What is the Exact Job of Your Building's Roof Flashing and Overall Metal Flashing? There are some basic rules / practices that contractors must adhere to regardless of the type of exterior renovation that they are doing. You want to use the right fasteners for example so that the material stands up to high winds. One of the most important details with every residential or commercial remodel is to make sure that the newly installed features are waterproof. This is one of the major job descriptions of your home or businesses metal and roof flashing installation.
What is Flashing?
Flashing is just a material that is installed where two joints of a building meet or where there is a significant risk for water damage such as by windows/skylights or around chimneys. The flashing is constructed of aluminum or galvanized steel a majority of time so that you can have a metal barrier against water. The reason you want metal is because it won't rot, warp, swell, etc. like wood does when exposed to water.
G&D Service Group Inc 286 Northwood Rd. Riverside, IL 60546 (312) 536-9135 info@gdservicegroup.com http://gdservicegroup.com/
Metal and roof flashing installation is most commonly done where there would be a tendency for water to sit or try and enter the home. This would include valleys, even on standing seam metal roofing that disperses water more efficiently than asphalt. Areas where flashing is installed because water can enter includes the aforementioned skylights and windows, but also around pipes and where your roof features a dormer. Flashing can also be used behind siding on dormers where woodpeckers have an especially delicate craving for the wood there.
Is Flashing Foolproof?
All metal will eventually start to oxidize and deteriorate after years and years of water exposure. This is especially true on your home's exterior where there is also cold weather, snow, ice, and the like to deal with. Sometimes the caulk around your home's flashing will also rot away which can trap water, eventually allowing it to find a way into your home. Finally birds and rodents can also damage the galvanized steel or aluminum, requiring a new metal and roof flashing installation.
G&D Service Group Inc 286 Northwood Rd. Riverside, IL 60546 (312) 536-9135 info@gdservicegroup.com http://gdservicegroup.com/
Different Types of Flashing Flashing is not manufactured in one standard size or even shape. Most contractors will bend steel to custom sizes to serve as flashing. This is very commonly seen on siding jobs where metal is installed where the wood meets the foundation. Since old foundations have often shifted or have had some of the concrete break away, this bottom flashing could be all sorts of patterns.
Even when flashing a chimney, multiple styles of the product are used. A continuous piece of flashing is used on the front and saddle flashing on the rear for example, with step flashing installed on the sides. Step flashing involves many pieces installed alternately – flashing-shingle-flashing-shingle for example. Saddle flashing rises up the wall of the chimney in a 'V' so that water goes down the sides.
G&D Service Group Inc 286 Northwood Rd. Riverside, IL 60546 (312) 536-9135 info@gdservicegroup.com http://gdservicegroup.com/
Another form of metal and roof flashing installation is drip edge – installed even on products such as standing seam metal roofing. Drip edges prevent water from seeping in at the edge of a roofing along rakes and eaves. There are even rubber, vinyl, or plastic boots that slip around pipe vents in a roof which could technically be considered flashing.
To many home or business owners, all of this protection against water may seem like excess. Our motto is that excess is better than skimping. And trust us, if you leave even the tiniest opportunity for water to enter your home – it will take advantage.
G&D Service Group Inc 286 Northwood Rd. Riverside, IL 60546 (312) 536-9135 info@gdservicegroup.com http://gdservicegroup.com/