Good morning, my project is a steel pole building/garage. The building is framed and it's time to pour. I ran into a problem with the elevation of the metal siding and trim. The framer tells me that he pours the slab/apron against the metal trim on the jambs of the overhead doors. Said he has been doing it for years without problem. It goes against my intuition, I think the concrete will cause the trim to rust. I checked with the manufacturer, they said don't do it. I checked on line, it appears that the jamb trim is either installed above the concrete apron or cut to stay above it. If any of you guys have a similar set up I'd love to hear if you poured against the trim or cut it to keep it out of the concrete. Thanks.
metal pole building
- Thread starter neutron
- Start date
Justanoldguy
Well-known member
Don't leave it in the concrete.
He is not doing you any favors leaving it there.
He is not doing you any favors leaving it there.
Nighttrain
Well-known member
Does the builder offer a warranty? If not, I bet he has never had any problems with it because he is long gone when it rust. It may not rust for years but I am sure it will.
The company was been good to work with and I'm pleased with the workmanship. The company manager acknowledged that they set the siding and trim a bit too low and offered to pull it off and trim it back. I really don't want to go through all of that. You know the second attempt is usually worse than the first. 
The guy told me that his office is a pole building that is 35 years old. The apron was poured against the metal jamb, no rust or problems after 35 years. I think he being straight with me but it still goes against my grain. I think I will install a piece of 1/8 inch foam insulation (sill sealer or rigid foam board) against the metal and pour against the foam. I can push it down with a spackling knife after the concrete sets and fill the gap with caulk.
The guy told me that his office is a pole building that is 35 years old. The apron was poured against the metal jamb, no rust or problems after 35 years. I think he being straight with me but it still goes against my grain. I think I will install a piece of 1/8 inch foam insulation (sill sealer or rigid foam board) against the metal and pour against the foam. I can push it down with a spackling knife after the concrete sets and fill the gap with caulk.
pinebarkauto
Well-known member
I have a Morton building and the jamb trim at my 10 X 10 door openings was below the level I wanted my concrete apron to be. The concrete contractor supplied a heavy "tar paper" similar to roofing felt (could have been roofing felt) that he wrapped the bottoms with. Seems to have worked OK as it has been 19 years with no rust. He also wrapped the wood post and apron boards around the interior perimeter with 3/8 or 1/2 inch expansion joint material before pouring the floor to keep the concrete off the wood. Chip.
64dragnwagon
Well-known member
My trim was installed the same way, I put expansion (blackboard) around the whole building (bottom treated form, poles and metal trim around OH door openings) I also asked the builder and he said they always do it and the metal has a 40 yr warranty. I do think I will caulk around the metal trim just to be sure.
Thanks for the replies. Has anyone used foam insulation to isolate the concrete from the metal trim. I'm considering using a foam sill sealer (6 inch wide x 1/8 thick roll of foam insulation that is typically placed over the top of the foundation under the house sill plate. It's inert and I can push it down with a putty knife and caulk the gap after the concrete sets up.