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Install Guides

Step-by-step installation methodology by panel type. Each guide covers substrate prep, layout, fastening, joints, flashing, downspouts, and QC.

Rout & return / extrusion systems

ACM Panel Installation

Aluminum Composite Material (Alucobond-type) panels installed via rout-and-return fabrication onto extrusion rail systems. The most detail-sensitive facade type — joint width, fastener edge distance, and sealant detailing drive weather performance.

Verify the backup wall is plumb within 1/4" in 10 ft. Check for protrusions, fasteners, or debris that will interfere with the rail alignment. Confirm air/moisture barrier continuity and that the substrate is dry.

Pro tip: Out-of-plane substrates > 1/4" must be shimmed or furred — forcing panels to a bad plane telegraphs waviness.

Downspouts — drainage & angle detailing

The downspout carries what the gutter collects. Most facade water complaints trace back to an offset built with a single 90° elbow, a run that is out of plumb, or a discharge that dumps water at the wall base. Build every offset from two 45° elbows, keep the run plumb, and bracket it into structure.

Correct downspout offset

Correct downspout offset built from two 45 degree elbows, a plumb run, brackets into structure, and a discharge clear of the wall45°45°45°2"–4"plumbgutteroutletwallbrackets 4–6 ft o.c.+ one at each elbow6" min above gradesplash blockgrade

Build the offset from two 45° elbows with a short diagonal between them, hang the run plumb, and bracket it into structure — not the panel skin.

Elbow angles

Elbow angle is the deviation from a straight run. 45° fittings keep the water moving; a 90° elbow stalls it right where the gutter needs to drain.

45°Recommended

Offset bends

Two 45° elbows make the offset out to the wall face — the standard detail, and the one that keeps flow moving.

60°Maximum

Tight soffits only

Use only where a tight soffit leaves no room for a 45° offset, and keep the diagonal as short as possible.

90°Avoid

Chokes the flow

A 90° elbow at the outlet or the base backs water up in the gutter and weeps at the joint.

Confirm the gutter outlet and the downspout are the same size — a reducer or a squeezed outlet is what backs water up in the gutter on the first hard rain. Mark the outlet centerline at the top and the discharge point at the base: at least 6" above grade and clear of the footing, paving, and any wall base flashing. The distance from the outlet out past the fascia and wall face is the offset your two bends have to make.

Pro tip: Measure the offset to the outside face of the fascia or trim, not the wall — miss it and the pipe rubs the flashing.

Downspout specs at a glance

  • Offset: two 45° elbows (60° only where a tight soffit forces it) — no 90° fittings in the run.
  • Run: plumb from the lower elbow to the discharge. The gutter carries the pitch — 1/16" per ft minimum.
  • Standoff: 2"–4" off the wall face so water cannot wick between pipe and facade.
  • Brackets: 4–6 ft on center, plus one within 12" of every elbow, joint, and shoe — into structure, never the panel skin.
  • Joints: mechanically fastened (rivet or seam) first, sealant only where the detail specifies it.
  • Movement: slip joint or slotted bracket where the run crosses a panel expansion joint.
  • Discharge: 6" minimum above grade, onto a splash block or buried leader 3–4 ft clear of the foundation.
  • Size: outlet and downspout matched — rule of thumb 1 sq in of downspout per 100 sq ft of roof area, confirmed against the local rainfall intensity.
Field reference for ACM, plate & metal facade installation.