Several resources are available for providing general guidance specific to the preparation of details and specifications for roof flashing systems. Typical resources include manufac­

turer and industry entities. Manufacturers usually provide generic guideline details and specifications for installation of the materials they produce. Common related items, such as sheet metal, sealants, fas­teners, etc., are often not depicted or are simply pictorially represented by these details, since they are usually not consid­ered the responsibility of the manufacturer. The National Roofing Contractors Asso­ciation (NRCA) publishes standard con­struction details in its Roofing and Waterproofing Manual1 for conditions that would typically occur on a roof. The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, Inc. (SMACNA) pro­vides recommended details in its Architec­tural Sheet Metal Manual2 for a wide variety of conditions with regard to sheet metal components. Since sheet metal is the pur­pose and responsibility of this entity, the roofing membrane and flashing material re­lated issues are not presented by SMACNA details.

As valuable as these resources are, crit­ical aspects such as terminations or transi-

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tions of details are typically not represented in standard details. The information avail­able from these sources typically consists of either cross-sectional or isometric views of standard conditions. However, quite often, the atypical condition (i.e., termination of base flashing or end of parapet wall) can create obstacles and difficulties for the installer, resulting in a substandard detail and possible water infiltration. In addition, the flashing conditions presented in a pub­lished detail may be minimum standards that are suitable for the materials promoted but may neither be suitable for the existing field conditions nor meet the requirements of the building owner or the intended use or serviceability of the roof.

Therefore, it is the responsibility of the designer to detail these conditions in order to achieve the desired finished product. If these specific elements are omitted, the constructability is left to interpretation by the field mechanic, which could jeopardize the integrity of the installation through a lack of proper attention at a particular loca­tion.

The intent of this article is to provide general insight into the technical content that can be contained in a standard detail, the potential oversight of common condi­tions, and helpful hints to enhance the spe­cific detail.

CONSTRUCTION DETAIL The subject detail is a typical flashing

condition at a load-bearing wall. The wall construction could be either a parapet wall or a building rise wall that is constructed of either concrete or masonry and extends ver­tically a minimum of four feet above the deck. The roof system selected is a multi­ply, built-up roof with a granule-surfaced modified bitumen cap sheet and similar base flashing. The type of deck and pres­ence of insulation are not relevant to this discussion. A two-ply modified bitumen sys­tem has similar characteristics to the built-up roof discussed herein.

SUBSTRATE Masonry walls can be a challenging sub­

strate on which to install flashing materials. Masonry located on the inboard faces of parapet walls is often not constructed as true and clean as exposed face brick on the exterior of the wall. Irregular surfaces, frac­tured partial bricks, bug holes, and untooled mortar joints are common condi­tions on the inside of masonry parapet walls. Plywood or gypsum sheathing can be anchored to the wall to provide a smooth, sound, and monolithic substrate.

If plywood is installed, it is recommend­ed that the top edge be chamfered, sloped upwardly and back to the wall on a 30- to

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Photograph 1: Misaligned cut sections of fibrous cant along curved substrate.

Photograph 2: Wood cant at corner miter.

Photograph 3: Cementitious cant at circular penetration.

45-degree angle. This honed edge will provide a smooth tran­sition to extend flashing material or three coursing, applied along the leading edge of the base flashing up the interior of the masonry wall. A mechanically-attached base sheet is typ­ically anchored to the plywood prior to application of other bi­tuminous materials.

With the improvement of gypsum sheathing, this type of product provides a sound, suitable substrate to receive the various types of flashing materials now available. Direct appli­cation by the various installation methods (i.e., torch, adhe­sives, etc.) is possible while providing a substrate that is inor­ganic and not susceptible to the effects of moisture, fire, and insects. A uniform coating of plastic roof cement can be applied to the masonry wall or sheathing prior to installation against the wall to serve as an additional layer of waterproof­ing.

