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What Is Roof Flashing and Why Is It Important?
Contrary to popular belief, roof flashing is not when your roof takes its top off. The flashing is a thin and flat metal sheet that is used to prevent water from entering the most vulnerable parts of your roof, such as openings and cracks. It gets placed underneath whatever type of roofing material you have installed, and its purpose is to redirect water to a different location.
Unless you’re a fan of roof leaks and flash floods in your living room, it’s advisable to get flashing installed. Without it, heavy storms can lead to water entering underneath your roofing material and penetrating the underlayment. Soon enough, you’ll be doing some sofa surfing with all of the standing water in your home.
Roof Flashing Importance
Roof flashing is important for many reasons, mainly for protecting the most vulnerable points of your roof. In fact, it’s critical to have in the places where your roof’s surface meets a wall, the low points or valleys where two slopes meet, and any roof protrusions such as skylights and vents. Just imagine how detrimental it would be to have wind and rain blowing straight onto these points.
Thanks to the help of flashings, any water gets stopped at the base before it even has the chance to get in between a wall, enter a valley, or compromise your skylights and vents. Do you know how your gutters redirect water away from your foundation to keep your home safe? Your flashing is no different. Think of it as a little gutter for your roof and attic.
What Are the Different Materials and Types of Flashing?
There are many different types of flashing that you can choose from, and they come in 3 different types of metal.
The metal options available to you are:
Copper
Steel
Aluminum
Copper flashing: This material is malleable and highly durable. It tends to have a longer-lasting lifespan, however, it is prone to discoloration over time. Copper flashing is a popular choice around chimneys.
Steel flashing: The most popular choice for flashing is steel flashing. In addition to its aesthetics, like copper it is also malleable and, when galvanized, is corrosion-resistant.
Aluminum flashing: Aluminum is easy for roofers to form and is light in weight making it a popular choice. It’s important that if you choose this material of flashing that it is coated. Aluminum deteriorates when it makes contact with soluble surfaces, so be wary.
Understanding the different types of metal flashings you can choose from is the easy part. There are many different types of flashing to choose from, but most commonly, homeowners choose between these 8:
Kickout Flashing: This type of flashing is used to direct water away from the wall and down directly into the gutter.
Step Flashing: This piece of flashing is bent in the middle and is most commonly used for wall flashing. With step flashing, many different pieces will be installed as layers with the roofing material to make sure the water flows evenly away from the wall.
Skylight Flashing: Designed to provide the weatherproofing junction between the roof window or skylight, this flashing is manufactured in sections that protect your roof and skylight from taking in water.
Valley Flashing: A valley flashing will reliably channel run-off water down the roof and into the gutter, protecting the critical area where the two slopes meet.
Drip Edge: This flashing is installed at the edges of your roof in order to keep water away from your fascia and from working its way underneath your roofing system.
Continuous Flashing: This type of flashing is a long, single piece of metal that is used to carry water down to the roofing material below it.
Base Flashing: This flashing is used at the joint between the roofing surface and a vertical surface like a wall, and it guards against water penetration to the roof deck.
Counter Flashing: This is placed opposite of the base flashing, and is used to cover and protect the upper edge of a base flashing and its associated fasteners.
Are Roofers Supposed To Replace Flashing?
Flashing should be replaced if there are signs of damage and brittleness. Some roofers and homeowners might choose to use roof flashings fabricated from roofing felts, plastic, and even rubber which are not created to last very long. When exposed to harsh weather conditions, they will be brittle and wear off very fast, forcing a homeowner to seek a roofer who will replace the worn-out flashings with new ones.
An important tip on roofing is investing in a quality roof flashing material equivalent to the roofing material. It ensures that every piece of material on the roof ages simultaneously to avoid replacing some materials before an entire roof replacement is due.
But every roofing material has its expiry date, and roof flashings are prone to damage and normal wear and tear. The answer to the question is yes, and roofers will at some point have to replace roof flashing when they are aged, damaged or when the rest of the roof is undergoing a total roof replacement. However, how soon you replace the roof flashing depends on the material the roof flashing is fabricated from.
Roof Flashing Maintenance
Roof flashing can be maintained by regularly inspecting it and fixing any damage as urgently as possible. Every time a homeowner himself or a hired roof inspector climbs up the roof to do a routine check, every roof unit should be examined, including the flashings.
Like the rest of the roof, which is prone to wear and tear plus the damage brought about by high winds, the flashing is also susceptible to small damage.
Some of the damages the flashings may face are:
Loosening of screws in cases of flashings do not incorporate caulking, e.g., step flashings. The screws are used to hold the flashing to the wall, and the roof needs regular tightening to sort out this problem.
Corrosion eats up the fabric of a metal, same as old age. When the metal has outlived its usefulness, it tends to have small holes on the flashing material that may let in water. It will be best to fill or seal off the holes as you think of an ultimate replacement. You can seal it off by cutting off the damaged area and patching it with another piece using roofing cement or roofing tar.
Roof flashing around the chimney is applied using a mortar, and it’s not surprising if you find the mortar has cracked in some places. Instead of having a complete replacement, you can caulk up the cracked parts and reapply the portal caulk.
Final Thought
Roof flashing is often used around areas like chimneys, skylights, vents, gutters, and other roof areas that require water runoff. It is not always that a roofer will advise you to install water barriers on certain sections of your roof. Still, every edge of the roof, especially when roof surfaces run into the horizontal wall in the roof (e.g., chimneys), can let in water.
To eliminate this problem, a seasoned roofer who cares enough will not only advise you but will help you attach a special piece of metal between the surface of the roof and the wall to achieve a one-piece roof that is not prone to any water leakage.
CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE – 202-276-5004 FAMILY.ROOFING@YAHOO.COM 
Contrary to popular belief, roof flashing is not when your roof takes its top off. The flashing is a thin and flat metal sheet that is used to prevent water from entering the most vulnerable parts of your roof, such as openings and cracks. It gets placed underneath whatever type of roofing material you have installed, and its purpose is to redirect water to a different location.
