Creative Building Supply Solutions Posts

Ask any car restoration enthusiast what their favorite part of the restoration process is and they’ll almost always say the bodywork. Depending on how badly a car’s body is dented, scratched and/or corroded, you might be able to apply acidic rust treatments, use car paint to cover scratches or pull out minor dents. 

When panels, hoods and other car body parts are beyond fixable, you’ll need to get the best corrugated metal panels that will restore your car to mint condition.

What is Corrugated Sheet Metal?

Corrugated sheet metal is a versatile, lightweight building material recognizable by its rippled, or corrugated pattern. Corrosion resistant and durable, corrugated sheet metal can be easily coated with a variety of colorful varnishes or paints. The versatility and workability of corrugated sheet metal makes it a popular choice for roofs, decks, sidings and for restoring automobiles

A corrugated metal panel customized to meet specific dimensions of your auto restoration project is made using a cold-form process. Panels are pressed and rolled to create a certain corrugated shape. 

Since each corrugation formed in a metal panel enhances tensile strength, metal panels with multiple corrugations will provide even better resistance to impacts and weather damage. In addition, corrugated metal is one of the easiest types of metal panels you can manipulate and work with when restoring a car.

Galvanized Sheet Metal for Car Restoration Projects

Galvanized metal has been dipped in molten zinc to provide strong protection against corrosion. The small amount of iron in a metal panel reacts to zinc by forming an alloy that gives metal panels a glossy yet durable finish.

Another method for galvanizing corrugated metal panels called Galvalume has become a favorite galvanizing method among car restoration professionals. Consisting of silicon, aluminum and zinc, Galvalume coats sheet metal panels for maximum protection against oxidation. 

Galvalume is also more resistant to liquids, such as water and gasoline, which accelerate oxidation. In fact, sheet metal coated with Galvalume may remain rust-free for as long as 10 to 15 years.

Types of Corrugated Sheet Metal for Car Restoration

Mild (Steel) Sheet Metal

Mild steel contains minimal carbon to help improve on pure iron qualities. In most low carbon steel materials, the amount of carbon contained in the steel ranges between .05% to .25%. Other elements can be incorporated in mild steel to enhance tensile strength, resistance to wear and tear and prevent corrosion.

Steel that is appropriately heat treated increases in carbon content. When deciding what kind of sheet metal to use for car restoration, be aware that the higher the carbon content in steel, the less hard and ductile it becomes. 

Steel ductility refers to the ability of a piece of steel to bend when pressure is applied. So, for purposes of restoring automobiles, it is important to know that higher carbon steel will offer better hardness and strength.

A great choice for replacing door skins, firewalls or fenders, mild sheet metal strong, malleable and easy to weld. Mild steel is also cost-effective if you need to stick close to a budget. 

Some mild steel panels may require anti-corrosive treatment before use. However, don’t use heat when treating a mild steel panel. Heat can interfere with carbon content and reduce the durability of mild steel.

Aluminum Sheet Metal

Advantages of aluminum sheet metal for car restoration include:

• Lightweight/easy to handle (this makes it a top choice for restoring dashboards)
• More resistant to corrosion than steel
• Can be anodized/painted in different colors
• Stronger than mild steel
• Recyclable

Although aluminum costs slightly more than mild steel, it is more affordable than brass or stainless steel. When welding aluminum, be aware that it tends to tear easily. 

Car restoration experts recommend using only a TIG or spool gun MIG welder to avoid tearing aluminum sheet metal. Aluminum also works well for bulkhead restoration projects.

Stainless Steel Metal Panels

An alloy of chromium, nickel, iron and various metals, stainless steel is exceptionally resistant to corrosion and long-lasting. Due to its high melting point, stainless steel is an ideal material for tubing, panels, brackets and interior trim. The only disadvantage to using stainless steel for car restoration purposes is that it costs more than mild steel or aluminum and it will readily show dirt and smudges.

Vehicles made between the 1920s and the 1970s will almost always have stainless steel trim. When old car trim can’t be restored to its classic appearance, contact CBS Sheet Metal for information about customized stainless steel panels.

What to Know About Sheet Metal Gauge

When researching which type of metal panels would work best for your car restoration project, get to know something about gauge standards. Gauge is the thickness of a piece of sheet metal. In the past, automobile sheet metal once ran around the 18 gauge mark (approx. 0.047 inch). 

Today, auto sheet metal commonly carries gauges of 22, 23 and 24 and is considered high strength steel. Measure sheet metal gauge by using a tape measure and multiplying millimeters by .03937 to come up with a measurement in inches.

