Parapet and coping flashing
Metal and membrane at the top of a parapet wall. These are often the source of leaks on flat roofs and row buildings, and the coping cap is checked along with the flashing.
Serving Essex County
Flashing Repair in Newark, NJ
Repairs to step, wall, parapet and counter flashing on attached and row buildings in Newark, where most leaks start at a joint.
- Flat roofs, rowhouses and two- and three-family houses
- Leaks, wind and storm damage, Ida's rain to Isaias's gusts
- Phone answered 24/7 across Newark and 29 nearby towns
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Flashing Repair
Flashing Repair: what it covers
Quick answer
Flashing repair replaces or re-seals the metal and membrane where a roof meets a wall, parapet, chimney or dormer. On attached and row buildings in Newark, that joint does much of the work of keeping water out, so one failed piece is a common source of leaks. Newark Roofing connects you with a local technician who traces the joint first.
Flashing is the metal and membrane that waterproofs each joint on a roof, and on attached buildings the joints are many. Where a parapet meets a party wall, where counter flashing sits into brick and where step flashing runs up a dormer, a small gap is enough to let water through, and the stain shows far from the gap.
Freeze and thaw works the joints every winter. Mortar cracks, sealant hardens and metal lifts at its edges, so flashing repairs are often needed seasons before the covering shows wear. A technician looks at the joints first because that is usually where the water enters.
- Service area
- Newark & Essex County
- Availability
- Phone answered 24/7
- Phone
- (833) 751-2102
Warning signs
Signs you need flashing repair
Flashing work at a parapet or wall edge is a fall hazard, so use a secured harness or a guardrail and never lean over the edge. Do not cut mortar with power tools near the roof edge without eye and dust protection. If water is reaching a fixture or outlet on the wall, turn off that circuit at the panel and call (833) 751-2102.
- A stain on the top-floor wall beside a parapet or party wall after heavy rain
- Mortar that has cracked or crumbled at the line where the metal meets brick
- A metal edge that has pulled away from the wall or lifted at its top
- Sealant that has shrunk, split or pulled out of the joint
- Rust streaks running down the wall below a flashing edge
Our process
How our flashing repair visit works
Trace the stain to the joint
The attic or the wall inside is read first, and the stain is followed to the joint it sits beneath, rather than to the surface nearest it.
Check the flashing run
Each piece of the run is inspected, because one failed flashing often sits beside others that have not yet failed.
Rebuild the joint
Counter flashing is re-cut into the mortar joint, step flashing is replaced piece by piece, and the metal is sealed to the membrane or covering.
Test the repair
The joint is checked against the kind of rain that caused the leak, and the top floor is checked again once the storm has passed.
Why does a flashing repair stop a leak the shingles could not?
Shingles shed water across the roof, but the joints at walls and parapets are where water is pushed sideways and upward. A failed flashing lets wind-driven rain in behind the covering, so the leak can appear far from the joint that caused it.
Wind pushes rain under the upper edge of a flashing and into the wall behind it. A joint that looks dry from the street can still be wet inside, and the stain then travels along the framing.
Caulk over a failed flashing is a short-term measure. It can hide the gap for a season, but the metal behind it keeps moving with temperature and the seal fails again. A repair re-cuts or replaces the metal.
A technician checks the flashing from both sides, the roof and the wall, because the cause and the stain are rarely on the same surface.
Which flashing joints fail first in older buildings?
The joints that take the most movement and the most water fail first: parapet caps, counter flashing set into old mortar and step flashing at dormers. In older buildings these joints are often original, so their metal and mortar have aged together.
Old mortar is softer than the brick it holds and cracks where the flashing is cut in. Each freeze and thaw widens the crack a little more, which is why repairs are re-cut rather than sealed over.
Different metals behave differently under heat and cold. A repair uses a compatible metal, so the new piece does not corrode the old one at the joint.
