Spray foam in a can saved my shed roof last summer

My shed roof has been leaking every spring for 3 years. I tried patching with tar and roof cement but it always came back 6 months later. Last July I got sick of it and sprayed Great Stuff expanding foam into the gap where the metal roof meets the ridge. Let it cure for 24 hours and trimmed the excess with a utility knife. It has been 14 months now and not a single drip. The foam expands so much it fills every tiny crack you can't see. I did have to wear gloves because that stuff is impossible to get off your skin. Anyone else use spray foam in a weird way that actually held up longer than the real fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.kevin9d ago

Wait until that stuff gets hit with direct sun for a few seasons and turns brittle and cracks, then you'll be back to square one with water getting in all over again. Foam sealants aren't really made for exposed outdoor use on a roof ridge, they degrade from UV rays way faster than any proper roofing material. Plus if you ever need to replace that section of metal roofing, you're going to hate life trying to scrape all that hardened foam off the metal. Seems like you just pushed the problem down the road instead of actually fixing the root cause of the leak.

jackson.wesley9d ago

Had a buddy use that foam on his shed ridge. Three summers later it was cracking all over and he had to chip it out with a chisel and hammer. Spend the money on some proper metal ridge cap with a rubber seal, do it once and be done.