How to Install and Supercede Gutters

Learn how to install strong, sleek-looking gutters.

Time

Multiple Days

Complication

Intermediate

Cost

Varies

Introduction

Create stronger, better-looking gutters by modifying standard gutter systems. Minimize joints; assemble strong, sleek-looking seams; and add together roof flashing to keep water flowing into the gutters where it belongs.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • i 1/4" self-tapping hex caput screws
  • 1/4" hex head screws ('zippers')
  • 1/8-in. medium length rivets
  • Downspouts
  • Elbows
  • Gutter
  • Gutter flashing
  • Gutter hanging strap
  • Gutter sealant

Planning the Rain Gutter Replacement Project

Almost all home centers and full-service hardware stores sell guttering designed for easy installation. Just with just a little more than piece of work, you lot can use these same parts to put together rain gutters and downspouts that are stronger and amend looking too.

ⓘ

Evaluate and Plan the Gutter Replacement Project

DIY gutter replacement tin can salve you substantially over professionally installed gutters, but at that place are a few pitfalls to scout out for. Audit the fascia and soffit (Fig. B, below) for signs of rotted wood, which must be replaced before you lot put upwards the pelting gutters. Many houses have a trim board or crown molding nailed to the fascia just under the shingles. Y'all'll demand to remove this, as we did, or add a continuous strip of wood under it to create a apartment plane for the gutters. In either case, prime number and paint blank wood before you hang the gutters.

Describe a Sketch and Measure out Your Business firm Before Installing Rain Gutters

Fig. A (below) shows an case of a rain gutter organisation for a typical house. Record the length of the rain gutter runs and mark the downspout locations. Then count up the inside and exterior corners and stop caps (annotation whether they are right or left ends). Measure the meridian of downspouts and add four feet to each for the extension abroad from the business firm at the bottom.

Each downspout requires three elbows. There are two types of elbows that plow either to the forepart or side of the downspout. Most installations require only front elbows, but occasionally y'all may need a side elbow, unremarkably to plow the downspout extension sideways. Here are a few planning tips:

  • Locate downspouts in unobstructed areas where water can exist directed abroad from the house. Avert locations with obstacles like electrical meters, hose bibs or sidewalks.
  • Place downspouts in inconspicuous locations if possible.
  • Install oversized 3×iv-in. downspouts on gutters that drain big roof areas or if you live in an area with torrential rains.
  • Slope long gutter runs (40 feet or more) down both directions from the heart and put a downspout on each end.
  • Buy special roof hanger mounting straps for houses without fascia boards or for fascias that aren't vertical.

Gutter Parts and Mounting Details

Measure the horizontal pelting gutter runs and downspouts and identify the parts you'll demand.

figure a install gutters Family Handyman

figure b installing gutters Family Handyman

Project stride-by-step (20)

Step 1

Cutting the Gutter

  • It'southward much easier to join sections on the ground than to work from the top of a ladder.
  • Instead of butting parts together and roofing the joints with a seam cover every bit recommended by the manufacturer, lap all seams from two to four inches.
  • Cutting the front and back sides with tin snips.
  • Bend the gutter and cut the bottom.

cut the gutter

Pace 2

Notch the Gutter

  • Cutting a ii inch long notch in the forepart lip of the gutter with tin snips to bring together a rain gutter section with an inside or outside corner piece.
    • Pro tip: Cut a four inch long notch to overlap and splice together gutter sections.

Notch the gutter

Step 3

Snap the Sections Together

  • Lay a bead of gutter sealant along the corner i-one/2-in. back from the edge.
  • Claw the front lip of the corner over the notched section of gutter and snap it over the gutter.

snap gutter sections together

Step four

Rivet the Sections

  • Join the gutter to the corner with six rivets in the locations shown.
  • Commencement by drilling a one/viii-in. hole (for 1/8-in. rivets) at the front end of the gutter and installing the first rivet with the rivet gun.
  • At present drill the remaining holes and install the rivets.

Rivet the sections

Step 5

Caulk the Seam

  • Caulk the seam on the inside of the rain gutter with gutter sealant.
  • Put a dab of sealant over each rivet.

Caulk the Seam

Footstep 6

Preassemble Earlier Installing Gutters

  • Nosotros've shown joining a gutter department to a corner.
  • Apply the aforementioned procedure to join two sections of gutter, except overlap the pieces at least four inches.
  • When you're splicing gutter sections, plan ahead to leave the best-looking manufacturing plant-cut end on the outside if possible.
  • Also, lap the pelting gutters so the inside section is facing downhill to prevent water from being forced out the seam.
  • Where a gutter ends, cutting it to extend nigh an inch past the end of the fascia lath to catch water from the overhanging shingles.
  • Then attach an end cap with rivets and seal the articulation from the within with gutter sealant.