Dormers and chimneys are the main junctions on older houses. Each has several pieces of flashing meeting at a point, and that point is where a technician looks first.
What should a flashing repair note say?
A flashing repair note names each joint repaired, the metal and sealant used, the mortar work and the test. It tells the owner where the water was entering and what has been done about it, which is what the next visit will check.
Ask for the position of each joint on the building, measured from a fixed point. The next inspection can then find the same joint without searching the whole wall.
Note the metal type and the mortar mix used. A later repair on the same wall needs that information to match the original.
The cost guide explains what moves the figure in Newark: the number of joints, height and access, the masonry condition and the metal type. The price is confirmed on site.
- Each joint repaired and its position
- Metal type and thickness
- Mortar or sealant used at the joint
- Test performed and the date
- Access and any scaffold needed
Options
Types and options for flashing repair
Step and counter flashing at a wall
Stepped metal that runs up a wall beside a roof slope, with counter flashing set into the masonry above it. The joint is re-cut and resealed rather than caulked over.
Party wall and roof-edge flashing
Metal and membrane where a roof meets a neighbour's wall. The repair is planned with the neighbour in mind, because the metal often crosses the line between two buildings.
Essex County
Why flashing repair is different in Newark and the Essex, Hudson and Union County towns
Attached and row buildings in Newark run parapets and walls along shared lines. The flashing at those lines serves two buildings, so a repair affects the house next door as much as the one being worked on.
Many Ironbound houses have aluminum siding over older masonry, so a flashing repair may have to cross a siding line as well as a brick joint.
Need flashing repair today?
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Where we work
Flashing Repair across Essex County
- Flashing Repair in Ironbound
- Flashing Repair in Harrison
- Flashing Repair in Forest Hill
- Flashing Repair in Kearny
- Flashing Repair in East Orange
- Flashing Repair in Irvington
- Flashing Repair in Hillside
- Flashing Repair in Orange
- Flashing Repair in Belleville
- Flashing Repair in South Orange
- Flashing Repair in Bloomfield
- Flashing Repair in Maplewood
- Flashing Repair in Glen Ridge
- Flashing Repair in Elizabeth
- Flashing Repair in Bayonne
- Flashing Repair in West Orange
- Flashing Repair in Lyndhurst
- Flashing Repair in Nutley
- Flashing Repair in Union
- Flashing Repair in Jersey City
- Flashing Repair in Montclair
- Flashing Repair in Roselle Park
- Flashing Repair in Rutherford
- Flashing Repair in Hoboken
- Flashing Repair in Millburn
- Flashing Repair in Springfield
- Flashing Repair in Clifton
- Flashing Repair in Roseland
- Flashing Repair in Summit
- Flashing Repair in New Providence
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Chimney Flashing Repair
Repairs to counter flashing, step flashing, crowns and caps on masonry chimneys in Newark, with the brick joint rebuilt before the metal is sealed.
Roof Leak Repair
Tracing and stopping roof leaks in Newark buildings, from the attic to the parapet, including water that travels along the framing before it stains.
Rowhouse and Brownstone Roofing
Roof work on rowhouses and brownstones in Newark, where shared parapets, cornices and party walls set the order of every repair.
Roof Repair
Targeted repairs to a defined fault on Newark roofs, from a lifted shingle to a failed parapet joint, with the cause named before the work.
FAQ
Flashing Repair FAQs
Can flashing be fixed with sealant?
Only as a short-term measure. Sealant can hide a gap for a season, but moving metal and cracked mortar break the seal again, so a technician should re-cut or replace the flashing for a lasting repair.
Why does a flashing leak show up on the wall below the roof?
Water runs down the wall behind the flashing and along the framing before it stains the wall or the ceiling. The stain often sits lower than the failed joint.
Do I need to replace the mortar when the flashing is repaired?
Often yes, where the mortar is crumbling or cracked at the cut. Flashing set in weak mortar will fail again, so the technician checks the joint before resealing it.