Two layers, not one
Step flashing carries water off the roof plane. Counter flashing keeps water from getting in behind the step at the brick. Skip either one and the chimney becomes the wettest part of your house.
4.9
Across 1,100+ Google reviews
★★★★★ 4.9 on Google, 1,100+ reviews
Virginia / Roof System
Chimney Flashing in Northern Virginia
When water shows up near a chimney the masonry usually gets blamed and the flashing is usually guilty. A chimney is a hole in the roof with a brick wall standing in it, and the metal around it does all the work.
Step flashing
Counter flashing
Crickets and saddles
Membrane wrap
Full reflashing
2
Offices, Springfield and Fredericksburg
Free
Inspections, no pressure
270 lb
CertainTeed Landmark Pro standard
Overview
Every chimney leak we have chased comes back to the same short list. Failed counter flashing, missing step flashing, no cricket on a wide chimney, or a crown that stopped shedding.
The seal at a chimney is two layers of metal working together. Step flashing goes up both sides woven into the shingle courses, and counter flashing sets into a cut in the mortar joint and laps down over the step. When somebody caulks a single strip of aluminum to the brick and calls it flashing, it holds for a couple of winters and then the freeze and thaw cycle opens it right back up.
Cut into the mortar
Counter flashing belongs in a saw cut in the mortar joint, bent, seated, and sealed. Metal surface mounted to the face of the brick is a temporary fix that gets sold as a permanent one.
Crickets on wide chimneys
Anything wide sitting across the slope dams water and debris on its uphill side. A framed cricket splits that flow and sends it around both sides instead of holding it against the brick.
Detail
How we rebuild a chimney flashing
Reflashing a chimney means pulling shingles back on all four sides and starting the detail over. There is no version of this job that happens from a ladder with a caulk gun.
- Strip and membraneShingles come off around the chimney and the old metal comes out. Ice and water shield wraps the base on all four sides and turns up the brick, so the membrane is already holding water out before any metal goes on.
- Step flashing up both sidesIndividual pieces, one per shingle course, lapped so each sheds onto the next. Front apron at the downhill face, back pan or cricket at the uphill face, and nothing face nailed where water runs.
- Counter flashing into the jointWe cut a reglet into the mortar, set the counter flashing into it, and seal the cut. It laps over the step flashing so there is no path behind the metal, which is the entire point of the second layer.
- Matched metalThe flashing metal matches the gutter and trim metal on the house. Copper looks right on some homes and is worth doing, but never against aluminum gutters, because the two together corrode at the joint.
Diagnostic
Not sure what you are looking at?
Four questions. You get a straight read on whether this is a repair, a replacement, a gutter job or an insurance claim, and where to go next.
Roof and gutter diagnostic
Step 1 of 4
NO EMAIL REQUIRED
Coverage
Where we work
We cover Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg area out of two offices. Search for your town, or pick it off the list to see the map and the local page.
No match in our service area. Call (703) 347-6482 anyway, we travel for larger jobs.
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Our full service area
Service areas
Why us
The part other crews skip
Inspected first
We get on the roof and photograph what we find before we quote. You see the same evidence we do.
Roofing and gutters together
One crew for the roof, the siding and the gutters, so nobody is blaming the other trade.
Licensed and insured
Virginia license 2705155080, CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified, fully insured on every job.
Every job documented
Photos and video through the whole install on CompanyCam, stored indefinitely, with a link that is yours to keep.
Reviews
What Virginia homeowners say
Questions
Chimney Flashing questions we get asked
Why does my chimney leak only in heavy rain?
Because a marginal detail holds in a light rain and gives up in a driving one. Wind pushes water uphill under the front apron and in behind surface mounted counter flashing. If it only leaks in a real storm, flashing is almost certainly the reason.
What is a cricket and do I need one?
It is a small framed peak behind a chimney that splits water and sends it around each side. Wide chimneys sitting across the slope need one, and code generally requires it past a certain width. Without it, leaves and water sit against the brick all season.
Is it the chimney or the flashing?
The flashing, most of the time. But a cracked crown, spalling brick, or an open mortar joint will also take on water, and that is masonry work rather than roofing. We photograph what we find and tell you plainly which trade you need.
Can you flash a chimney without replacing the roof?
Yes, it is a targeted repair. We pull the shingle courses around the chimney, rebuild the flashing, and reset or replace those shingles. On an older roof the surrounding shingles can be brittle, and we will tell you that before we start rather than after.
Should the flashing be replaced with a new roof?
Always. Bending old counter flashing back down and reusing step flashing is one of the most common corners cut on a tear off, and it is why a brand new roof can leak at the chimney in its first year. New roof, new flashing.
By town
Roof Repair Near You
Every town we cover has its own page with local detail. Pick yours.
By town
Chimney Flashing Near You
Local pages for the towns we cover.
Protect the roof
A roof is only as good as the gutter below it.
Clogged gutters back water up under the first course of shingles, rot the fascia and feed ice dams. Keep them clean on a schedule and the roof edge stays dry. Ask about adding the Annual Gutter Cleaning Plan to your roof project.
Stop the leak at the chimney
Free inspection with photos of the flashing detail, and a free written estimate for the rebuild. We will tell you whether it is the metal or the masonry before you spend a dollar.
- Free inspection, no pressure
- Photos of everything we find, yours to keep
- Licensed and insured, VA 2705155080
- CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified
Request your free inspection
Tell us what you are seeing and we will get back to you to set a time.