Creative Design Bullnose Coping

Creative Design Bullnose Coping is a metal coping cover from the Creative Design Series of Metal-Era, the roof edge manufacturer based in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The cover has a rounded bullnose edge on the outside face, which gives the top of the parapet a distinct profile. It snaps down over 12-in.-wide galvanized anchor clips fastened to the wall, so no crimping is done and no adhesive is used.

Covers are made in 4-ft. lengths. Joints between lengths are backed by 8-in.-wide concealed splice plates, and corners and ends are fabricated in the factory as miters and endcaps. Within the Creative Design Series the bullnose profile sits beside the Bold Face, Reveal, Cornice, Leak-Tite and Stone-Look versions, each with its own size range and materials.

Metal-Era lists this coping among its roof edge products, which are the perimeter metal components that finish the edge of flat roof assemblies at a parapet wall.

The bullnose cover is made to fit these dimensions:

• Outside face: 4 1/2 in. minimum and 12 in. maximum.
• Inside face: 2 1/4 in. minimum and 6 in. maximum.
• Actual wall width: 4 in. minimum and 24 in. maximum.

A 3/8-in. space is provided in the cover for variation in the wall width. Anchor clip spacing is set by the manufacturer, and the product is offered with clips at 4 ft. on center or 2 ft. on center, each with its own installation sheet.

Among the Creative Design Series versions, the bullnose wall range starts at 4 in., while the Bold Face version starts at 5 in. and the Cornice version at 5 in. The Reveal version is a larger profile, with an outside face of 7 3/4 in. to 12 in., an inside face of 6 1/2 in. to 10 in. and a wall size of 7 1/4 in. to 16 in. The Leak-Tite version covers walls of 3 1/2 in. to 16 in. and the Stone-Look version covers walls of 5 in. to 32 in.

The bullnose cover is formed from one of three materials:

• 22-gauge galvanized steel
• .050-in. aluminum
• .063-in. aluminum

Bold Face covers are also offered in 24-gauge steel and .040-in. aluminum, but those thinner materials are not listed for the bullnose version.

For Creative Design Bullnose Coping, standard colors are coil-coated with Kynar 500 and carry a 30-year finish warranty. Ten express colors are offered: Almond, Bone White, Cityscape, Clear Anodized, Dark Bronze, Medium Bronze, Sandstone, Sierra Tan, Slate Gray and Stone White. All colors are also available as a mill finish.

On Creative Design Bullnose Coping, custom post-coated Kynar 500 colors include a 10-year finish warranty, and a 20-year Kynar 500 finish warranty is available on request. Anodized finishes carry a 5-year warranty. Coil-anodized finishing has no warranty, while post-coat Class 1 batch anodizing is covered for 5 years with an option to raise it to 10 years for an additional charge.

Each cover is held by 12-in.-wide galvanized anchor clips. Corrosion-resistant stainless-steel springs are attached to the clips at the factory and keep the cover spring-loaded once it is snapped on. The fastening holes in the clips are pre-punched and slotted, which allows the metal to move with temperature changes.

Every joint between cover lengths has an 8-in.-wide concealed splice plate. The plate carries two factory-applied strips of non-curing butyl sealant, which seal the joint and allow for thermal movement. A 3/8-in. space is left at each splice joint.

Fasteners are provided with the coping and are matched to the substrate named on the order: wood, masonry or metal. Where no substrate is given, wood-substrate fasteners are supplied. The installation notes call for corrosion-resistant fasteners rated for a minimum 250-lb. pullout force in the substrate being used. Over an EIFS wall, the face is fastened through with a fastener long enough to penetrate the nailer.

The print approval drawing for the bullnose cover is marked ANSI/SPRI ES-1 tested, the roof edge wind test that the Metal-Era literature cites as ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1. No test pressures, FM approval or Miami-Dade approval are published for this version.

An earlier Creative Design Series sell sheet (METL-0360 REV-1021) lists the testing field for the bullnose version as N/A. In that table only the Reveal version shows ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1, and only the Leak-Tite version shows FM Approved and Miami-Dade County Approved.

Factory-fabricated miters take the place of field fabrication at corners and ends. Welded outside 90-degree miters, welded inside 90-degree miters, and welded right and left endcaps are offered. Non-90-degree miters are ordered on a separate print approval, #11011-1487.

Because these pieces are made with welded seams, miters and accessories must be made of .050-in. aluminum, .063-in. aluminum or another heavy-gauge material. For Creative Design Bullnose Coping, welded accessories require a minimum material thickness of .050 in.

• non-90-degree miters;
• step-up coping miters;
• straight coping transitions, and straight coping transitions with capped ends;
• transition coping miters;
• "Z" coping miters;
• the Space Maker outside coping miter;
• peak and valley miters;
• inside T miters and outside T miters;
• inside and outside coping miters with endcaps;
• pilaster caps.

The miter and endcap forms offer a welded or quicklock accessory type. Specially fabricated products are also available for the needs of an individual project.

Before the coping goes on, the roof membrane is positioned over the top of the wall so that it covers the treated wood nailer or substrate completely, with at least 1/2 in. (13 mm) of excess membrane beyond the nailer where applicable. This is an NRCA requirement. The miters are installed first. Installation runs in ten steps, the same with clips at 4-ft. or 2-ft. centers:

1. Corner support clips: locate and fasten galvanized corner clips to the wall.
2. Miter splice plates and anchor clips: position the splice plate in the center of the anchor clip, then install the splice plate and anchor clip assembly into each end of the corner.
3. Miter: place the corner assembly into position and secure it at the exposed edge of the anchor clips.
4. Endcap anchor clips: locate and fasten galvanized anchor clips to the wall.
5. Endcap splice plates: remove the release paper from the top of the factory-applied sealant strips and place the splice plate onto the second anchor clip.
6. Endcap: hook the outside face of the endcap over the anchor clips and rotate it into place, then engage the rear leg onto the clips by pressing downward until the snap lock occurs.
7. Anchor clips: locate and fasten galvanized anchor clips to the wall with the provided fasteners, at 4-ft. or 2-ft. centers.
8. Splice plates: remove the release paper from the sealant strips and place a splice plate onto the anchor clips at each splice joint.
9. Coping: hook the outside face of the cover over the anchor clips, rotate it into place and press the rear leg down until the snap lock occurs.
10. Completion: continue installing coping with a 3/8-in. space at each splice joint for thermal expansion, field cutting where necessary with a fine-tooth hacksaw or snips, and remove the protective film immediately.

Each anchor clip is fastened in the third full hole from the bend. With clips at 2-ft. on-center spacing, the fastener is not to be over-tightened and the 3/8-in. gap is maintained.

The Creative Design Series carries a 20-year, 120 mph wind warranty, available on orders made to meet a project's specification. It provides a maximum of 20 years and 120 mph of coverage for the repair or replacement of any portion of the roof edge system that has failed because of a defect in Metal-Era supplied materials. The finish warranties described above are separate.