An aluminum patio cover is a great way to keep your patio or deck out of the sun and rain. It also adds a nice look to your outdoor living space. One common question that comes up is can you walk on your aluminium patio cover. Whether you way to install something or for whatever reason, we will go over the answer to this question.
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Short answer to the question can you walk on an aluminium patio cover:
As far as walking on an aluminum patio cover, you can certainly do it, however, it also depends on whether or not there is flat plywood underneath or if you’re dealing with ribbed panel over rafters. You cant walk on the types that are completely aluminum constructs with no wood rafters.
That sums up the vast majority of aluminum patio covers that are available out there. The one you can walk over is constructed almost entirely of wood, with aluminum overlays, while the rafters version is similar to what you would find in an attic.
The cheapest available aluminum patio covers don’t use much in the way of wood—outside of 4×4 posts—while the rest is aluminum and you shouldn’t walk over that under any circumstances.
What Kind of Aluminum Patios Are There?
There are several types of aluminum patio covers. As discussed above, there are the standard, thin covers (sheets), that don’t require any wood structure, aluminum that overlays a rafter-like structure, and insulated aluminum.
They come in all shapes an sizes as well. You have your standard, rectangle or squared of aluminum patio covers, along with cabana, pool covers, pergolas, sunrooms, palapas, and gazebos.
Whatever floats your boat—in terms of what you want to install—the only kind that you can over are the structural aluminum patio covers; meaning that there is some sort of wood framework over which the aluminum is laid.
The last thing you want to do is get a brand new, aluminum patio cover—not in the least bit cheap—installed and go traipsing across the top before plunging through. Aluminum is strong, but its not that strong in certain constructs.
How to Walk on Wood Rafter Patio with Aluminum Overlay
There are two ways to do this. You can either walk on it, being very careful not to step in between the rafters (this is the most dangerous away), or you can carry a decent size, piece of plywood up with you, carefully laying it out over the areas that you need to walk.
As aforementioned, you should never walk out over an entirely aluminum roof (porch awning), as it simply won’t be able to hold your weight, even if you don’t way very much. Aluminum awnings are typically only rated to hold up to 30lbs.
Walking out over ribbed aluminum roofing, while not unsafe, does run the risk of damaging the raised rib pans since they are only about .024 inches thick. If you have to get out over it for a repair job and you can’t reach it from a ladder, you just have to be very careful where you step.
Using plywood, you can carefully spread the weight across the ribbed pans, which will keep you from bending or deforming them as you move across the roof. You can even carry up to several 1×8 pieces up with you and distribute them perpendicular across the roof.
Can You Walk Across An Insulated Aluminum Roof?
These insulated panels are comprised of three inches of hard foam insulation that is sandwiched between two thin layers of aluminum. This build is considered to be “structural” and is perfectly safe to walk over.
Keep in mind that this is usually very flat, slick aluminum and that any rain, dust, or debris that falls on the surface will make it extremely slippery to walk on. So even though it will safely hold your weight, you still want to be careful walking across the surface.
The way the material is laid and how it is put together is designed to hold up to a decent amount of weight. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s party time on the roof, but if you need to make repairs, you shouldn’t fear falling through.
Can Walking on an Aluminum Roof Damage It?
Generally speaking, the only type of aluminum roof that you could damage are the types that are designed with aluminum roof pans as well as any that are designed with grooves to channel the rain away.
Laying wooden boards or plywood across them is about the only way you can get across without bending the caps or damaging the grooves. Even if you lay wood across the top, if you are heavy enough, it may cause some of the flimsier elements of the grooves to flatten.
Otherwise, aluminum is a lot more resilient than you think, and the only reason that you would cause damage in the above example is that the aluminum material is manufactured very thin.
If you made steel that thin it would be problematic throwing your weight across it.
How Much Weight Will an Aluminum Awning Hold?
Aluminum awnings are designed to hold between 15 and 30 lbs, depending on the manufacturer and the type that is set up. You will never be able to climb on top of an aluminum awning.
Because of that, when you have it installed, you should be careful to have it installed in a place that you will easily be able to work around in the future.
If you’re thinking about painting the house, cleaning the gutters, residing in your home, or whatever you have in mind, you want to be sure that you can work around the aluminum awning, so having it installed in a good spot is crucial.
The same goes for any sort of aluminum construct that isn’t reinforced with wood beams and isn’t attached directly to the roof. Of course, there are so many types that it really just depends on you how you want it set up and where.
Final Thoughts
There are a few aluminum patios covers that you can climb out on top of and a few that you can’t. For the ones that you can, you should always check to make sure that there’s no moisture up top. Just because you can walk on it, doesn’t mean it’s always safe.
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