I’m buying a house that has leaky tin flat-bottomed box gutters. It looks like they were “repaired” by lining with a heavy tar paper, and that obviously didn’t work very well. There will be soffit and fascia repair/replacement required. Two roofers have told me to frame over the box gutters and put a new roof on and use aluminum gutters, but I prefer the appearance of the box gutters (house is from 1931). Can’t afford to line with copper (or probably even tin) at this point, but wondered if there were any coatings that would work to seal the gutters for several years. Would the elastomeric coatings seal it sufficiently? Doesn’t appear to be any backing up into the roofline through the flashing.
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Roofing over the built-in gutter is common around here, but I agree with you that it typically looks pretty crappy.
I've seen a couple folks use EPDM to line their built-in gutters. I think EPDM in such a gutter application is probably a 5-15 year solution. You have to remove enough of the old so that you have a good surface to bond the EPDM to.
Maybe we can get Grant's attention with your thread and he can comment. He is going to suggest copper because properly installed it can last 100 years.
jt8
"The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell
I was just doing box gutter this AM till it rained us out.
Geocel brushable called 2315 is GOOD stuff...a few coats of that might buy ya some time, but seriously, relineing is the only fix that will last.
Yup, copper is best because it can be soldered easily and reliably. Anything else is relying on goo to seal it and goo won't last as long as solder in expansion and contraction issues.
Framing a roof over it is just plain rediculous, you already HAVE gutter, why spend money on framing and new gutter?
Save up some green and get copper, and then forget about them except for the yearly cleaning out of leaves.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Damm, I miss that stuff
I've seen maybe one EPDM reline job that was worth half of what it cost.
I've had pretty good success patching old terne box gutters with Geocel 2310 or 2315 brushable sealant. If there are any large holes in the liner, pop rivet metal patches over them and coat with the sealant. It sometimes takes two or more coats. Geocel products are normally available at roofing supply houses.
Its never too late to be up to date.
http://grantlogan.net/
Thanks. I've found a local dealer for the Geocel.
A complete rework with EPDM will last 50 years or so, as long as you use the 60 mil stuff. Of course it doesn't look nearly as good as copper. Good copper will last probably 100 years, as long as you are not in the acid rain area.
But it sounds like you got a good temporary fix.
And please don't roof over them. If you have to have gutters, box gutters are the best looking.