How to fix slate nails, how to hammer nails

Slate is a traditional roofing material based on asbestos-cement fibers, the production technology of which was developed over 100 years ago. Despite the emergence of new coatings with a lighter weight and decorative potential, it is still popular due to its affordable price, ease of installation and long service life. When erecting a slate roof, the main task of the master is to properly nail the sheets to the crate. As fasteners for this task use special tolevy or slate nails, securely fixing the material on the ramp. In this article, we will discuss how to mount slate with nails.

Features of fasteners for asbestos cement

Slate is a rather heavy and hard roofing material, which at the same time has low mechanical strength at point impacts. To nail a sheet of asbestos cement to the crate, you can not use conventional fasteners, for this purpose use special slate nails. They differ from the usual increased strength, corrosion resistance and length. The nails used to mount the slate have the following characteristics:

• Corrosion Resistance. Slate nails are made of low carbon steel with high strength. In the process of manufacturing these fasteners, a partial or complete galvanization is carried out.
• Wide hat. The diameter of the cap of the nails is 16 mm, which allows you to properly seal the holes that remain when attaching the slate. It has a composite structure, consisting of a washer and cap. Such a structure allows the fastening element to less traumatize the roofing material.
• Long rod. The length of the nails is 9-12 cm, since they need to be hammered through the crest of a slate wave.
• Dumb edge. The edge of the nails is sharpened at an angle of 40 degrees, so before you hammer them, you need to make holes with a drill.

Note! The length of nails for fixing asbestos cement should exceed the sum of the thickness of the batten and insulation by 10 mm to ensure a secure fit. Some craftsmen prefer to use "pierced" nails, the rods of which cover the triangular notches. Such improved fasteners cannot be pulled out without breaking.

Mounting technology

Fastening slate perform to a wooden base. Since the roofing material of asbestos cement is heavy, the sheathing must be compacted or solid to withstand the load. To properly install the slate, you will need a hammer, pliers, roofing nails of the required length at the rate of 10-20 per sheet, mastic and sealant to seal the holes in the attachment points. The fastening process consists of the following steps:

1. Slate sheets are laid on the roof slope. This task can be accomplished in two ways, by placing slate in pursuit or with trimming the corners.
2. After you have laid all the sheets of asbestos cement, it is necessary to drill holes in the roof covering to fix them with nails. Each sheet should have 10-20 attachment points. The diameter of the holes should be 1-2 mm greater than the diameter of the nails. It is not recommended to drill holes closer than 10-15 cm to the edge of the sheet so that it does not split.
3. With the help of nails you need to fix the slate on the crate. Each fastener is supplied with a compactor, which, after being hit with a hammer, must deform and seal the fastener hole from moisture.
4. Nails are hammered with a hammer. Correctly perform this action in 3 neat movements. It is recommended to leave a gap of 1-2 mm between the cap and slate, so as not to accidentally split the roofing material.
5. If the fastening is performed using low-quality fasteners, it is necessary to seal the caps sticking out of the slate with bitumen mastic or other waterproofing compound.

Important! Slate contains a large amount of asbestos cement dust harmful to the respiratory tract and mucous membranes of humans. Therefore, it is recommended to work with this material using a protective suit, goggles and a respirator.

Rules for the treatment of roofing nails

In the process of fastening the slate with nails, the cap should completely seal the mounting hole so that moisture does not get into it. Violation of the fixation technology often causes leakage and tearing of sheets by strong gusts of wind. In order to securely fix the asbestos-cement coating on the surface of the slope, the following rules must be observed:

• Each sheet of slate is fixed to the crate 10-20 fasteners. To save slate nails is not worth it, but their excess can also negatively affect the quality of the roof.
• Properly hammer nails strictly into the crest of a slate wave. Otherwise, the caps located in the gutters, where atmospheric moisture accumulates, will begin to corrode.
• First, nails are driven into the first and last crest of the sheet, then into the middle one and only after that into all the others.
• Do not hammer nails closer than 15 cm from the edge of the sheet of asbestos cement, so as not to split the roofing material.
• It is necessary to hammer the nails vertically. If you break this rule, the fastener will not create the necessary grip, and will not close the hole in the slate, which will come to leaks.
• For additional waterproofing of holes and to protect the material from injury when hit with a hammer, you can hammer nails through rubber gaskets.
• Do not hammer slate nails all the way down, so as not to accidentally split the fragile coating in order to compensate for the thermal expansion of materials.

Experienced craftsmen say that asbestos cement can be attached to the crate with self-tapping screws. They are made of hardened steel alloy, so they are stronger and more resistant to moisture. The disadvantage of this type of fastener is that during repair and dismantling of the coating they are heavier and longer removed than roofing nails.

Video instruction