"Good catch on the missing flashing behind your siding; that's a common oversight."
- Yep, learned this the hard way myself.
- Thought I'd save a weekend by patching up some damaged flashing with sealant... seemed solid at first.
- Fast forward a few months, heavy rainstorm hit, and suddenly water's trickling down my living room wall. Not fun.
- Ended up redoing it properly with new flashing behind the siding—lesson learned.
- You're definitely ahead of the game by catching it early.
Been there myself, thought I could get away with just patching it up temporarily to save a buck. Honestly, the sealant fix held longer than I expected, but eventually it gave out during a nasty storm. Ended up with a damp spot in the drywall and some mold concerns—definitely not worth the short-term savings.
That said, I've seen some folks swear by certain sealants or tapes as decent short-term fixes. Maybe it depends on the climate or how exposed the area is? Still, from personal experience, if you can swing it, I'd say bite the bullet and replace the flashing properly. It'll save you headaches in the long run.
Curious if anyone's had luck with any specific sealant or tape brands holding up longer term, or is this always just a ticking clock situation?
I've gotta say, I've inspected plenty of homes where the homeowner used a good-quality sealing tape rather than replacing flashing, and some of those patches held up surprisingly well—years even. It might depend on how thorough the prep work was or just plain luck. Still, I agree it's usually a gamble...but if you're tight on cash or just need to buy some time, something like Eternabond tape can be pretty impressive. Just don't count on it forever.
I tried Eternabond tape on some flashing around my chimney last year, mostly because I wasn't confident enough to redo the whole thing myself yet. Surprisingly, it's still holding strong through storms and all...but how long can I really trust it?
"Surprisingly, it's still holding strong through storms and all...but how long can I really trust it?"
Honestly, Eternabond tape can be impressive short-term, but I wouldn't bank on it for more than a couple years. Seen it hold up great initially, then suddenly fail after prolonged UV exposure or temperature swings. Keep an eye out for lifting edges or cracks forming underneath.
