Chimney Flashing Repair in Santa Monica

Some chimneys have a single piece of metal pressed against the brick with a bead of sealant along its upper edge. It works until the sealant dries, cracks or pulls away, which sun and temperature swings make certain.

Adding more sealant is a common repair that buys little. Where counter flashing was never cut into the mortar, the durable fix is to cut the groove and install it properly.

Where a Santa Monica house has a clay tile roof, the flashing sits under tile that has to be lifted and reset, and tile breaks easily when walked on. That changes how the repair is approached and how the roof is protected while it happens.

Near the ocean, galvanized flashing loses its coating at bends and nail holes and rusts from there. Replacement flashing is often specified in a metal that holds up better, and it must not be paired with a metal that will corrode where they touch.

A stain on the ceiling or wall right beside the chimney, rust streaks on the roof below it, lifted metal and cracked sealant all point to flashing.

Water inside the firebox or on the smoke shelf, or dampness high on the chimney breast inside the house, points more often to the crown, the cap or porous brick. If the evidence is mixed, tracing the leak comes before replacing flashing.

Resealing existing flashing and replacing it outright are very different jobs, and most estimates turn on which one is needed.