FLORIDA'S BEST METAL ROOFING SUPPLY.

Plan on about 80 screws per roofing square (100 sq ft) of roof, plus about 1 per linear foot of trim. Hex screws come in 250-piece bags. Use 1-1/2" metal-to-wood screws over plywood or lumber, 1" self-drillers into metal purlins, and 7/8" metal-to-metal stitch (lap) screws where metal fastens to metal, such as side laps and trim.

Drive them in the flat beside the rib (1-1/2" minimum) or in the top of the rib (2" minimum), straight in, with the neoprene washer snug and never crushed. Screws pass at least 1/2" below the underside of the deck or purlin, and panels get screws on both sides of the ribs at the eave and ridge. End laps are 12" minimum with two rows of butyl tape; trim laps are 6" (eave drip 4").

Butyl tape goes under the closures: one row along the eaves, two along ridges and hips, two along valleys and one along walls. One 10.1 oz tube of APS 500 sealant lays about 30 LF of bead for trim laps, trim ends and boot edges. Edge and corner zones that need the tighter (12-inch row) pattern in the panel approval take about 140–150 screws per square.

Exposed-fastener panels need 3:12 minimum without side-lap sealant. With continuous butyl tape down every side lap plus lap screws in the ribs, Tuff Rib and 5V Crimp are rated down to 1:12 and PBR down to 1/2:12 (the Florida Building Code floor), with lap screws no more than 24" apart on Tuff Rib and 30" on PBR. Under 3:12, call us before you order. It is a detail question, not a price question.

Standing seam goes lower. Snap-lock panels (1.5" and 1.75") need 2:12, going lower only with hot-melt seam sealant per the manufacturer, and the nail-strip panels need 3:12, or as low as 1/2:12 with lap sealant. Our peel-and-stick underlayment is rated for 2:12 and steeper, so call us about underlayment for anything flatter. Snap-lock panels also need a flat, uniform 15/32" CDX plywood deck.

Exposed-fastener panels install over solid decking with approved underlayment, over 1x4 battens, or over open purlins. On a new roof or a full tear-off, Florida code (R905.1.1.1 / 1507.1.1.1) requires one of three underlayment methods: peel-and-stick over the whole deck, 3-3/4" self-adhered tape over every deck joint plus underlayment, or two layers of approved underlayment. Mechanically fastened underlayment goes down the way its maker instructs (commonly cap nails or cap staples, which are not part of a panel order). A reroof over one layer of shingles is allowed only if the panel approval says so, with new underlayment between. Our synthetic rolls are 195 sq ft gross, about 175 sq ft of roof covered per roll over a solid deck.

Gauge sets the span, and span decides how far apart your purlins or rafters sit: 26ga and 24ga PBR and R Panel carry further between supports than 29ga Tuff Rib, and a wood-framed building usually needs closer spacing than a steel one. Florida wind zones close it up further.

The span, fastener pattern and clip spacing for your building come from the panel's Florida Product Approval and your engineer's plan, not from a rule of thumb. Our standing seam, 5V Crimp and Tuff Rib panels have Florida Product Approval numbers, listed on our approvals page. For any other panel, call (813) 410-7427 before you buy if your permit needs approval documentation.

Standing seam clip spacing comes from the panel's approval: 16" or 12" on center on 1.75" Snap-Lock, and 18" or 8" on the 1.5" snap-lock panels, with the tighter spacing where your wind zone calls for it. Order clips for that spacing plus 10% extra, with 2 pancake screws per clip (boxes of 250). Nail-strip panels are screwed through every other slot (about every 10") or every slot (about every 5", with sealant) per the approval, which is about 1.2 or 2.4 pancake screws per LF of panel, plus 1 per LF of trim. Edge and corner zones may need the tighter clip spacing in the approval (12" on 1.75" Snap-Lock, 8" on the 1.5" snap-lock panels), which means more clips and screws.

Cut panels with hand shears or a nibbler. Never use a circular saw or abrasive blade: the hot sparks burn into the coating and leave rust stains, and the cut edge rusts first.

Brush metal shavings off the roof and out of the gutters the same day, because they rust and stain the finish. Carry panels on edge instead of flat so they do not kink, wear gloves, and store them dry and off the ground with one end raised so water drains. Never leave a wet bundle sitting.

Order about 10% over the measured roof area for cuts, laps and waste, and remember panels are billed in whole feet of length. Ready in 1–2 business days on cut-to-length orders, and we review your cut list with you before cutting (we call or text if anything needs confirming). Panels and trim cut to your lengths are final sale.