There’s an old saying, “It’s the little things that matter.” And we agree. Because we know firsthand that even the tiniest leak can result in super-duper damage to your home.
This is where a $25 modification can save you thousands of dollars worth of heartache. And when it comes to “rot-repair-home-maintenance-heartache,” it doesn’t get any worse than a window or door leak.
Window and door leaks are a constant source of irritation. Every year we find ourselves outside adding a fresh bead of caulk around every opening at the connection between the wood siding and the trim around the opening. Even with the best caulking available, there is still the chance that house movement or wood expansion – or contraction – will break the precious seal allowing unwanted water into places where it shouldn’t be.
Rather than caulking year in and year out, why not improve the connection between your siding and trim by adding a piece of metal flashing? The task is easy and inexpensive and can substantially reduce the chance of a leak.
You will need the following tools and materials:
* A circular saw.
* A flat pry bar.
* A measuring tape.
* A hammer and nails.
* A length of aluminum or galvanized sheet metal flashing.
Keep in mind that this modification works best on homes where plank (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) wood siding butts up against the outside edge of wood window or door trim. However, a very similar process can be performed where plywood siding exists. Here’s what to do:
First, remove the top piece of window trim. Be patient here. Prying the trim away from the building a little bit at a time will help to prevent the trim and the siding from being damaged. Back the nails out of the trim and set it aside.
You should now be able to see a layer of building paper in the area behind the wood trim. We’ll refer to this newly exposed spot as the “open area.”
Use a pencil to make two 1-inch horizontal marks, one at each of the two upper corners of the open area – one to the left and one to the right. Use the circular saw to make a 1-inch long slit through the siding at each of these two points. Essentially, this extends the topmost edge at the open area by 2 inches by adding a 1-inch long saw-blade-width slit in each direction.
Next, you will need to make two lengths of flashing that will fit behind the siding and over the top and down the face of the window trim, sort of “Z” shaped. Aluminum works best because it is a soft metal that is easy to form and shape.
The flashing should be bent to the following specifications:
The first bend should be about 2 inches. This section will fit beneath the upper side of the open area.
The second bend should be about a 16th of an inch greater than the thickness of the wood trim. This part of the flashing will cover the top of the wood trim.
The final dimension should be about one-half to three-quarters of an inch. This part of the flashing will drop down over the front face of the wood trim.
The combined length of the two flashings should be 8 inches greater than the length of the piece of wood trim that was removed. This will allow for a 3-inch overlap in the center and leave enough length for the flashing to extend to the end of the 1-inch slits that have been added to either side of the open area. The flashing ends up being longer than the wood trim by about 2 inches.
The reason for using two pieces of flashing is so that the each piece can be fitted behind the siding and then slid beyond the open area into one of the slits. The additional length allows the two pieces to overlap in the center by 3 inches, a good way of creating a leak-free connection that won’t need caulking.
Now, With the two flashings sitting loosely in place, it’s time to replace the wood trim. Nail the trim in place and caulk the ends and the bottom edge.
With your new flashing in place you should never have to worry about caulking the top of a window or door opening again. Yes, it is still wise to continue to caulk the sides of these openings from time to time, but keep in mind that side trim will not hold water like top trim. Therefore, the chance of leaks at side pieces is pretty remote.
For more home improvement tips and information from James and Morris Carey, visit their Web site at www.onthehouse.com or call 800-737-2474 Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 8 a.m. every Saturday.
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