How to Rivet Gutters

Rain Gutter full of leaves
  • 4-8 hours
  • Beginner
  • 10

Knowing how to rivet your rain gutters seems like a pretty simple thing. However, you must remember the key elements in which you complete this task.

First, you should know what exactly you are working with, and why you are doing it. A rivet is placed between two sets of material to hold the pieces together. When a rivet is used for a rain gutter it turns the two or three pieces into one long rain gutter.

Below are tips to remember when learning how to rivet. Ignoring these simple things can turn your should-have-been-simple project into a long run of problems.

Step 1 - Choose the Right Rivet Material

Choosing the right rivets means choosing a way to help prevent damage to your gutters. Aluminum material requires aluminum rivets, just as steel material requires steel rivets.

When you choose the same material for rivets as your gutter material, you are taking the time to make sure you are doing everything in your power to prevent corrosion that happens when two different materials are used and secured together.

Step 2 - Drill the Right Size Holes

impact driver with drill bits next to it

Just as important as choosing the right rivets, is how large you drill the holes for the rivets. You must take careful measurements of the rivets in order to choose the right drill bit to drill the holes.

The harder it is to secure the rivets in place at the end means it is a more secure fit. Obviously they can't be too small of a hole that the rivets don't fit at all but making sure it is small enough to ensure a very snug fit is what you are looking for.

Step 3 - Use Clamps While Drilling

After you have measured the rivets and chosen your drill bit to use, don't start drilling quite yet. You will first want to lay out your rivets onto the gutters. Set them very close to the place you are wanting them to be inserted into. Temporarily secure these rivets down with clamps. Now you can start to drill the holes for your rivets.

Clamping these rivets down during the drilling process ensures that your gutter will not move, and your drilling will be precise.

Step 4 - Insert the Rivets

pile of metal rivets

After the holes are drilled for your rivets, it's time to remove those clamps and start placing your rivets into place.

All you need to do is push the rivets into place. Remember that if you drilled the holes incorrectly this could be a tad tougher task. The rivets will push harder, but they will snap into place. The tighter it is, and the harder it is to get them inserted means the more secure attachment they have.

Avoid rushing through the project because precision and accuracy are among the top things to remember in this DIY project.

All you need to do is remember the above tips to ensure that you have a rain gutter that remains together for a very long time.