Flashing Repair
Flashing sits around the base of a brick chimney to protect the home from water leaks, which seep down into walls and ceilings. Water damage to a home threatens the home's structural integrity and exposes the home to potential dangerous and deadly mold growth. Due to age, structural settling and weather conditions, brick chimney flashing cracks, splits and pulls away from the chimney base, necessitating an immediate repair. There are many different materials used as flashing, such as copper, aluminum, sheet metal, heavyweight felt paper or several layers of roofing tar paper. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Clean the area around the base of the brick chimney to inspect it for signs of wear and damage. Use a paint brush to clean away all dust dirt and debris.
2. Carefully and thoroughly inspect the flashing at base of the brick chimney. Look for small cracks, chips and gaps.
3. Place asphalt roof cement into a shallow pan or load a caulking gun with roof sealant.
4. Dip a trowel into the roof cement, and apply a thick layer of cement to the cracked, chipped or otherwise damaged areas first. Forcefully press the roofing cement into any gaps, or squeeze the sealant from the caulking gun and use the trowel to press it firmly into gaps.
5. Dip the trowel onto the roofing cement, and apply a second thick layer over the top of the flashing, extending 2 inches from the edge of the flashing onto the roof. Extend the roofing cement onto the chimney up to the first row of mortar. Or apply three to four thick rows of roofing sealant from the caulking gun over the entire surface of the flashing and smooth them out with a trowel over the edges of the flashing.
6. Use the trowel to compress the edges of the roofing cement, thereby creating a tight seal.
Tags: roofing cement, base brick, base brick chimney, brick chimney, around base, around base brick, cement apply
