Flashing Repair

The junctions are where roofs leak — lead and modern flashings done right.

Flashings seal every junction where the roof meets something else — a chimney, a wall, a roof window, a dormer. Junctions concentrate water and movement at the same point, which is why flashings are the single most common source of roof leaks: the covering can be perfect and the roof still leaks at its edges.

Flashings fail by fatigue (lead cracking along fold lines after decades of thermal movement), by fixing failure (wind lifting a flashing out of its chase, mortar retaining wedges crumbling), and — depressingly often — by bad previous repairs. Mastic, bitumen paint and self-adhesive flashing tape are the classic false economies: they buy a season or two, trap water behind themselves, and make the eventual proper repair messier.

We re-dress, re-fix and renew flashings in lead and, where appropriate, modern lead-free alternatives — stepped and cut into the mortar joints the way the detail is meant to be done.

Benefits

Why choose Flashing Repair

Proper stepped lead flashing, chased into the brickwork
Wind-lifted flashings re-dressed and re-wedged
Failed mastic and tape "repairs" replaced with the real detail
Roof window and dormer flashing kits repaired and renewed
Long-life materials — lead flashings last 50 years and more

Features

What's included

Chimney step and cover flashings
Abutment and lean-to wall flashings
Apron and back gutter details
Roof window (Velux-type) flashing repairs
Lead-free flashing systems where lead theft or budget dictates

Repair options

Repair or replace

Lifted or unwedged flashing on sound lead: re-dress and re-fix — quick and inexpensive. Cracked lead can occasionally be welded honestly, but fatigue cracks mean the lead has done its life; renewal is the fix that lasts. Where the flashing failure sits at a chimney, it rarely travels alone — pointing and flaunching are usually of the same vintage, so see chimney repairs for doing the stack properly in one visit.

Common questions

Frequently asked

What's wrong with flashing tape? It's sold everywhere. +

As a temporary emergency measure, nothing — it's useful first aid. As a repair, it fails in a couple of seasons: adhesion gives up under UV and frost, and water tracks behind it invisibly. If a quote proposes tape or mastic as the permanent fix on your flashings, get another quote.

Someone said my flashing is "not chased in" — what does that mean? +

Proper flashing turns into a groove (chase) cut into the mortar joint and is wedged and pointed there, so water running down the wall passes over the lead. Flashing surface-stuck to the brick face relies entirely on sealant — a common shortcut on extensions and a frequent leak source. The fix is to do it properly: cut the chase, step the lead, wedge and point.

Do you use lead alternatives? +

Yes, where they make sense — modern composite flashings perform well, cost less, and remove the theft incentive that plagues lead on some buildings. On period properties and prominent details we still prefer lead for lifespan and appearance. We'll recommend per job.