Step 7

Mark the Downspout Outlet

  • First, measure from the corner of the house to the center of your called downspout location.
  • Double-cheque for obstructions.
  • Transfer this dimension to the gutter and cut in a downspout outlet.
    • Pro tip: This method takes a few minutes longer than using i of the short gutter sections with a preinstalled outlet, merely it eliminates two seams and looks much neater.
  • Mark the center of the downspout outlet on the bottom of the gutter.
  • Heart the outlet, flange side down, over the mark and trace around the inside.
  • Cut a V-shaped notch with an old chisel as a starting hole for the tin snips.
  • Place two short scraps of 2x4 side by side under the gutter to back up it while you lot chisel the notch.

Mark the downspout outlet

Step viii

Cut the Outlet Hole

  • Cut out the outlet hole with start tin snips.
    • Pro tip: Red tin can snips cut counterclockwise. Green snips cut clockwise. Either will work.
  • Cut 1/sixteen-in. outside the line.

Cut the outlet hole

Step ix

Rivet the Outlet in the Hole

  • Slip the outlet into the hole and predrill one/8-in. holes for the rivets.
  • Remove the outlet and run a bead of gutter sealant effectually the opening.
  • Press the outlet into the caulked opening and install the rivets.

Rivet the Outlet in the Hole

Step 10

A Little Slope is All You Demand

  • The number and size of downspouts decide how fast your gutters will empty.
  • Sloping them helps eliminate standing h2o that can cause corrosion and leak through the seams.
  • Slope each business firm gutter run down toward the downspout nearly ane/iv-in. for every x feet of gutter.
  • If your fascia boards are level, you tin can use them as a reference for sloping the gutters.
  • Check this by holding a level confronting the lesser edge.
  • If they aren't level, adjust the cord line until a level aligned with information technology shows a slight slope.
  • Snap a chalk line to betoken the top of the gutter.
  • So straighten gutter sections as you spiral them to the fascia by aligning the top edge with the chalk line.

Step 11

Marker the Gutter Slope

  • When installing gutters, set the proper gradient by driving a nail 1/2-in. below the shingles on the high side of the gutter run.
  • Measure and record the distance from the bottom of the fascia board to this nail.
  • Subtract 1/four-in. for every x feet of gutter from this measurement and mark this altitude at the depression cease of the gutter run.
  • Bulldoze a nail at this marker and stretch a chalk line between the two nails.
  • Align a level with the string to check the gradient. The chimera should exist off-middle toward the loftier side.
    • Pro tip: If it's not, conform the string until the chimera indicates that you have the proper slope.
  • Finally, snap the string to mark a line on the fascia board.

Mark the gutter slope

Pace 12

Screw the Gutter to the Fascia

  • Drive ane-1/iv-in. stainless steel hex head sheet metal screws through the back of the gutter into the fascia.
  • Install one spiral every two feet.

Screw the Gutter to the Fascia

Step 13

Add Gutter Flashing

  • With gutter replacement, you tin preclude water from running behind your gutters by installing a metal gutter apron flashing under the shingles and over the dorsum edge of the gutter.
  • If your home heart or hardware store doesn't sell pre-bent flashing, ask an aluminum siding contractor or local sheet metal fabricator to bend some for y'all.
  • Ideally the flashing should be slid under the shingles and the roofing newspaper or water ice and water barrier.
    • Pro tip: If this isn't possible because the ice and h2o barrier is stuck to the sheathing, or there are likewise many nails and staples forth the edge of the covering paper, then but slip the flashing under the shingles.
    • Pro tip: If the flashing you're using is too short to reach down over the dorsum edge of the gutter, slip an additional strip of sheet metallic flashing under the bent flashing and over the gutters.
  • Slide gutter flashing nether the shingles and secure with one-inch roofing nails every two feet.
  • Lap sections most 2 inches.

