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Hello @kerry8
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about removing screws.
If the screws on your Colorbond roof are rusty and breaking when you try to remove them, you’re dealing with a fairly common issue — especially when the roof is fixed into hardwood. Over time, the combination of moisture, hardwood tannins, and metal contact causes the screws to corrode and seize in place. Since you've already had one or two shear off during removal, the approach now needs to be a bit more careful and strategic to avoid damaging the roof sheets.
First, you’ll want to try removing the remaining rusty screws using a screw extractor kit. These are available at Bunnings and are designed to grip and back out stubborn or broken screws. Before attempting removal, spray each screw with a penetrating lubricant like WD-40 or RP7, and let it sit for at least 10–15 minutes — longer if they’re heavily rusted. This can help break the bond between the screw and the hardwood. Use a socket wrench or a slow-speed drill with a hex head bit rather than a regular screwdriver to avoid snapping more screws. Applying steady, firm pressure is better than trying to wrench them out quickly.
If the screw heads are too far gone or completely broken off, you’ll need to drill out the center of the screw shaft. Use a cobalt or titanium drill bit slightly smaller than the screw shaft itself and drill carefully into the middle. Once you’ve drilled in enough, switch to a screw extractor or reverse-threaded bit to remove the rest of the screw. In some cases, if the shaft won’t budge, you may have to drive the remainder in flush with the timber and relocate the screw hole slightly when re-fixing the sheet.
When replacing the screws, use roofing screws made specifically for hardwood with an anti-corrosion coating — Colorbond-compatible ones are available in Classic Cream to match your roof. Consider adding a dab of roofing silicone around each screw hole before inserting the new screw to help seal it and prevent moisture from getting in again. If large sections of the roof are affected, it might be worth doing it methodically over a few days, especially if it’s an older roof and you’re aiming to extend its life rather than replace the sheets just yet.
Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask when working on your project.
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Good Evening @kerry8
Its pretty hard to come up with a solution as I cant quiet picture your roofing. I have had plenty of rusted screws/nails that have locked into the timber very much like @EricL has mentioned. A little more information will help narrow down a possible solution.
Solutions without seeing a pic 
1- Drill the head off the screw, dont go to deep as the aim is to remove the screw and reuse the sheet of metal.
2- Lever the screw out, shearing it if possible (problematic as you may end up dinging the cororgated sheet)
3- Saw off the underside if you can get to it with something like a recipricating saw or saber saw (may damage the sheet or the timber truss)
I like the drill out the top of the head of the screw as a best option. Otherwise a Jig made up to support the ribs of metal and lever it with a claw hammer.
Dave
