Make Shingles and Siding Out of Aluminum Cans (Beer Can Roof)

Step 8 Cap the Top

Fold a lip lengthwise on some more aluminum rectangles so they have a round exposed edge and staple + overlap them across the ridge. The last cap piece will need caulking on the staples unless you try some tricky folding.

When I posted this Instructable, the roof was in operation for a month with a few spring rain storms. It had no leaks!!!!!!?? Crazy; I wonder how long it'll last.

03 Feb 2009- No major problems so far except for a bad hail storm; it has been about a year out in the weather. I had a few loose staples on the ridge cap last month. See the one-year pictures below. The dent damage seen in the photos was from a golf ball size hail storm late last spring that ruined every roof in town.

Comments

[Muzhik]

If you didn't bother to "mold" the cans, could you simply flattened the cans to use as siding for your house?

[rnipper28150]

This is a really good idea! I would be careful on those sunny days, though. That roof will be hot and the reflection off of it will be bright.

[mechanixman]

but even if the roof did heat up, a solar water heater will produce sooo much more HOT water!

[rnipper28150]

I was commenting on the reflectivity. There was a problem with a metal-skinned structure in LA, the bright reflection was actually blinding drivers and causing accidents. I think it was the LA opera house.

[consolidatedwm]

I agree that the roof would be hot but, the bulk of the heat would be reflected away from the roof I would think. This is a cool idea, maybe we should do an entire Guiness roof.......

[tulekah]

i'd sure love to help you gather material...but i'm on a diet

[karrock]

You could always kill off some cans of that Anheuser Busch Drinking Water... (and no I don't mean Bud Light)
http://www.anheuser-busch.com/press/2010/Jan/Anheuser-Busch-Delivers-Canned-Water-to-Assist-Perry-County.html

[Ole bally]

This is an awesome idea well done on the instructable! I have had it in mind for a while myself but never gotten round to it! We have hundreds of tons of cans here in Zim that litter everywhere! I'm also making a bottle crusher that'll reduce the disposable beer bottles to river sand grain size for use in decorative cement work! These projects are great for income for handicapped folk and charitable institutions!

[Whamola]

Very cool idea. Time consuming, but cool. But yes, if you were planning to use this for more of a permanent structure for living or storage, using tar paper between the cans (er... shingles) and the wood would be the "proper" way of doing it. Good idea. Thanks

[thickneckarts]

I want to build a medium sized shed for storing garden tools, etc. Think these shingles would hold out rain pretty well?

[ashleyinasheville]

I use this method of recycling beer cans for making roofs for birdhouses that I make...great instructable! Easy to cut into detail and easily bendable.

[robbtoberfest]

I think so. So far, my shingles have held up very well for this first year; no leaks at all. For extra security on your roof project, maybe a layer of felt paper would help, but then you might have to use longer staples.