How to Avoid Common Flashing Errors
Building paper and adhesive-backed bituminous tape are vital ingredients in protecting a building from water damage.
Synopsis: Improperly applied flashing can lead to rot and even structural problems. This article, written by an architect and building consultant, explains how flashing should be applied around windows, deck ledgers, and cheek walls, and along rakes.
To understand flashing, try thinking about a house as essentially a tent with architectural embellishments. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever been camping in the rain and inadvertently zipped up the door flap so that the bottom edge turned inward. The big puddle inside the tent, the one that soaked your last dry shirt, was a flashing problem not unlike those you can build into a house if you’re not careful.
Flashing is one of the smallest parts of a building, so it sometimes doesn’t get the respect it deserves. But it sure will exact its revenge when it is overlooked or improperly integrated with other building elements.…
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