CANT STRIPS The initial step of constructing the flashing system in­

volves installation of the cant strip at the deck and wall junc­ture. The cant strip could be a fibrous type, treated wood, or a quick-set, cementitious material. Fibrous cants are the most economical material. However, depending on the substrate (e.g., concrete deck), a cementitious cant material can be installed and remain in place for future roof replacement activities.

Whether the substrate is rigid insulation board or base sheet, a fibrous cant should be set in a uniform troweling of plastic roof cement, a cold-applied adhesive, or mopping of hot asphalt. If a wood nailer or wooden substrate is present, a wood cant may be nailed to the substrate. Cants should be installed in a manner similar to requirements for rigid board insulation. Adjacent pieces of fibrous or wood cants should be installed with joints butted snugly to provide a continuous smooth substrate (Photo 1). Cants installed at inside and out­side corners of walls should be constructed with mitered cor­ners at the ends of the mating cant pieces. Forming smooth mitered corners is difficult to achieve with wood due to the rough, sharp edges formed by saw-cutting and the rigidity and trueness of both the wood and the underlying substrate (Photo 2). Fibrous cants can be “shaved” and cementitious cants can be manually shaped to form smooth transitions (Photo 3).

MEMBRANE AND BASE FLASHINGS After installation of the cant, felt plies or the smooth-

surfaced modified bitumen base ply sheet should be installed continuously from the field of the roof to the top edge of the cant and terminated. In BUR application, if the wall is paral­lel to the long dimension of the field plies, starter plies should be installed along the cant in order to achieve proper ply count over the cant. If the masonry wall in the area to receive roof­ing is deemed to be a suitable substrate, primer should be applied and allowed to dry prior to application of the flashing plies.

Common details published by material manufacturers depict the ply sheets extending up the wall a minimum of two inches above the top of the cant. With fiberglass felt plies, par­ticularly Type VI, the vertical extension is difficult to properly install. Due to the relative rigidity and “memory characteris­tics” of glass felts, conforming to the two transitions (horizon­

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Photograph 4: Disbonded felt plies.

tal-to-cant; cant-to-vertical) is difficult to achieve in the relatively short dimension. Bridging of felts or unadhered felts at one or both of these transitions will most likely occur. The author has observed roofing con­tractors, during the installation of built-up roofing felts, terminating the field plies above the cant and leaving the felts in that condition to serve as a “night seal.” This condition rarely performs satisfactorily, even if coated with plastic roof cement, because the felts often become disbonded from the vertical substrate, creating an opening for water entry (Photo 4). Therefore, felt plies of the field membrane should be

terminated at the top of the cant and prop­erly pressed into place to conform to the substrate.

Some modified bitumen manufacturers recommend terminating the base ply of the field membrane at the top of the cant. After installation of the field membrane plies, the author recommends installing two plies of felts (Type IV preferred as they tend to be more flexible) or backer sheets. The base flashing felts should be cut into 6-foot lengths and 12 to 18 inches width or the dimension required for proper flashing height and site conditions. One ply of smooth-surfaced modified bitumen could

Photograph 5: Degranulating cap sheet to receive base flashing.

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also be utilized in lieu of the felt plies. The flashing plies should be installed over the substrate, extending horizontally four inch­es beyond the toe of the cant and vertically four inches (minimum) above the top of the cant. If the applica­tion of the cap sheet and the modified base flashings are delayed (which is more common than not), the backer plies can be temporarily sealed and made watertight with a troweling of plastic roof cement applied over the top edge. Upon completion of the backer plies, the cap sheet is then installed up to the top edge of the cant and terminated.

The granule-surfaced base flash- Photograph 6: ing is then extended Application of horizontally four in- three-coursing to ches beyond the toe vertical lap seams of the cant and verti- of base flashing. cally above the top of the cant a minimum of four inches. Granule surfacing of the cap sheet to receive the base flashing should either be primed or degranulated to provide a bituminous substrate (asphalt-to-asphalt bond) to adhere the material (Photo 5). Modified bitumen finish plies should be cut into lengths of six feet (maximum). Flashing sheets in lengths greater than six feet are difficult for mechanics to handle and prop­erly install, particularly using hot asphalt or torching techniques.

