I've seen liquid flashing hold up pretty well too, especially if you're careful with prep. Had a client whose chimney flashing kept peeling back—tried liquid flashing as a temporary fix, and it's still solid three years later. Not ideal for every scenario, but definitely handy in a pinch.
When I bought my house, the inspector pointed out some pretty sketchy flashing around the chimney. At first, I figured I'd just slap some liquid flashing on it, because it seemed like an easy fix and I wasn't exactly swimming in cash after the down payment. But a friend who's been in construction for years warned me against relying too heavily on liquid flashing for something critical like a chimney. He said it's fine if you're stuck and need a quick patch-up, but eventually, I'd probably have to bite the bullet and redo it properly.
Of course, being stubborn (and broke), I went ahead and used liquid flashing anyway, thinking I'd prove him wrong. It did hold up surprisingly well for about a year and a half. But then one particularly nasty winter storm hit, and sure enough, water started seeping in again. I ended up having to redo it properly with aluminum flashing this past spring. Honestly, I wish I'd done that from the start—it was more expensive up front, but now I'm confident it'll hold up for years.
Not saying liquid flashing can't work—clearly, plenty of folks have had luck with it—but from my experience, it's better as a stopgap solution rather than a long-term fix. If you're dealing with something important like chimney flashing or areas prone to heavy weather exposure, investing in a proper redo is probably worth the peace of mind.
"Honestly, I wish I'd done that from the start—it was more expensive up front, but now I'm confident it'll hold up for years."
Yep, seen this scenario play out plenty of times. Liquid flashing's handy for a quick fix or temporary patch, but for chimneys or critical spots, proper metal flashing is usually the way to go. Glad you got it sorted eventually—think of it as tuition in the homeowner school of hard knocks, haha.
Been there myself—patched around a skylight with sealant once, thinking I'd save money. Lasted maybe a year before leaks returned. Replaced with proper metal flashing after that...lesson learned the soggy way, lol.
Yeah, sealant alone rarely holds up long-term. I tried a similar shortcut on my chimney flashing—thought I'd outsmart the system. Ended up redoing it properly with aluminum step flashing anyway. Sometimes the "cheap" fix costs more in the end...
