Repair Hail Damage on Metal Roofs

It’s a Tuesday morning in June, and a fast-moving storm with nickel-to-quarter-sized hail has just rolled through Garden City and Rockville Centre. By noon, I’m standing in driveways looking at standing seam and corrugated metal roofs covered in dimples and small dents-but no visible leaks. The question every homeowner asks first: “Is this just cosmetic, or real damage that needs repair?”

The answer depends on four things: whether seams, fasteners, or coatings are damaged; whether panel shape or drainage has changed; whether you can see punctures or cracks; and how soon corrosion or leaks might start. Most dents you see from the ground are cosmetic, but about a third of hail-hit metal roofs in Nassau County have functional damage-something I can usually spot in ten minutes once I’m on the roof with a chalk marker and a careful look at seams and ribs.

Here’s how to assess metal roof hail damage, decide what needs repair, work with your insurance company, and choose a repair approach that protects your home without overspending or ignoring real problems.

First Question: Is It Safe and Is Water Getting In?

Before you do anything else, walk your interior spaces. Check the attic, top-floor rooms, and any ceilings directly under the metal roof for new stains, drips, or damp insulation that appeared after the storm. Fresh water intrusion means you have functional hail damage, even if the dents look small from outside.

Do not climb onto your metal roof to inspect. Hail, rain, and residual moisture make metal panels slippery-especially on slopes over 4:12. I’ve seen homeowners slide off standing seam roofs trying to check a few dents. Use binoculars or a zoom camera from the ground, and leave close-up inspection to an insured professional with proper safety gear and metal roof experience.

Understanding Hail Damage on Metal Roofs

Cosmetic vs Functional Damage

Everyone talks about this distinction, but here’s what it actually means. Cosmetic damage is dents or dimples in flat panel surfaces that don’t crack coatings, distort ribs or seams, or change how water drains. The roof still works exactly as designed-it just doesn’t look perfect anymore.

Functional damage is anything that compromises watertightness, structural integrity, or long-term durability: cracked or chipped coatings that expose bare metal; kinked ribs or distorted seams that could trap water; damaged fasteners or washers that let moisture in; punctured panels; or dents severe enough to change drainage patterns. Insurers and roofers both care about this line, but what matters most to you is whether the roof will stay dry and durable for its expected lifespan.

What Hail Can Do to Different Metal Roof Types

Not all metal roofs react to hail the same way:

• Standing seam: Hail may dent flat pans, kink raised ribs, or stress clips and seam locks. Most damage shows up along seams and at panel edges where clips engage. Coatings can chip even when the metal isn’t punctured.
• Corrugated or exposed-fastener panels: Hail dents panels and can crack rubber washers, bend screws, or dislodge fasteners entirely. Even small fastener damage leads to leaks and rust circles around screws within a season or two.
• Metal shingles or tile-look profiles: Impacts may chip stone coatings, deform interlocks, or open joints between panels. Damage is sometimes less obvious from the ground because it’s hidden in overlaps and shadow lines.

How to Do a First-Pass Hail Damage Check

Look for Patterns, Not Just One Dent

A few isolated dents on an otherwise sound roof usually aren’t urgent. What I focus on during inspections is widespread damage-dents covering entire slopes, concentrated areas near ridges or valleys, or obvious changes in panel shape. Scan each roof plane systematically from the ground and note where denting is heaviest.

Check Gutters, Downspouts, and Ground Around the House

Look at dented gutters, downspouts, metal caps on chimneys, vinyl siding, AC condensers, and vehicles. Significant collateral damage tells you hail was large and hit hard-often golf-ball-sized or bigger. If your aluminum gutters are mangled, your metal roof deserves a professional inspection even if you don’t see leaks yet, because coating and fastener damage may be hidden.

Document What You See

Take photos from multiple angles, note the storm date and approximate time, and write down any changes you noticed immediately after-new noise during the storm, drips in the attic, stains on ceilings. This simple documentation helps me understand the situation faster and supports any insurance claim you file later.

How Pros Repair Hail Damage on Metal Roofs

Panel Replacement Where Damage Is Severe

Panels with punctures, severe rib creasing, or deformation around seams get removed and replaced with new, color-matched panels. On standing seam roofs, this means carefully unseaming the damaged panel, removing clips, installing a new panel, and re-locking seams on both sides. On corrugated roofs, we remove fasteners and replace full runs between purlins to maintain proper overlap and alignment.

This is professional-only work. You need the right tools, knowledge of how the seam or fastener system works, and proper safety equipment on sloped metal. I’ve fixed too many DIY attempts where homeowners punctured adjacent panels or misaligned seams trying to save money on a simple panel swap.

Fastener, Seam, and Flashing Repairs

On exposed-fastener roofs, hail often cracks rubber washers or bends screws without denting panels visibly. We check and replace every compromised fastener, because even one leaking screw can rot sheathing and drip onto ceilings for months before you notice. I’ve seen entire roof sections need re-decking because a dozen cracked washers went unrepaired after a hail event.

Hail-stressed seams and flashings-especially at ridges, hips, valleys, and roof-to-wall transitions-may need re-locking, re-sealing, or rebuilding to restore proper engagement and water-shedding. On a Merrick standing seam roof last year, quarter-sized hail kinked every ridge seam slightly; we had to re-form ribs and re-lock the ridge cap to eliminate potential leak points.

Coating and Finish Repairs

Where hail has chipped paint or cracked stone coatings, we clean, prime, and touch up localized areas to prevent corrosion. This is especially important in Nassau County near the bays and South Shore, where salt air finds any bare metal within weeks. If large areas of finish are compromised-say, an entire south-facing slope on an Oceanside roof-we discuss more extensive recoating or panel replacement rather than endless spot repairs.

