How do you do drip edge corners?
Short answer. At an outside corner, install the eave piece first and let it run slightly past the corner, then cut and fold the rake piece so its face wraps over the eave piece and laps it. The rake always laps over the eave, following the direction water flows, so nothing can run behind the metal.
Outside corner, eave to rake
- Eave piece: run it about an inch past the rake fascia. Snip the face at the corner line and fold that small tab around the end of the fascia, or trim it flush if the rake piece will cover it fully.
- Underlayment: it goes over the eave drip edge and under the rake drip edge, so lay it before the rake piece.
- Rake piece: cut the bottom end at the angle of the roof pitch. Snip the face so a tab extends below the deck line, then bend that tab down over the eave drip edge face.
- Fasten: nail the roof flange no more than 12 inches apart, keeping nails high enough to be covered by shingles.
Other corners
- Hip corners, where two eaves meet: miter both faces, or notch one piece and wrap it around the other so the lap faces downhill.
- Inside corners, where an eave meets a wall or dormer: notch the roof flange so the face can turn the corner, and overlap the next piece at least 2 inches.
Common mistakes
- A gap at the corner, which feeds water straight into the end grain of the fascia.
- Tucking the rake piece under the eave piece, which reverses the lap.
- Leaving sharp, ragged cuts that slice hands and gutter guards.
Good tin snips and a hand seamer make clean bends. See drip edge explained and roof flashing explained.