Get Superior Customized Corrugated Sheet Metal Panels from CBS Sheet Metal

We understand the amount of time, money and hard work you put into any car restoration projects. That’s why when you purchase sheet metal for muscle, antique, classic or vintage car restoration from Creative Building Supply Co., you receive metal panels precisely meeting your specifications.

CBS Sheet Metal offers corrugated metal panels in various sizes, gauges and finishes that we guarantee will exceed your expectations. We also specialize in stainless steel, steel, aluminum and reinforced plastic fabrication to accommodate all your car restoration needs. 

Check out our comprehensive inventory of corrugated sheet metal panels or don’t hesitate to call us to order customized sheet metal or to get help with determining what kind of sheet metal would work best for your car restoration project.

Tin is so in right now, and homeowners across the US are remodeling with corrugated metal interest pieces inside and out. Take advantage of your free time during quarantine to start a new project or to finish up an old one. From showers to interiors to garage bars and sheds, corrugated metal elements bring texture and subtlety to interior and exterior design features. Corrugated metal can bring the softness of other elements into harmony with a more masculine feature.

Corrugated metal adds a lot of personality to a variety of areas of the home and makes them feel more welcoming and unassuming. That’s part of why we see it popping up everywhere from shed siding to alcoves to bars and shower stalls. Let’s examine a few design ideas for your next quarantine project.

Garage Bars and Sheds

One of the unfortunate realities of city living is looking out the window and seeing the same house repeatedly all the way down the block. Add some spice and individuality to your backyard and re-side your shed. Corrugated metal siding for sheds is an easy weekend project. 

All you need is a few tools and supplies and a helping hand to hold up each 36″ wide sheet. You can cut thicker corrugated metal with a circular saw or thinner sheets with tin snips.

Building a shed with corrugated metal is a lot cheaper than building one with wood. Building a shed with wood requires you to purchase expensive plywood sheets. Not only do you have to pay more for plywood, but you must also put siding over it or your shed will be ruined by the elements in a few years. 

It will also look terrible without siding. Siding is expensive. Corrugated metal sheets are quite literally half the price of plywood alone, and it doesn’t need to be covered. You put it up and that’s it. It’s an affordable, attractive and maintenance-free option for siding your shed.

You can coordinate the look of your backyard shed by building a corrugated metal garage bar or residing the bar you have now. Using corrugated metal to make bars is unique and eliminates some of the traditional challenges of building with wood. Bar frames are traditionally built with curved ends. If that’s how your bar frame looks, you’ll love using metal. 

Depending on the thickness of corrugated metal used, it’s easy to bend and form around a wood frame. There are fewer places to measure and cut because the metal comes in three-foot-wide sheets, making it a much faster and easier material to use.

Once the metal is up on the bar frame, that’s all you have to do. It doesn’t have to be sanded, varnished, waxed, painted or maintained other than giving it a good wipe-down occasionally. 

The best part is that stainless steel corrugated metal doesn’t rust. If you want the weathered, rusty look, just use corrugated tin. You can spray it with certain chemicals and give it an immediate rustic appeal, too.

Make Room for Metal

Not only is corrugated metal easier to build with than wood, using metal is more environmentally friendly, as it can be recycled or repurposed for other projects more easily. 

The opportunity cost of harvesting metal is lower than wood over the long-run, and in many cases, it lasts a lot longer than wood. It takes a hundred years to grow hardwood trees. Metal only has to be mined once. It takes hours to melt and mold metal.

Not only is corrugated metal more environmentally friendly than using all wood in projects, but it’s also more structurally sound. It doesn’t mold when it gets wet. It can withstand storms that wood can’t handle. 

It doesn’t have to be painted, though it can be if that’s what you want. It’s harder and stronger, it doesn’t warp from moisture, it’s easy to clean, and very durable. Wood has its place and certainly isn’t obsolete, but if it’s all you’re using in projects, it’s time to find other materials to incorporate into your projects.

The Protective Power of Metal

Corrugated metal is a unique material, especially if it’s made from stainless steel. It’s much stronger than plastic and won’t wear down from UV rays. Water won’t make it break down into micro-particles and pollute the environment. It’s naturally occurring, so if something does happen to it and it breaks down, it’s just a natural material going back into the earth.

Corrugated metal is very strong, especially in thicker sheets. The only thing that can really do much damage to it is extreme blunt force, very high wind or blistering heat. The same can’t be said for plastic or wood. Many builders are pushing corrugated metal roofing and siding because it means less warranty work for them later and fewer hassles for homeowners indefinitely.

Corrugated metal is easy to maintain. All you have to do is hose it down or brush it off if it gets dirty. If a metal roof is damaged or leaking, it’s easier to tell where the leak is coming from than it is with a traditional shingled roof. 