Since modified bitumen products that are to be applied with asphalt require that the asphalt be of sufficient temperature in order to melt the coating on the back of the sheet, use of shorter lengths will help to achieve this. Although more vertical seams are created when using shorter lengths of flashing sheets, the author feels that a bet­ter installation will result. The flashing sheet can be created by cutting sections from the full-width material roll, resulting in sheet lengths of three feet with a selvage edge. If a selvage edge is not present on the flashing sheet, granules should be primed or degranulated in the overlapped (vertical sidelap) portion.

Care should be taken to install the mod­

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ified bitumen flashing sheet so that it con­forms to the contour of the roof-to-cant-to­wall profile. With low profile flashing heights (i.e., less than 24 inches), the flash­ing material should be installed on the roof

forcing fabric, and plastic cement – Photo 6). A technique that can be used to provide a neat appearance of three coursing is installing strips of an adhesive tape (i.e., masking or duct tape) parallel and on each

side of the lap seam (approximately 6 in­ches apart). After the application of the three coursing, the tape is removed to provide straight verti­cal lines for the edges of the treatment. After this treatment, the three coursing can be finished by embed­ding granules in the wet cement or by applying aluminized coating after curing of the plastic cement (Photo 7). The three

Photograph 7: Application of aluminized coating to three-coursing.

surface initially and proceed upward. For taller flashing heights, the flashing sheet (commonly torch or cold-adhesive applica­tion) is typically installed from the top edge and proceeds downward to the roof surface. The modified bitumen sheet should be installed without any pulling or stretching (tension). The sheet should be allowed to fall into place and then be hand pressed into position.

After adjoining sheets are installed, the author recommends that the vertical seams of the newly installed base flashing be treat­ed with three coursing (plastic cement, rein-

coursing is not intended to substitute for or conceal a poorly constructed lap, but rather to provide an additional layer of protection to the lap (exposed edge of the modified bitumen sheet). Several manufacturers do not specifically suggest the application of plastic cement over modified bitumen sheets — particularly APP modified prod­ucts. However, due to the advent of lower solvent-bearing products and because the plastic cement is topically applied, this con­cern is not as critical.

After the flashing has been adhered to the substrate and the lap seams treated,

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the top edge of the base flashing should then be mechanically fastened. Individually placed nails (spaced six to eight inches on center) are often depicted in published details (Photo 8). Although this approach serves well to secure the material to the substrate, the long-term seal of the materi­al located between the attachment points can be jeopardized if it becomes disbonded.

Therefore, a continuous metal termina­tion or compression bar is recommended for securing the flashing (Photo 9). The bar should be a minimum 1 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick, with a flat profile and should have slotted, pre-punched holes at the desired spacing (the author recommends six inches). The slotted or oval holes provide room for differential movement of the bar during changes in temperature. Termin­ation bars can “bow” outward between the points of attachment when secured at greater than six inches on center. The fas­teners used to secure the termination bar into a masonry or concrete substrate should be suitable for the substrate. The author recommends a type of fastener that can be removed via screwdrill for ease in future renovation activities. Although drive pins function well, removal of these fasten­ers requires shearing of the head and either drilling out the fastener or auguring anoth­er hole. When installing the termination bar over a masonry substrate, the author rec­ommends positioning the anchors into a mortar joint as individual bricks may frac­ture during the drilling or anchoring process.

After installation of the termination bar, a treatment of three coursing is recom­mended over the termination bar and top leading edge of the base flashing (Photo 10). Many in the industry accept base flashings that are fully adhered to a wall and period­ically mechanically attached (even with a termination bar). Over time, the base flash­ing material can become disbonded from the substrate between the fasteners, provid­ing avenues for possible moisture infiltra­tion. Continuous securement and three coursing will prevent this from occurring and embellish the long-term integrity of the counterflashing element. The design of this base flashing creates a watertight detail, even if the counterflashing were to be pur­posely or accidentally removed, dislodged, or was missing. The NRCA detail depicts three coursing as an optional item, and material manufacturers vary in the require­ment for three coursing treatment of the base flashing leading edge.

