if the flashing’s shot, covering it up is just delaying the inevitable.
Honestly, I’ve seen this play out too many times. Quick fixes just invite more headaches down the road—especially with water damage. These days, I always strip back to solid material, check for rot, then install new flashing. Takes longer up front, but it’s way cheaper than chasing leaks and repairing framing later. If you’re dealing with old aluminum, it’s usually brittle anyway—patching rarely holds up.
- Ran into this exact thing last fall—1950s ranch, original aluminum flashing, lots of patch jobs over the years.
- Pulled back the siding and found a mess: water stains, soft sheathing, even some carpenter ants.
- Quick patches looked fine from outside but did nothing for the hidden rot.
- In my experience, if you can flex the flashing and it creases or cracks, it’s done. No sense covering up trouble.
- It’s a pain to redo everything, but honestly, I’ve never seen a “band-aid” last more than a season or two.
Seen this plenty—patches on old aluminum flashing almost always hide bigger issues. I checked a place last month where the owner kept caulking over soft spots, but when we finally pulled things apart, the sheathing was toast and there was mold behind the insulation. If the flashing’s brittle or creased, it’s not doing its job anymore. Redoing it is a pain, but it beats chasing leaks every year. Sometimes those “quick fixes” just buy you more trouble down the line.
Curious if you ever see flashing that’s worth patching, or is it always a full replacement once it’s brittle? I’ve had a few clients balk at the cost of redoing it, but I’m not convinced patches hold up long-term.
I get where you’re coming from—patching can seem tempting, especially when clients see the price tag for a full replacement. In my experience, if the aluminum’s just got a small puncture or isolated corrosion, a patch might buy you a little time. But once it’s brittle or showing widespread wear, patches rarely hold up through another season of storms. I’ve seen too many callbacks after quick fixes. Sometimes spending more upfront really does save headaches down the line.
