I will replace some cedar bevel siding which “dies” against roof shingles with step flashing installed. How tight do I go against the shingles and do I tar the gap? It’s a 14/12 pitch if that makes any difference. Before I was a wannabe carpenter the installer had roofing tar in the gaps.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Fine Homebuilding's editorial director has some fun news to share.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
??????????? Got a picture?
Best to you and yours, Chris.
Building as thou art paranoid never harmed anyone.
Thanks for the response but I think I have the problem solved. I probably will have a picture of another problem with this job.
Wayne
I'd hold the siding an inch and a half above the roof, exposing 1 1/2" of step flashing. I would not put tar on the step flashing though some might tar the underside of the shingles as they weave into the steps.
------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Thanks for the tip. I didn't think tar was the way to go.
You do not go tight to the shingles, and leaving a 1 1/2" gap will be unsightly,
Since you are stripping I would assume you will apply new felt paper under the claps, run the felt down over the steps by about 2", leaving about 1" of flashing exposed, then using a piece of either 1/2" or 5/8" or even 3/4" ply, depending on the length of the intersection and pitch, longer "valley"...use 3/4" ply, steeper pitch....use 1/2"....The shallower the pitch and longer the intersection the more chance of debris collecting so you want a larger space. Lay your piece of ply on the roof and butt your claps to it as you side the wall, using a longer piece of ply, 8' , will give a more consistent line. Don't nail any closer to the butt end of the clap than 8-10" horizontally from the bottom edge.
Be sure to pre-prime your butt ends with a good quality oil based primer, preferably tinted to the finish color.
Never use tar!
Hopefully all your flashing is in good shape. The flashing should be blind nailed to the wall sheathing, in other words the next course up covers the nail holding the preious piece," high and dry" as I learned it. If it is nailed to the roof leave it and don't nail it to the wall sheathing, or you could remove the nails from the roof and install them properly to the wall sheathing.
Oh, and did I mention, never use tar!
Also, you could run a strip (8") of ice and water along the wall sheathing overlapping the flashing instead of the tar paper, then run the tar paper just over the I&W.
Geoff
Geoff:
Thanks for the detailed tip. As usual another job interrupted the siding job but it's been in the 90's so I didn't lose any sleep over it. I may check back with you when I am ready to tackle it.
Geoff,
your flashing method is exactly the way I used to do it.
Until one day I was working w/ this old timer. He told me NOT to nail the flashing to the wall. Reason being, as the frame dries the rafters will shrink in efect lowering the roof. If the flashing is nailed to the wall it would lift the shingles. If you nail to the roof only the flashing will drop with the rafters
Granted this guy was framing w/ Noah before klin dried was thought of, but it made sense to me.
Steve.NAIL IT !!!
Hey Steve,
Yea, I've heard that argument too, but most of my work is remodel so the lumber is well seasoned. But if you're working on new work/addition work where you're using new lumber, I think the KD material will be O.K. ......I just never liked the idea of putting a nail through any flashing if it can be avoided.....especially on the roof surface, at least on the sidewall you have the protection of the felt and siding on a vertical plane, as opposed to a horizontal plane that has all the water flowing on it.
If you nail to the roof only the flashing will drop with the rafters
.....that's assuming the siders don't nail through the step flashing either! :)
Where you at in Ma.?
Geoff
Yea nailing thru the "wet" side of the flashing was my argument too. But as I said he was one of those oldtimers who forgot more than I'll ever know.
I'm in Attleboro down on the RI line
Steve.
NAIL IT !!!
Edited 7/10/2007 9:04 pm ET by steven4077
Steve,
Waltham, till about 4 1/2 yrs. ago, glad to meet ya!
Funny thing is, it was an "old timer" that told me not to nail into the sheathing too!
<I'm in Attleboro down on the RI line >
Ever hear of the "Tool Shed" in Pawtucket? now moved to Worcester ......a great store!!.....used tools and such.
Geoff
Tool Shed no but sometimes I work in the worchester aera I'll keep my eyes open. Nothing like a new toy store! If the wife gets wind of it I'll have to blame it on you though.
I guess as long as you detail it right either way will work. Gota love those oldtimers, always a good story to back up their ways
Steve.NAIL IT !!!
Steve,
578 W. Boylston St. ( Rt. 12) Worcester,Ma 508-853-0590 Hrs. Wed. thru Sat. 1-5pm
Exit 10 off the pike, if that helps.
Call ahead to make sure he's still there, I haven't talked to him in over a year.
It's O.K. I'll take the hit for you with the wife! it'll be worth it for you! But then again it might be O.K. with her 'cause he sells used stuff, so it's actually saving you money....you know what I mean! :)
Geoff
Geoffrey offered some great advice. I would only add this tip, you can use the butt edge of a clap to set your spacing between the roof and the edge of the siding.
Redford,
That's a good method as well, using the butt of a clapboard, but, the reason I use a longer piece of material is that it helps you keep the cut parallel to the roof, especially on low slopes, since the cut is fairly long,.... it gives you something to gauge the full length of the cut, especially on the more visible locations.
BTW, where you at in N.H.? I spent 12 yrs. in Concord and 5 yrs. in Henniker, I do miss it too!
Geoff
I'm about 30 min. south of Henniker, a little village called Mt. Vernon. I spent some time in Henniker as well, NEC class of '82.
As for using the butt edge of a clap, I just lay a four or five foot long piece on the roof, butt edge facing the wall, and install the siding tight to that. After a few courses, just pull the board and slide it up the roof a little bit. I like Mike Smith's method of using black coil stock vs. mill finish for step flashing, will have to give that a twirl one of these days.
< I spent some time in Henniker as well, NEC class of '82.>
Oh sh*t, NEC '81-'83, Charter dorm, then LED on Hall ave.(where Ayer & Goss is) then on River Rd. til '84, then into Concord.
yup, Mt. Vernon ...South on 114 to 13 just below New Boston...nice area. I worked for North Branch Builders for a while, way back when, did some work in that neck of the woods.
Yea, kinda a DUH on my part as far as using a length of clap, instead of a 6" piece
Ditto on Mike's idea of the black/colored coil stock.
Did you get to the Golf outing/re-union back in June?.......it was held at Stone Bridge G.C. (?) in Goffstown
Geoff
Small world, eh? We must have crossed paths. I lived in Maragonz, the house on the corner of Main 114 and ??, across the street from what is now the Simon Center. The house was known as "Maragonz". Henniker has changed a lot since then, I pass through there pretty often, wishing everytime that I was still in college. Although the past 25 yrs have been pretty interesting.
Didn't do the golf thing, in fact, I've never golfed in my life. Will have to try it one of these days though, my friends who do seem addicted to it.
How did you wind up in Hartford? I just passed through there last weekend, it looks nice from the highway but I got lost there once and felt lucky to get out alive. Scary.
Stay cool
we sold our place in Henniker this year , since our daughter moved to NC,
it was right on 114 on the Bradford side, on Mink Hill Rd....
been there since '75... Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Redford:
Thanks for the added tip. I'll be tackling it soon.
house...
first... we never go tight to the roof... which means
you , and everyone else in the world... are going to see the flashing
SO..
we always use a painted aluminum coil stock stepflash
most of the time we use black.. so it looks like a neat shadow line.. some times we may use another color to compliment the siding or the roofing
anyways.. we lay a piece of 1x3 on the roofing ( furring ) and use that as our spacing for a neat line.. so.. our siding ends up 3/4" above the high points of the roofing
most others use the same spacing... BUT.. they use mill finish aluminum , which looks bogus
but, hey, whadda i no ?