COUNTERFLASHINGS After the base flashing is completed, the

sheet metal counterflashing should be installed. A two-piece counterflashing, con­sisting of a receiver and counterflashing, is recommended. This type of assembly allows for removal of the counterflashing segment without affecting the anchorage to the wall. Removal of the counterflashing segment will allow personnel to perform specific roof-relat­ed work and re-use components in the future. A receiver can be installed into a saw-cut reglet, secured in place, sealed, and then the counterflashing is secured to the receiver.

A saw-cut reglet is preferred over a sur­face-mounted type (often depicted in pub­lished details) for several reasons. A sur­face-mounted counterflashing has a caulk trough on the top edge to receive sealant at the wall interface. This detail relies heavily on the performance of the sealant to main­tain the waterproof integrity of the counter-flashing. The trough of a surface-mounted counterflashing is constantly exposed to water running down the face of the wall. Proper sealant application is extremely dif­ficult to achieve on a masonry substrate due to the irregular surface (i.e., brick and

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mortar joints). Proper bonding of the sealant to the masonry and concrete sub­strate is also difficult due to other soiled or contaminated surfaces (i.e., bituminous deposits).3

A caulk trough results in a fillet bead profile, which is a less than optimum sealant configuration. With a saw-cut reglet, the sealant is installed in proper con­figuration (between parallel planes), and the majority of it is recessed behind the face of the wall. The tooled face of the sealant is exposed, providing little resistance to water

running down the face of the wall. A saw-cut reglet also requires proper techniques to achieve the desired perfor­mance. The reglet should be of proper depth (minimum 1 inch) into the wall and prop­er width (minimum 1/2­inch). The noted depth allows for adequate embedment of the metal flange of the receiv­er, and allows for the instal­lation of lead wedges, backer rod, and sealant. The noted width allows for the creation of a proper sealant joint width.

The reglet should also be properly cleaned to remove all debris from the saw-cutting process. The cleaning process should use forced air, such as that created by a commercially available “leaf blower.” Compressed air is not recommended, as moisture can be created by this process and introduced into the joint. The flange of the receiver should be fabricated to provide a

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downward-sloping facing at the point of protrusion from the wall. This profile pro­vides the least resistance for water cascad­ing down the wall.

The actual receiver should also be of sufficient length (2 inches minimum) to allow proper attachment of the counter-flashing. The counterflashing is then insert­ed and attached to the receiver. This can be accomplished with either pop rivets or self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws are preferred, as the screw can be removed and reinstalled to disengage the counterflashing

Left: Photograph 8: Base flashing nailed along top edge.

Below: Photograph 9: Installation of termination bar.

in order to perform maintenance and repairs to the base flashing or roof in the future.

Adjacent sections of counterflashing should be lapped a minimum of four inches with a bead of sealant sandwiched between the mating surfaces. The hemmed portion (backside) of the drip edge on the underly­ing section of the counterflashing is typical­

ly notched or removed on the lapped area so that the two adjoining pieces can nest. The lapped section can be secured, preferably with a grommeted fastener installed through an enlarged or oval hole to allow for movement.

If a surface-mounted counterflashing is the preferred or the only viable option, then the following detailing is recommended:

• Apply a pre-formed sealant tape between the backside of the vertical flange of the counterflashing and concrete wall;

• Utilize a continuous, heavy-gauge bar secured six inches on-center, to provide uniform attachment;

• Utilize appropriate fasteners with steel washers backed with rubber seals.

