Options for patching holes in metal siding?

[Gietz]

Hoping some of the knowledgeable folks here can help me figure out what to do.
I have searched the forum and other places online and haven’t been able to find any fixes for my situation.

I have a 40x60x16 pole building that came with my recently new to me house. It is not insulated nor finished on the inside. The previous owner put white steel on the ceiling, and then proceeded to place lights in random spots with seemingly no plan. They were originally high bays, then as those went out, he replaced with flourescent tube fixtures (of course not all match each other). To say the least, the ceiling is just a hodgepodge of different lights which drives me nuts.

Long story short, I bought all new integrated LED lighting fixtures (12 total) and plan to install them in a standard 3x4 grid fashion for even light distribution like they should be. But, my dilemma is that none of the new light locations will land where the current holes are in the metal ceiling. Being that it’s 2400 sqft of ceiling, I’d like to salvage the current metal and not replace it if possible to avoid spending ~$2.5-3k on new metal. But I will inevitably have holes all over and I was planning to do blown-in insulation once everything is all said and done.

Has anyone dealt with this or does anyone have any suggestions for patching small holes in these steel panels without having to replace them? Just to be clear, the metal is just the standard pole barn steel panels from Menards, etc.

 

[Copymutt]

Cut patches and weld em up?

 

[frozen-stitches]

Just get some bondo and fill the holes, then repaint

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Perhaps buy a few panels and cut them into ~ 3' lengths, then screw or pop-rivet them over the holes.

 

[Kaizen]

Get one panel the same color. Cut patches a few inches larger. Epoxy or panel bond the patches from above. With lights on you won’t see it


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[The Cobbler]

depend how fussy you are wanting the finished product to look.
you have been given examples above that will fill the holes.

 

[rsanter]

Install electrical outlets for drop cords in a few of the locations.
Other locations you can put an electrical cover plate and paint it.
For just basic small holes install a rivit or bolt and paint to match

 

[tthornto]

Are you talking just screw and wire holes, electrical box holes, or big gaping holes the size of the old light fixtures?

 

[Gietz]

Thanks all for the various ideas. I will have to think about how to incorporate some of them. tthornto...yes to all those things except the big gaping holes. There are screw holes from existing light fixtures, holes with grommets for just the 12-2 wire, holes for the hooks and chains for the old commercial High-Bay metal-halide lights the previous owner originally had. Being 16' ceilings, I haven't gotten up there to take any down yet to see what the situation is under the current fluorescent fixtures so I'm not sure if it's just a wire poking through or if there is a round hole for a typical ceiling receptacle box. Either way, it's a random mix of stuff. Right now I'm leaning towards the idea of trying to find a matching color panel and see if I can cut it up to patch over the holes. I'm not sure where the original owner bought the steel so that could be tricky to get the right color match, but ultimately doable.

Long term when I insulate and finish the walls, I will be installed the perforated acoustic steel panels (Menards sells them) and I'd love to do the ceiling in it also...but it's really hard to justify the cost when there's already perfectly good steel already there.

 

[Lynden]

Use sheet metal plugs. Just about every size is available for all thicknesses of sheet metal. Spray paint them to match the ceiling.

http://www.essentracomponents.com/e...Vhl9-Ch2mvgQvEAMYASAAEgJ6j_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

http://www.essentracomponents.com/en-us/caps-plugs/push-fit-plugs/panel-plugs

 

[NUTTSGT]

The small holes just caulk them shut. At 16' nobody is going to see them.

 

[PugetDude]

It's profiled siding, not flat, right?
Caulk the small holes. For bigger holes cut a patch with a hole saw or snips from a piece of matching material, making sure you match the ribs. Apply a bit of construction adhesive around the perimeter on the underside of the patch and use the 1/4" center hole to secure it over the hole with a spreader bar while the glue dries.

 

[Jayhawk_Aviator]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm curious if there are any other creative solutions for side panel patching. I have two gashes in the side where I ran into it with the tractor, and I'd like to patch without replacing the whole side (but don't want it to look terrible. Patch cut out of profiles metal and pop-rivet with a bunch of sealant? Anything else more elegant?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm curious if there are any other creative solutions for side panel patching. I have two gashes in the side where I ran into it with the tractor, and I'd like to patch without replacing the whole side (but don't want it to look terrible. Patch cut out of profiles metal and pop-rivet with a bunch of sealant? Anything else more elegant?

In a case like this I will use a metal cutting blade to cut the steel above the damage but below the screwline. Remove damage and replace with longer panels that slide under the original siding. You will still see the cut line and the color will most probably be slightly off, because of paint fade caused by the sun. If the metal blade leaves a rough surface I will use tin snips to cut a smooth edge. It wouldn't hurt to paint the cut edge with a clear to prevent rust, using a small brush just on the edge of the cut.

 

[larry_g]

Me, I'm a bit of a fun loving guy. I'd find a step bit to open the holes to a standard size and then use a chrome hole plug to fill the hole. Now people will see 'stars' in the ceiling and wonder what the hell?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-...hLHuu9hwK2YdqRn0QaCjZ12r9UCsbEkxoCO4QQAvD_BwE

They come in a variety of sizes so pick a few different ones that will work for you with minimum opening of the existing holes.

Or you can use the old standard, used licence plates.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[brownbagg]

jb weld

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Me, I'm a bit of a fun loving guy. I'd find a step bit to open the holes to a standard size and then use a chrome hole plug to fill the hole. Now people will see 'stars' in the ceiling and wonder what the hell?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-...hLHuu9hwK2YdqRn0QaCjZ12r9UCsbEkxoCO4QQAvD_BwE

They come in a variety of sizes so pick a few different ones that will work for you with minimum opening of the existing holes.

Or you can use the old standard, used licence plates.

lg
no neat sig line

I like the idea. Take it a little further and use low voltage leds. Copy the night sky or make your own universe....

 

[Gietz]

Thank you all for the continued options. For the small screw holes I will just get some white caulking and call it a day. It’s the larger holes I’m worried about.

Lynden,
Thanks for the sheet metal plug link. Something like that is what I was trying to find and those might just work! I might order a couple and give it a try. As long as they will seal up well enough to keep blown in insulation from falling through that’s all I need. I appreciate the info!