Add Gutter Flashing

Stride 14

Hook on Gutter Hanging Straps

  • With the gutters screwed to the fascia, it'due south a simple task to install the hidden gutter hangers.
  • Install hangers every two feet to support the gutters and strengthen the front end edge.
  • The hangers are designed to sideslip over the back edge of the gutter. But since we've covered this border with flashing, just agree them level and bulldoze the screws through the flashing and gutter dorsum into the fascia.
    • Pro tip: The gutter frock will foreclose you from slipping the hangers over the back border of the gutter as intended.
  • The large screws included with the hangers we used are a little tricky to become started, especially through steel gutters and flashing.
  • Spin them at high speed without applying much pressure until the screw tip bites into the metal.
  • Then lean on the drill and drive them into the fascia.

gutter hanging strips

Step 15

Attach Elbows to the Downspout

  • We're using standard 2x3-in. downspouts, but the procedure for oversized 3x4-in. ones is the same.
  • Assemble the elbows and downspout tube with the crimped ends facing down to prevent water from leaking out of the joints.
  • Use canvass metal screws rather than rivets so y'all can disassemble the downspouts to clean them if necessary.
    • Pro tip: Pros prefer pre painted ane/4-in. hex caput screws with precipitous points, called "zippers" considering they're easy to install. We found these screws in the aluminum siding department of a habitation centre, just a gutter supplier would be some other skilful source.
  • Screw an elbow to the downspout outlet.
  • Concur some other elbow against the wall and measure out between them.
  • Permit for a 1-ane/ii-in. overlap at each end.
  • Use a hacksaw to cutting this length from the uncrimped end of a downspout tube.
  • You can cut downspout tubing with a 32-tooth hacksaw bract, but the pro we talked to uses a circular saw with a standard 24-tooth carbide bract.
    • Pro tip: A ability miter box also works smashing for cutting gutters and downspouts. Use an one-time blade, though. Protect yourself from flying bits of metal with goggles, leather gloves, jeans and a long-sleeve shirt.

Attach elbows to the downspout

Step xvi

Crimp 1 End of the Downspout

  • Crimp one stop of the brusque length of downspout with a special sheet metal crimper.
  • With the three blades on the inside of the tube, hold the crimper against the inside corner of the tube and squeeze.
  • Crimp three times beyond both long edges and twice on the narrow sides.
  • Adhere this short department of downspout to the 2 elbows with two one/4-in. hex head canvass metal screws into each joint.

Crimp One End of the Downspout

Step 17

Spike Brackets to the Wall

  • Each length of gutter and every elbow is squeezed, or crimped, on one finish to allow the pieces to fit together, 1 inside the other.
  • Since 10-ft. lengths of downspout are merely crimped on 1 end, you'll accept to crimp one end of whatsoever cutoff slice to make information technology fit within the adjacent elbow or downspout section.
    • Pro tip: If you only have one or two downspouts to install, you tin can utilize a needle-nose pliers to twist crimps into the end. Just an cheap crimping tool will salve you tons of time and frustration.
  • Crimp one end of the curt length of downspout with a special sheet metal crimper.
  • With the three blades on the within of the tube, hold the crimper against the inside corner of the tube and clasp.
  • Crimp 3 times beyond both long edges and twice on the narrow sides.
  • Adhere this curt section of downspout to the two elbows with two 1/4-in. hex head sheet metal screws into each articulation.

Fasten brackets to the wall

Stride 18

Attach the Downspout to the Brackets

  • Finish the gutter job by attaching the downspouts to the wall.
    • Pro tip: If you can't find U-shaped brackets, make them from sections of downspout. They await amend than the bands that wrap around the outside and brand it easier to hang the downspouts.
  • Drive screws through the brackets into the assembled downspout.
  • Consummate the assembly by adding a length of downspout tube to the bottom elbow to direct water away from the foundation.

attach down spouts

Stride 19

Afterwards Installing Gutters, Maintenance Is the Key to Long-Lasting Gutters

  • Make clean leaves from your gutters twice a year, or hire a company that specializes in gutter cleaning and maintenance.
  • Yous'll extend the life of your gutters and eliminate problems like backed-up gutters and plugged downspouts.

finished gutter install

Pace 20

Buying Gutters

  • Ten-foot lengths of metal gutters, downspouts and accessories are available at habitation centers, lumberyards and full-service hardware stores.
  • Standard colors are brown and white.
  • Matching inside and exterior corners, downspout elbows and accessories are also available.
  • Buy special gutter sealant to seal the seams.
  • It's available in small toothpaste-type tubes or 10-oz. caulk gun tubes.
  • Using many of the same bones techniques nosotros show in this story, you tin can install your own "seamless" gutters.
  • Many seamless gutter companies will come to your house, measure out and class continuous lengths of aluminum gutter to fit, and sell you all the installation accessories you lot'll demand.
  • It costs a little more than, but you lot'll exist able to choose from dozens of colors and eliminate seams in the gutter runs.
  • You'll also save the hassle of measuring, shopping and hauling the parts dwelling in your VW bug.

gutterguard

Originally Published: July 27, 2020