If the counterflashing is designed, fabri­cated, and installed appropriately, the metal should hug the base flashing and eliminate the need for wind clips. The receiver should have a length of two inches and extend out of the reglet and be bent downward on a 45-degree angle with the vertical wall. The return should be a mini­mum of one inch in length to engage the counterflashing. The counterflashing

should have a receiver leg approximately two inches in length (one inch engaged in receiver; one inch extending out of receiver). The angle between the receiver leg and fascia should be approxi­mately 90 degrees. The length of fascia of the coun­terflashing should be approx­imately three inches. At these dimensions, the counter-flashing should provide approximately 4-1/2 inches of coverage over the top edge of the base flashing, and the hemmed drip edge should almost be touching the fin­ished surface of the base flashing. The drip edge should be a hemmed return,

approximately 1/4 inch in length, and bent on a 45-degree angle.

If wind clips are desired, the author rec­ommends utilizing 1-inch wide strips of the same type of metal as the counterflashing. It is recommended that the wind clip be secured to the termination bar (after three coursing is applied) or height that the top edge of base flashing is secured. Typical

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SMACNA details depict wind clips that are installed into the base flash­ing material just above the bottom of the counterflashing (Figure 11). However, the previous installation scenario has exhibited similar capa­bilities of restraining the counter-flashing while the point of secure­ment is located above the line of pos­sible windblown water and snow, and it does not penetrate the base flashing material.

TERMINATIONS When the wall terminates, par­

ticularly at the edge of the roof, a unique flashing detail occurs to transition the wall to the metal edge. Sealed terminations should be installed on each flashing compo­nent (i.e., counterflashing, base flashing, metal edge). When the base flashing is terminated at the edge of the wall, a termination bar should also be positioned vertically along the edge of the material, extending from the top of the cant to the hori­zontally positioned bar across the extending three to four inches each side of applied at the top leading edge. top edge of the base flashing. Three cours- the corner for the full height of the flashing For the metal edge, a specialty piece ing can then be applied over the corner, material, overlapping the three coursing should be fabricated that extends up the

Photograph 10: Application of three-coursing over termination bar.

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Figure 11: Courterflashing; SMACNA Figure 4-3.

cant and over the flashing and provides an end cap for the fascia. The flange of this fab­rication should be anchored and then stripped into the flashing. (See Figure 12.) An outwardly deformed, hemmed kick-out should be formed on the outer edge of the metal cap to provide a trough to receive sealant. This fabrication can be made to ex­tend up and under the counterflashing, or a secondary piece of metal flashing could be installed on top of (in shingle fashion) the top edge of this unit and extend under the counterflashing.

The counterflashing should be wrapped around the end of the wall extending the same distance as the base flashing and metal edge. The counterflashing segment to be installed on the receiver should extend approximately 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch beyond the end of the receiver. This extended por­tion can then be cut along the break lines and hand-tonged downward to form an end closure for the counterflashing.

SUMMARY There are many different field condi­

tions, materials, design intents, installation nuances, and specific experiences that influence why details are constructed as they are. The purpose of this text is to show ideas and reasons for designing and con­structing long-term, serviceable details and to present multiple areas than can be affected if not appropriately identified. It is the opinion of the author that the informa­tion and resources available to the industry

Figure 12: Metal Edge/Risewall Termination

are guidelines for minimum standards. It is 1 Roofing and Waterproofing Manual, the duty of the specifying community to pre- Fifth Edition, NRCA. sent the proper information so that the 2 Architectural Sheet Metal Manual, Fifth product can be properly installed. Proper Edition, SMACNA. detailing will result in competitive and 3 Schaack, Karl, “The Use of Sealants in defined bidding, minimize multiple submit- Roofing,” Interface, May 2001. tal processes, eliminate ambiguity between project personnel, and provide the owner with a roof system suitable for the intended purpose of the design.

Karl A. Schaack, RRC, PE

Karl A. Schaack is president of Price Consulting, Inc., a roof­ing and waterproofing consulting firm located in Houston, Texas. Mr. Schaack has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Clemson University. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Mr. Schaack is an RCI Registered Roof Consultant. He has been employed in the consulting industry since 1983 with emphasis on build­ing envelope technology by providing condition assessments, remediation and new design, material testing, and construc­tion monitoring and administration. He is a member of RCI, the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, and the Gulf Coast Chapter of RCI.

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