# Flashing advice



## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

yea you see that alot on older houses with wood siding,nowadays you would hold the siding up from the roof an inch or so,i like to see the first piece of step flashing running past the corner and the first siding course cut around it


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## canadaclub (Oct 19, 2006)

The flashing should have been installed before the siding was installed. No way to flash it now without removing the planks.


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm in luck - I'm doing my roof this weekend (if the weather holds up) and that's why I'm asking. So I'm going to pull all of the siding and be able to start fresh. 

I'd like to be able to solder some flashing that would match all the angles - the "front" vertical face under the siding, the "side" vertical face of siding, the pitch of the roof, and the side of the roof that extends out past the siding. Otherwise I'll have to use multiple pieces of flashing that overlap each other.


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## canadaclub (Oct 19, 2006)

step or stair flashing? Anyway, always nice to see an eager DIYer..you go girlfriend!!:laughing:


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## Tom Struble (Dec 29, 2008)

the sides do need individual step flashing,don't try to do these in 1 piece


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

Ben W said:


> I'm in luck - I'm doing my roof this weekend (if the weather holds up) and that's why I'm asking. So I'm going to pull all of the siding and be able to start fresh.
> 
> I'd like to be able to solder some flashing that would match all the angles - the "front" vertical face under the siding, the "side" vertical face of siding, the pitch of the roof, and the side of the roof that extends out past the siding. *Otherwise I'll have to use multiple pieces of flashing that overlap each other.*


Your, "otherwise" is how you do it, 5”x5”x9” pieces of flashing overlapping each other. If you do it any other way, your wrong.

A piece of roofing, a piece of flashing, a piece of roofing, a piece of flashing all the way up the wall.

After you’re done roofing lay a 1x on the roof and cut your siding to that. Slip out the 1x and you’ll see the flashing stepping up the wall.

The gap will help keep the siding from rotting and give you (or the new owner) plenty of room for another layer of roofing some day.

PS. Don’t forget the new paper on the wall that laps over your new “Step Flashing” for the Siding.


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## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

Ben W said:


> What is the correct way to flash the corner where the roof meets the siding corner (see photo)? (The far side of the roof where it extends past the siding a foot or so.)


I can't tell from the picture, but if the roof abuts the front of the dormer as well as the side, you need to start off with a piece similar to the picture below. Then step flash as mentioned above, except the size of the step flashings available to you will vary regionally. 5x7 is the common size used locally.


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm well aware of how to use step flashing and the whole process of flashing/siding the side of a house. 

Everyone take a look back at the photo and pretend you're sticking your head out the window. The 18" wide section of roof extends out past the side of the house 12" or so. So, there is a board that is vertical behind what you can see from this photo, that could be seen from the window. I need to know how to flash this corner where 4 different planes are coming together, similar to what "seeyou" posted like the front of a chimney or front of a dormer, except half the front apron would continue down the side of the house.


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## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

Ben W said:


> I'm well aware of how to use step flashing and the whole process of flashing/siding the side of a house.
> 
> Everyone take a look back at the photo and pretend you're sticking your head out the window. The 18" wide section of roof extends out past the side of the house 12" or so. So, there is a board that is vertical behind what you can see from this photo, that could be seen from the window. I need to know how to flash this corner where 4 different planes are coming together,* similar to what "seeyou" posted like the front of a chimney or front of a dormer, except half the front apron would continue down the side of the house.*


There's your answer.


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

seeyou said:


> There's your answer.


I can't say that I've gotten any further than where I started. There are four planes that are intersecting here. So:

1. Is there a pre-made piece that would work here?
2. Or what combination of flashing would I use?

I &W on the roof and up the side of the house.
One piece up the front of the house that folds onto the deck of the roof.
one piece that comes down the roof deck and folds over the front of the house and side of the roof extention.
Caulk the intersection point.
Shingle
Step flashing
 3. Is the "correct" way to bend up all the flashing and then solder it all together? Caulk is not really a permanent roofing solution.

See this photo for another location but with the same scenario:


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## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

The piece that I pictured addresses three planes: Two wall and one roof plane. I can't visualize where one piece of flashing will touch four planes. Please explain. I don't see it in your photo. 

And that piece is for sale online. I can't post a link here, but it's called a "front corner flashing".


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

Do you see how your dormer sits completely up on the roof, while my roof breaks in front of my dormer? The apron of your flashing would sit out in space, so I'd like one that would continue down the front of the siding and the vertical wall (white) of the projecting roof. I'll google that "front corner flashing". Thanks for the help so far.


