Rain Gutter Replacement

Tools:

ladders
clamp
hammers
pry bar
file
carpenter's pencil
circular saw
buckets
trowels
drills with bits and nut-driving attachments
block of wood that fits inside gutter
carpenter's square
tin snips
leather gloves
safety goggles
3-inch galvanized deck screws
7-inch gutter screws
flexible spout
gutter elbow joints
gutter seam sealers
gutter sections
treated lumber

1. Use garden trowels to remove all debris from old gutter. Pull out old spikes with hammer and pry bar. Make sure you put a block of wood inside the gutter to provide leverage (figure B). Otherwise you'll just crush the gutter.

2. If the gutters have been leaking for awhile, then the fascia boards behind them are probably bad, too (figure C).

3. Remove the fascia boards using the pry bar and hammer, and use the old boards as templates for new pieces. Cut the boards with a circular saw. If you need to join two or more boards, adjust the saw blade to make 45-degree cuts on the ends to create a seamless joint (figure D).

4. Gutter sections usually come in 10-foot lengths, so you'll probably have to make some cuts. Mark the cuts and place the blocks of wood in the gutter for support and cut with a hacksaw (figure E).

5. Connect the downspout and end caps. Run a bead of silicone caulk on the joints (figure F). Clamp the pieces together and allow them to dry and set up while you attach the fascia.

6. Attach fascia boards with galvanized screws every 12 inches (figure G). Bring the long gutter section up and attach it so it has a gentle slope leading to the downspout. Secure the gutter to the fascia with the hidden clips and supplied screws (figure H).

7. Bring up adjoining sections, lock the seams together and secure with clips. Run a bead of sealer inside gutter along the joint.

8. Use 7-inch gutter spikes to firmly attach the gutter section. Drill 1/4-inch pilot holes through the gutter lip, insert spikes through holes into sheaths and into the fascia and secure (figure I).

9. Attach downspout using elbow joints. Secure the downspout with brackets.