
Don't know what to do about the tuba. I think we may need some expert help on this one.  
jonesy.  

Posted by: glenn kangiser       Posted on: Mar 19th, 2005, 6:49pm
Jonesy,

I think you can rest a little easier now.  I know you have been worrying yourself to death about the raucous racket emerging from the untuned tin top of the little brown shack out back of my place during a cloudburst.

I think we have figured out a workaround (not similar to a walkabout) Undecided

Fortunately it is in very close proximity to the poultry shed so whenever the tuba sounds in an off key, we simply shout out "Who stepped on the duck"  and no one is the wiser.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Glenn

jonseyhay       Mar 19th, 2005, 8:08pm

That's a relief Glenn,
The best I could come up with after searching high and low, was an old article in the Hay University Science Journal pertaining to beans. It seems that the consumption of copious amounts of baked beans is directly related to the volume and frequency of the notes emanating from the tuba. Of course, this can have devastating effects in a confined space.  
The solutions offered where, ease up on the beans or knock out the walls to promote good airflow. This, as you know would also  reduce echo and reverberation.  Both seemed a bit radical to me although I would probably have gone with the view. But then, I'm a "demon for the bean".
 jonesy

JRR        Mar 20th, 2005, 10:20am

Jonsey
Does that roof tuner guy ever come up topside to do work?  My corrugated roof could use some adjusting ... the only tune I hear is "rap".

I may have installed the stuff upside-down.

[JRR]

Thanks for those photos of screws, Jonsey.  (I've got to learn how to post photos!)

For us stateside folks;  Ace hardware sells those "sheeting screws" ... available in various lengths and colors.

For those of us planning metal roofing ... do some careful reading first.  The galvanized roofing that you see on the shelf at Home Depot is 29 gauge metal "1 1/4" oval" ... only recommended for siding, not roofing!   For roofing application ...  only 26 (or thicker 24) gauge 2 1/2" oval is recommended.  This means a special order at Home Depot.  $250 minimum order.

Most roofs now seemed to be done in one of the "standing ridge" designs of flat steel, but I prefer corrugated.

I recently received an order of 13 pieces of 12 ft long 26 ga corrugated 2 1/2" oval with a acrylic "galvalume" finish ... for a porch covering.  The price was $2.04 per linear foot.  At the manufacturer's recommended overlap for roofing ... it works out to $1.27 per sq ft ... not including taxes, screws, flashing, sealer, etc.

Hint:  For a phone call to the manufacturer,  you can receive a free sample of a couple of 1 foot long pieces ... of whatever design roofing metal you are considering.  It helps to have these pieces inhand, just to know what you are dealing with.

[Billy Bob]

This is another instance where the "big box" store was a letdown, and the local yard came to the rescue.  I needed some material for the roof on my mother's new porch, and the Home Depot at first could not even get pricing for it.  By the time they came back with the minimum order bit, I was already installing the new roof.  It was just a bit more than half the minimum from H.D., and was delivered by motor carrier to the house.
I can understand that it's not popular stuff around here, so I'm not surprised they had to "research" a little, but the minum order bit  frosted my gourd some!
It sounds lovely in the weather, too, though no tubas. Prolly a good thing, given Mum
is in one of those "adult retirement communities".

[keyholefarmhouse]

In regards to using steel for interior finish walls;  I've seen it in a shower before.  Was pretty cool.  The building was a pole barn structure with a concrete slab.  They poured the concrete right into the bottom of the exterior steel wall.  Same in the shower.

I guess my concerns on it for interior wall would be only two things:
One, would vapor barrier be an issue?
Two, can you seal it up good enough so bugs don't have such an accesable and safe area.

I love the look, hear and there.

[glenn kangiser]

The tin won't pass vapor - except at the seams which can be caulked as put together - stuff like tacky tape or roll mastic will work.  If square or rectangular walls they can be made totally bugproof with the formed strips-- curved walls- maybe flat or notched angle trim with foam sealed edges?

[Billy Bob]

I dunno, Glenn; maybe not the tin, but I get the impression that like me, you're thrifty enough to have seen the buffalo on a nickle pass a vapor. [smiley=wink.gif]

[glenn kangiser]

I kind of suspected there would be repercussions from leaving that one open like that.  :-/

I was going to add "unlike yours truly" in the first sentence but thought better of my crudeness and deleted it.  Oh-well.