Onion Dome Strikes Again — Alternate options to 1/4″ Lauan?
Howdy all,
Thanks once more for the assistance on my [previous post](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/feedback/1362ccg/onion_dome_solutions/) about my grandpa’s 1983 Onion Dome, which was constructed as a Japanese-stlye onsen bathe (used as soon as on this method) then served 4 a long time as a glorified shed, and is now beneath renovations as a loft bed room. Vital particulars addressed within the final publish — it isn’t completely waterproof, and isn’t occupied 12 months spherical, so it’s not (at the moment second) well worth the trouble of perfecting the roof and putting in insulation.
Sadly there are 400-500 protruding (by about 1.5″) rusty nails that maintain the shingles on. I would like to take care of these in order that I might have a buddy spend the evening there with out getting tetanus. A buddy would spend the evening possibly a couple of times a month. Here is [some more pics](https://imgur.com/a/RjNEe0C) of the setup.
*My aim is to guard the (visiting) tenant of the bed room loft whereas preserving the aesthetic character.*
I went up this week with my grandpa to attempt to repair this.
1. First I attempted lopping the top of the nails with a correct nail-clipping instrument. Did not work — nails too thick. Attempting to pry the ends off simply damages the plywood on the dome.
2. I discovered some moldy outdated veneer, and as proof of idea, slid it in between the vertical studs. With some contemporary veneer, it might obscure the nails visually, however would not maintain up in opposition to a lot pressure.
3. I purchased some 1/4″ lauan and made some approximate cuts to measurement. The sloping concave triangle is admittedly tough to get proper, and there are 12 of them. Pictured is my first try.
Is there a greater materials than the 1/4″ lauan or the veneer?
Comments ( 7 )
Can’t you cut them off with an angle grinder and a cutoff blade?
As always, make sure you take the appropriate safety precautions.
Need bigger clippers.
I’m pretty confident some 30″ bolt cutters would get through most nails.
If you have a reciprocating saw, you can use a metal cutting blade to take the nail ends off. Those blades are cheaper than a multi-tool by a big margin.
You could use spray foam as it would accomplish multiple goals. It would cover the exposed nails while also insulating the space.
Solid Foam insulation blocks, cut to shape. Then over-board the inside. You can ‘keep the character’ by doing a good job of the interior panelling, You dont need to see the inside of the shingles.
Benefits – Warmer quieter place inside. Cleaner/Less dust. If you need to nail new shingles later, the nails go into the foam.
Sorry for the non-answer to the question you actually asked, but have you tried big nippers like these?
https://www.harborfreight.com/16-inch-heavy-duty-end-nipper-42266.html
Have you tried bending them back? Get biggest pair of pliers have bend tip so ideally it’s laying flat, but at minimum aim tip back towards exterior. If the material holding the nail is sturdy enough could try just hammering it flat. Not as great as plywood, but it’s free.