- Yep, seen plenty of those quick fixes fail too.
- Sealants might buy you a few months, but eventually water finds its way in... always does.
- Aluminum flashing replacement isn't rocket science—just measure twice, cut once, and take your time.
- Learned the hard way myself when I tried patching up my uncle's roof; ended up redoing the whole thing anyway.
- Better to bite the bullet early than deal with mold or rot later.
I've patched up my fair share of flashing, and yeah, sealants are usually just a band-aid. But do you guys think there's ever a situation where a quick fix actually makes sense? Like maybe if you're planning to redo the whole roof within the next year anyway?
I ask because last summer I helped a buddy who was in a tight spot—had some leaks around his chimney flashing right before a big storm. We slapped on some roofing tape and sealant as an emergency fix, fully expecting it to fail within weeks. Funny thing is, it's still holding up almost a year later (knock on wood). Now he's planning to replace the roof soon anyway, so it kinda worked out.
Don't get me wrong—I totally agree that doing it right the first time is usually best. Mold and rot are no joke... seen enough of that mess to know better. But sometimes life happens, budgets are tight, or timing just isn't ideal. Maybe there's room for temporary fixes if you're realistic about expectations?
Curious if anyone else has had similar luck with short-term solutions lasting longer than expected—or am I just tempting fate here?
"Maybe there's room for temporary fixes if you're realistic about expectations?"
Temporary fixes can surprise you, sure, but I've seen them backfire too often to trust them long-term. Had a similar chimney leak—thought I'd bought myself a year with sealant, but ended up with water damage inside after just a few months. If you're already planning a roof redo, fine...but otherwise, I'd be cautious counting on luck.
Had a similar issue with flashing around my skylight—thought I'd be clever and patch it up with some aluminum tape. Worked great...until the first big storm rolled in. Ended up with a lovely indoor waterfall feature I never asked for. Temporary fixes can buy you time, sure, but they're like duct tape on a sinking boat—funny to joke about later, not so funny when you're bailing water at 2 AM.
Aluminum tape's decent for a quick patch, but skylights are notorious leak magnets.
- Temporary fixes rarely hold up—especially with flashing.
- Better to bite the bullet and redo it properly with new flashing and sealant.
- Saves you from another midnight waterfall scenario...