Making repairs is much faster too, as it’s just one large sheet to replace rather than hundreds or thousands of shingles to replace. Alternatively, the metal can be patched with a quick weld job. It’s also easier to install solar panels on metal roofs than on shingled roofs.

Many builders and homeowners strongly prefer using metal over other types of construction materials. It’s a lot harder to damage corrugated metal siding than it is to damage vinyl siding. Both look nice, but we know metal will last decades longer.

Quarantine time is the best time to finish projects around the house. Take advantage of the pandemic and use your free time to build sheds, re-side outbuildings, and build or refinish garage bars with corrugated metal. Find out more about pricing or sign up for great deals and tips about how to use corrugated metal in your projects.

Popular 4.2 Corrugated Metal Applications

One of the most common applications of our 4.2 corrugated metal is as a replacement for old transite panels. These were common in cooling towers, paper mills, and other various industrial plants throughout the US. Today, as many industrial areas are being re-purposed for commercial and residential uses, builders and developers seek out a replacement that will still provide a rugged look and feel, while avoiding the health issues surrounding transite.

The image above demonstrates transite panels being used in a more residential setting – a less common but still widespread application of the material. The pattern of 4.2 corrugated is identical to these old panels, meaning you achieve the same look and fit.

As the only producer of 4.2 corrugated sheet metal in the United States, we provide custom orders of all sizes for any application necessary. Our unique roll-forming machines are capable of producing huge quantities of the panel, meaning we can cater to any client, from the largest contractors to custom projects.

Call Today for Pricing

For the most up-to-date pricing on our 4.2 corrugated panels, or any of our corrugated sheet metal products, call us at 732-367-6333 or fill out our contact form here.

4.2 Corrugated Panels

Creative Building Supply supplied 4.2 Corrugated Metal Panels to El Dorado Chemical in Arkansas as a Transite replacement panel. Creative Building Supply roll formed over 100,000 SF of .050 Mill Finish Aluminum to our customers requested length of 28’6″, giving the building the same appearance as the Transite Panel, which is no longer available. El Dorado Chemical requested the order in two separate shipments about a month apart. CBS was able to roll form, pack, and ship within 3 days of receiving the coils. Our 4.2 Corrugated Roll Former gives us the ability to run any length up to 35’0″, with quick turnaround times, giving our customer the panels they want, when they want it.

Metal Sheets ready to be roll formed into 4.2″ Corrugated Metal Panels for El Dorado Chemical Company in Arkansas.

4.2″ Corrugated Metal Panels being roll formed with our state of the art roll former.

4.2″ Corrugated Metal Panels cut at a length of 28 feet 6 inches being transported in the CBS warehouse so they can be wrapped and shipped out to El Dorado Chemical in Arkansas.

Finished 4.2 inch Corrugated Metal Panels ready to be loaded and shipped out to El Dorado Chemical.

View our 4.2 Corrugated Metal Panel Details

Read more about our Metal Fabrication Shop

CBS Sheetmetal Lends Corrugated Panel Expertise to Copper Mine

A Copper Mine in Arizona needed a Corrugated Metal Panel made out of 14GA Cor-Ten. Previously they had trouble finding a manufacturer that could make the Corrugated Panels lay flat. With our press brake and rounded forming dies, CBS was able to produce the Corrugated Panels flat, and to the size specified. For the past 6 years, CBS has produced 1,750 14GA Cor-Ten Corrugated Metal Panels to keep the copper mines operational. We have also provided the customer with 20GA Type 316 Stainless Steel 4.2 Corrugated Panels along with 18GA 2-1/2 x 1/2 Corrugated Panels for upkeep on their surrounding buildings and warehouses.

Creative Building Supply specializes in sheet metal fabrication, corrugated metal, precision trim panel profiles and flashings. We supply custom sheet metal in PA (Pennsylvania) and NJ ( New Jersey).

Custom Sheet Metal Supplier in PA and NJ

We offer Residential Metal Roofing

• Commercial Metal Roofing
• Architectural Metal Roofing
• Corrugated Metal Roofing
• Perforated Metal
• Formed Metal Panels
• Corrugated roof Deck

Contact Us for more information 

Wall Systems Experiences Our Lightening-Fast Turnaround

One of our customers, Wall Systems, needed a quick turn around on some 12GA Galvanized Angle and Hat-Section x 10’0″, per drawings they provided us with. The material arrived in our shop on Friday, 6/28/13. We were able to shear and bend the metal to their custom specifications in our metal fabrication shop. We shipped the 8,520 LF of Angle and Hat by Wednesday, 7/03/13. It’s always pleasure being able to provide custom quality products for one of our happy customers.

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