What is flashing? The noun, not the verb!

Perhaps you’ve looked at our logo and noticed that it says “Prestigious Raingutters And General Sheet Metal”… Let’s take a step back from the gutters, and talk for a minute about the sheet metal side of our work! The most common sheet metal work we do is flashing.
The roof of a residential home serves one major purpose, and that is to be a barrier against the weather outside. The most difficult weather element to control is water, and roof flashing acts as the last line of defense against water leakage. Roof flashing is simply a piece of sheet metal — usually aluminum or galvanized steel — which is placed over joints in roof and wall construction to prevent water seeping into the house and causing damage. The major cause of residential roof leaks is a fault in the roof flashing.
Roof flashing represents a very simple and intuitive engineering technique that has been known for hundreds of years. The whole idea depends almost entirely on gravity. If the flashing has been installed correctly, gravity will work with the flashing material to shed the water onto the regular roofing materials, where it is then directed to your rain gutters and ultimately away from your home. Roof flashing is commonly used around chimneys, fan vents, plumbing vent stacks, and other items that project out of residential roofs.
For roof flashing to be effective, it must be durable, low-maintenance, weather resistant, and also accommodate movement. Expansion and contraction can happen on a daily and/or seasonal basis. For example, sunlight can create very high surface temperatures during the day, causing the roof materials to expand, but at night the temperature drops and the materials contract. Seasonal changes can affect the framing lumber, and the flashing materials must be able to withstand all these changes and remain leak-proof.
The stresses that roof flashing experiences over time can make it more prone to failure when extreme weather occurs, such as high winds, or excessive heat which are common in the Los Angeles area. During installation, care must be taken to preserve the flashing materials.
Flashings are the most technical and most difficult aspect of roofing in most cases. Traditional roof flashing methods and materials have stood the test of time, but they require experience and are time-consuming. Since flashings are the weak link in the chain when it comes to roofing, the skills of a professional are an important asset with these types of installations and repairs. At Prestigious, we have the knowledge and experience to create flashing that works for you and your home.