Step flashing
Sidewall flashing is rebuilt one course at a time behind the housewrap.
Roof Repair
Flashing Repair Kenilworth, NJ
A Kenilworth roofer can stop leaks where the roof meets a wall, dormer, skylight or edge by renewing the flashing at that joint, woven correctly with the shingles and tucked behind the siding. Call (908) 613-5001 to reach a local roofer.
Wherever a roof meets a wall, a dormer, a skylight, a valley or an edge, it relies on flashing to keep water out. Step flashing is a series of small bent pieces woven in with each course of shingles along a sidewall, counter flashing laps over it from the wall side, a kickout at the bottom of the wall throws water into the gutter, and drip edge lines the eaves and rakes. When any piece is missing, loose or rusted through, water gets behind the roof covering.
A failed kickout or step flashing tends to rot wall sheathing long before it stains a ceiling. Without a kickout, roof runoff dumps against the siding where the wall meets the eave, soaking the sheathing and framing below it. That is why flashing deserves a close look on any house with walls rising above a roof.
A bead of sealant along a joint is a warning sign, not a repair. Roofing cement and caulk shrink, crack and pull away under sun and temperature swings, then let water in again. A real repair replaces the metal, often by removing a few courses of siding and shingles so the new flashing can be lapped correctly.
If the problem goes deeper than it first looked, a Kenilworth roofer may also recommend chimney flashing repair or roof leak repair.
Need flashing repair in Kenilworth? Call (908) 613-5001 to reach a nearby roofing contractor.
Call nowThe process
The flashing repair process
Flashing repair is a layering job, done from the bottom up.
Find the failure
The roofer checks the joint from the roof and the attic, looking for missing pieces, rust, face nails and caulk hiding a gap. Soft siding or stained trim below the joint suggests the wall needs a look too.
Remove siding
To replace step flashing properly, a few courses of siding and the shingles along the wall are carefully removed. New flashing has to tuck behind the housewrap, which means opening the wall a little.
Replace the pieces
Fresh step flashing goes in course by course with the shingles, starting with a kickout at the eave. Fasteners go into the roof deck only, never through the vertical leg into the wall.
Add counter flashing
On masonry walls, counter flashing is set into a cut joint; on framed walls, the housewrap and siding cover the flashing. Siding pressed tight to the shingles stays wet and rots.
Seal the eaves
At the roof edges, drip edge is reset or replaced to protect the fascia and deck edge. At eaves the underlayment goes over the drip edge; at rakes the drip edge goes over it.
What is included
Common flashing repairs
Diverter flashing
Missing kickout diverters are installed at the base of sidewalls to steer water into the gutter.
Edge flashing
Bent or missing drip edge is replaced at eaves and rakes with the underlayment lapped correctly.
Apron flashing
The flashing across the top of a roof section is redone so water cannot run behind it.
Cap flashing
Counter flashing over step pieces is refitted or replaced so the top edge of the step flashing stays covered.
Related service
Roof Flashing Repair Kenilworth, NJ
The scope of a flashing repair depends on the joint and on how much damage the water has done. Some repairs take an hour at one corner; others mean opening a whole wall joint and replacing the metal course by course. The roofer should explain which applies before work begins.
The metal used should suit the house. Copper outlasts most roofs, galvanized steel is durable and aluminum is light and easy to bend, though it corrodes in contact with wet masonry. Mixing copper with aluminum or galvanized metal in contact can cause corrosion, so the roofer matches the metal to what is already there.
Related service
Roof Valley Flashing Kenilworth, NJ
Roof valleys carry the runoff from two slopes, so they handle more water than any other part of the roof. An open valley uses a strip of metal, often a W-shaped valley pan with a center rib, with the shingles cut back on each side; a closed valley has the shingles woven or cut across it with no metal showing. A peel-and-stick underlayment down the valley is the backup layer in both styles.
Valley leaks often come from debris, worn shingles or nails driven too close to the center. Shingle corners cut square instead of clipped at the top can also steer water sideways under the valley shingles. Valley repair usually means removing the shingles along the valley, replacing the membrane and metal and reshingling with the right cuts.
Local help
Flashing Repair Near Me
In Kenilworth, many flashing problems date back to an old reroof where the original flashing was reused or caulked instead of replaced. Homes in Kenilworth and nearby towns like Roselle Park, Union, Cranford and Roselle range from older houses with aging galvanized flashing and no kickouts to newer homes with complex rooflines that rely on many wall joints, so a close look at every joint is worth asking for.
Need flashing repair around Kenilworth? Call (908) 613-5001 for a Kenilworth roofer who serves the towns around it too.
Roofs in this climate
Cold winters bring snow, ice and a long stretch of freezing nights. Heat escaping from the attic melts snow on the upper roof, and the water refreezes at the colder eaves, which is how ice dams form and back water up under the shingles. Strong coastal storms push rain into every weak spot at the flashing and valleys. Most homeowners in Kenilworth, NJ have the roof checked in the fall and again after the snow melts.
Why call
Why fix it now
Less damage
Small roof problems caught early usually stay small repairs.
Roofers who know Kenilworth
Roofers in Kenilworth know the roof types and weather wear common in local homes.
Clear next steps
Ask the roofer about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Common questions about flashing repair
Can flashing be repaired without replacing the roof?
Flashing repair is a routine job on roofs that are otherwise sound. The work stays local to the joint, with new shingles woven in along it. If the roof is near the end of its life, it can make sense to replace flashing as part of a reroof instead.
How do I know if my flashing is leaking?
Look for stains or drips that line up with a roof-to-wall joint. Outside, look for rust, gaps, lifted metal, nails through the face and heavy caulk along the joint. Rot at the base of a sidewall suggests water is getting behind the siding. A roofer reached at (908) 613-5001 can look at every joint.
Will caulk fix leaking flashing?
A bead of caulk may hold for a season or two, but it will fail. Over time, it hardens, splits and lets the joint leak again, often worse than before. A proper repair replaces the metal so it sheds water without depending on sealant.
What is a kickout flashing?
A kickout is a small diverter at the bottom of a roof-to-wall joint, where the roof edge ends against a wall. Its job is to keep the water coming down the joint off the siding and out of the wall. Without one, the wall below that joint often rots quietly for years.
Why does flashing need to be woven with the shingles?
Step flashing uses individual bent pieces that interleave with each shingle course. Because each piece laps the one below, water is passed down the wall joint from piece to piece and onto the roof. A single long strip of metal along a wall cannot do that and tends to channel water behind the shingles.
More questions? Call (908) 613-5001
Other services that may help
Chimney Flashing Repair
Chimney flashing rebuilt so the roof-to-brick joint sheds water again, with a cricket added where the chimney is wide.
Learn moreRoof Leak Repair
Leak repairs that fix the entry point, not just the ceiling stain, before wet decking and insulation turn into rot.
Learn moreSkylight Repair
Fixing leaking, fogged or cracked skylights and the flashing around them, so the opening stays dry through every storm.
Learn moreRoof Vent Repair
Fixing the vents and pipe collars that poke through a roof and often leak first, with the attic airflow kept working.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
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