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## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

Ben W said:


> Do you see how your dormer sits completely up on the roof, while my roof breaks in front of my dormer? The apron of your flashing would sit out in space, so *I'd like one that would continue down the front of the siding and the vertical wall (white) of the projecting roof.* I'll google that "front corner flashing". Thanks for the help so far.


I understand now. I've marked the area in red (the cornice end) that you want to flash in addition to the roof to wall junction.

You don't need any special pieces for that. With the siding and roofing removed, slit a piece of standard step flashing down the fold a couple of inches. Line the bottom of the slit up with the top of the roof sheathing and bend one side down on the roof. the other side will remain on the wall. Slit another piece in a similar fashion and lay it on the roof against the side of the dormer with the slit on the bottom end. Fold one of the tabs around the front of the dormer. Solder them together. Start installing shingles and step flash conventionally right over the special flashing you made. Belt and suspenders.


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

IMO, you want to extend the flashing down from the dormer corner and over the drip edge at the eave, terminating in a kick-out to divert water into the gutter - otherwise you will have a little waterfall running down the wall below the dormer corner:










I would step flash to the dormer corner, overlapping a continuous piece of flashing down to and overlapping the drip edge - the result might not be ideally atheistically, but if you want optimum water control....


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

seeyou - I'll do it just like you said. I practiced soldering galvanized flashing last night and it turned out alright. I'll stick it in a bed of 'blackjack' anyways to make sure. I used a torch, but I'll see if I can find a hunk of metal to preheat and use instead of a flame. I don't think starting with a pre-made piece would help me out much.

Michael - I can't say that I've ever seen that before, but I like that idea. How high above the roof are you thinking? 1" projecting up from the roof and 5"+ under the shingles? It has to be low enough that the siding (up the side of the dormer) doesn't have to be cut too high. I'd fold a piece of flashing over on itself to give it a little more rigidity. You'd see it projecting up, but I could paint it to blend in.

I've got three dormers and three other locations similar to this, so I want to get it all straightened out. Thanks for the help.


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

Ben W said:


> I can't say that I've ever seen that before, but I like that idea. How high above the roof are you thinking? 1" projecting up from the roof and 5"+ under the shingles? It has to be low enough that the siding (up the side of the dormer) doesn't have to be cut too high. I'd fold a piece of flashing over on itself to give it a little more rigidity. You'd see it projecting up, but I could paint it to blend in.


I just realized that this is a partial retrofit rather than a re-roof.

Ideally, if I was roofing/siding that from scratch, I would would run waterproof shingle underlayment 6" up the side of the dormer and out along the roof sheathing 24" horizontally from the roof/wall intersection, and down to the eave, and over the drip edge, and the side/flash/roof over it.

However if you get up there and find that all you have under the shingles is roofing felt (or worse just paper) it would be preferable to step flash below the dormer corner instead of using a single continuous flashing; if you inter-layer the flashing between the shingles in the same manner as standard step-flashing at a roof/wall intersection you won't have to worry about water infiltrating sideways under the shingles above the horizontal leg of the flashing, as infiltrating water will just run off the shingle below the flashing.

If you get up there and find Ice & Water Shield properly installed as eave protection, then you could use a continuous one-piece flashing below the dormer corner.

You won't need much upturn on the flashing below the intersection - 1/2 - 3/4 inch above the top surface of the upper shingles would be plenty. If you are in snow country, the flashing will have to be stiff enough to survive wet snow and perhaps ice moving down the roof.

Keep in mind that everything has to overlap in the direction of water-flow, if you can't find a satisfactory way to install the kick out following this rule, omit it.


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## Ben W (Jun 23, 2010)

This is a full re-roof. I'm striping it down to the deck and pulling off all the siding and trim. So I have the option of doing whatever I need to. I'm putting down I&W at the eaves, and up and over the dormer.


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## seeyou (Dec 12, 2008)

Ben W said:


> This is a full re-roof. I'm striping it down to the deck and pulling off all the siding and trim. So I have the option of doing whatever I need to. I'm putting down I&W at the eaves, and up and over the dormer.


If you use a starter strip up that little rake area in front of the dormer, that will raise the outside edge of the shingles enough so water will not tend to flow over the side. It doesn't look like it's been a problem in the past, so it's not likely to start being a problem. The biggest issue that I see is that the siding is too tight to the roof.


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