What Good & Bad Window Flashing Practices Look Like
When you hire a contractor to install a window, do not just let them install the window. Make sure that you watch the installation process to ensure that it is done correctly.
Flashing Keeps Water Out
Flashing is an important part of the window installation process. Window flashing helps create a secure seal around your windows, and ensures that moisture and air don't get around your window and damage your home. Window flashing is also often referred to as weatherproofing.
One of the most important jobs of flashing is to keep the water out of your home. Flashing is necessary in order to keep water from seeping around your window and into your home. Flashing is used with both new construction windows and with replacement windows as well.
Flashing Tape Should be Used With the House Wrap
Flashing tape should be used when your window is installed, regardless of if you are putting the window in a building that is under construction or if you are putting the window in to replace an existing window.
Flashing, or weatherproofing, is actually made out of a variety of different types of materials. Flashing can be made out of rubber aluminum, acrylic, or even stainless steel. The main principle behind flashing is that it is a thin material that is designed to provide weatherproofing capabilities and keep water from infiltrating your home. It should be used, along with house wrap, to keep your window secure and your home waterproof.
Slashes Shouldn't Be Made In The House Wrap
When house warp is installed, the house wrap should not be damaged in any way. Cutting through the house wrap in order to install the window is not a good idea. The house warp helps make a waterproof surface and protects the frame of your home. Your window installer should not cut through the house wrap or the flashing. This leaves you home vulnerable to water damage. If you see this happen, you need to step in and stop the installation process. You want a watertight seal in place to protect your home; water damage can be costly and hard to spot, so don't increase the odds of that happening to you.
The flashing around your windows has to be properly installed in order to protect your home and keep it from sustaining water damage. Ask your contractor how they will install the flashing, and watch them to make sure that they properly install the flashing.
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