Hail Damage, Insurance, and Your Metal Roof

Why an Independent Roof Inspection Helps

Having a metal roofing specialist inspect and document damage gives you a second opinion in addition to the insurance adjuster’s assessment. I can differentiate cosmetic from functional damage, identify seam and fastener issues adjusters sometimes miss, and propose specific repair options that match your policy language and your roof’s actual condition. On a Westbury claim last summer, the adjuster initially called everything cosmetic; my photos of cracked washers and kinked seams got functional damage coverage approved and saved the homeowner about $4,800 in out-of-pocket repairs.

Don’t Sign Anything Until You Understand Options

Don’t immediately sign contracts that lock you into one contractor or commit you to full replacement without seeing repair scenarios first. Ask both your roofer and your insurer to explain why they recommend repair or replacement, in terms of performance, cost, and what your policy actually covers. Some storm chasers push replacement on roofs where targeted repairs would work fine; some adjusters lowball functional damage as cosmetic to close claims fast. Get clarity before you commit.

When Hail Damage on a Metal Roof Can Wait (and When It Can’t)

Low-Urgency: Cosmetic Dents Only

If your inspection and a professional visit confirm only shallow dents with intact seams, fasteners, and coatings, urgent repair isn’t necessary. The roof will perform exactly as it did before the storm. Aesthetic concerns are real-especially if you’re selling soon-but they can be weighed calmly against repair costs and what your insurance will actually pay.

High-Urgency: Damage That Threatens Watertightness

Any new leaks, visible punctures, opened seams, cracked washers, or damaged flashings after hail should be treated as urgent. Water intrusion and corrosion escalate quickly once they start-especially in Nassau County’s humid, salt-air environment. Schedule professional repair promptly, or at minimum get temporary protection while you finalize a plan and work through your claim.

Local Factors: Hail-Damaged Metal Roofs in Nassau County

Hail Combined with Coastal Wind

In Nassau, hail often arrives with gusty winds that drive rain sideways and test seams and penetrations already stressed by impact. On a Long Beach roof two years ago, quarter-sized hail dented panels but didn’t puncture-yet wind-driven rain found every stressed seam and fastener within a week, soaking insulation before the homeowner even knew the roof was compromised. Our repair approach accounts for both impact damage and wind-driven water entry, especially along rake edges and low-slope sections where water can back up.

Salt Air and Impacted Coatings

Near the bays and South Shore, chips or cracks in coatings become corrosion sites fast-sometimes within weeks if not treated. Even minor coating damage matters more here than it would inland. We often recommend specific marine-grade primers and topcoats for touch-ups, and on older roofs with widespread coating damage, we discuss whether spot repairs or panel replacement makes more sense given your roof’s remaining lifespan and exposure.

Questions to Ask a Metal Roofer About Hail Damage

System Knowledge and Experience

• How many hail-damaged metal roofs have you inspected and repaired in the last few years?
• Are you experienced with my roof type-standing seam, corrugated, metal shingles-and its manufacturer or system, if known?
• How do you determine which dents are purely cosmetic and which require repair or replacement?

Scope, Options, and Warranties

• What specific panels, seams, fasteners, and details are you proposing to repair or replace, and why?
• Will you address coating damage and potential corrosion points, or just leaks?
• What workmanship warranty do you offer on hail-related repairs, and how does it work with any existing manufacturer warranty on my roof?

Frequently Asked Questions About Metal Roof Hail Damage

Can a hail-dented metal roof still protect my home?
In many cases, yes-if damage is cosmetic and coatings, seams, and fasteners are intact, the roof functions normally. A professional inspection should confirm there’s no hidden functional damage before you assume everything is fine.

Is a metal roof more hail-resistant than shingles?
Generally, yes. Metal resists punctures and granule loss better than asphalt shingles, but large hail-golf-ball-sized or bigger-can still cause functional damage to panels, seams, fasteners, and coatings that needs attention.

Will my insurance premiums go up if I claim hail damage?
Policies and carriers differ. Ask your agent. Ignoring functional damage to avoid a claim often costs more in long-term repairs, interior water damage, and mold remediation than any potential premium increase.

How quickly should I get a hail inspection on a metal roof?
Schedule as soon as possible after a storm-ideally within a week or two. This catches problems early, keeps you within any policy reporting windows, and prevents minor issues from becoming major leaks.

Do you inspect and repair hail-damaged metal roofs across Nassau County?
Yes. TWI Roofing inspects, documents, and repairs hail damage on residential and light commercial metal roofs throughout Nassau County, and we coordinate with insurance adjusters and provide detailed documentation to support your claim when functional damage is present.

Repair Hail Damage on Your Metal Roof the Right Way

Not every dent from hail is an emergency, but functional damage to seams, fasteners, coatings, or panels should be taken seriously and addressed promptly. A careful inspection, clear documentation, and the right repair strategy protect your home, support any insurance claim, and preserve the long-term value of your metal roof.

If you’re in Nassau County and your metal roof was hit by hail, bring storm dates, photos, and policy information when you schedule an assessment. We’ll walk the roof, mark problem areas, explain what’s cosmetic and what needs repair, and give you a realistic plan-whether that’s targeted fixes, panel replacement, or simply monitoring a roof that’s still performing fine despite a few dimples.

Most hail-damaged metal roofs need targeted repairs, not full replacement. The key is knowing which dents matter.