How to Make a Rain Diverter
DIY Projects, Exterior, Roofing by Ben Erickson
Installing a rain diverter over the doorway to your house will make life a little easier the next time you come home during a downpour. While diverters are available at many building supply stores, they are not hard to make if you have trouble finding them.
Materials Needed
- Sheet aluminum
- Two straight 2×4s
- Two 3” or larger clamps
- Rubber mallet
- Utility knife
- Straight edge
Sheet aluminum is sold by the roll in the roofing section of building supply stores. You will need a piece 8” wide and two feet longer than the width of the door you plan to cover. While sheet aluminum can be cut with tin snips or even scissors, you can get a smoother more accurate cut using a utility knife and a straight edge such as a framing square.
Lay the aluminum sheet on a flat surface and cut it to length by scoring along the straight edge several times with a utility knife. Bend the aluminum back and forth along the mark until it breaks. Cut the sheet lengthwise to 8” wide using the same method.
Sandwich the sheet of aluminum between the 2×4s, leaving 2” protruding, and clamp it in place. The edges of the 2×4s must be straight and line up with each other, otherwise the bend will cause wrinkles in the sheet metal.
Start at one end and push down on the protruding aluminum while working toward the other end. Repeat this process several times until the sheet has been bent to a right angle.
Using the rubber mallet, or a hammer and block of wood, tap along the edge to finish the bend.
Remove the clamps and attach the diverter to the roof as detailed in the article Installing a Rain Diverter.
2 Comments on “How to Make a Rain Diverter”
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June 1st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I need a rain divertor for a metal standing seam roof. Any suggestions? A standard metal divertor will not fit over the roofing rises.
October 9th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
have small upper roof on dormer and small shed roof over man and garage doors,and only a two-inch faschia with exposed short rafters on both. gutter would be too big and ruin design, but water from both roofs splashes both doors. How would I install a diverter at the edge of the roof shingles to divert water to either side of the shed? Would this work except for downpours? I’m in Maine.