Grace Roof and Window Flashing Products

Grace Flashing Solutions

One of the most important and difficult components of construction is proper flashing to keep rain, snow and ice out of buildings to prevent water damage and premature rotting of wood framing. On one of our current projects at work the guys have been building an addition for a school that has some interesting roof lines with complicated flashing issues.

Grace Ice & Water Shield

Grace Ice & Water Shield has been our preferred roof flashing for eaves, valleys and roof/wall intersections for quite some time. Grace Ice & Water Shield is a self-adhered roof underlayment with a rubberized asphalt adhesive designed to seal around nails. Sealing around the fasteners is critical in keeping water out from ice dams and driven rain.

For this particular project we’re using it in three different locations on the buildings roof.

• Two rows are being applied to the roof eave edges to prevent water damage in the event of an ice dam. This is fairly standard construction here in New England and a must for a quality roofing job.
• The addition that we’re building attaches to an existing building creating a fairly flat roof valley (intersection of a 3:12 pitch and a 12:12 pitch). Therefore we’ve run the Ice & Water Shield down the entire valley to protect against ice dams and wind driven rain.
• We’ve also installed a row of Ice & Water Shield at the roof/wall intersection shown in the photo above. This situation is very common when a porch roof intersects a buildings main wall or a building like this one that has a taller section of the building above the lower roof. The junction of the wall and roof can be prone to leaking so we’ve used the product to give an added layer of protection.

Grace Vycor Plus Self-Adhered Flashing

When it comes to windows and doors we use Grace Vycor Plus. Grace Vycor Plus is excellent for protecting door and window sills from premature rotting due to water damage. Before installing windows we wrap the window sill (see adjacent photo) and create a corner wrap. This ensure that if any water get in around the window that the structure will not rot.

Once the window is installed we also use the product to seal around the window installation nail fins. If you look closely at the top photo you’ll see a new Harvey Tribute Triple Pane window installed with Grace Vycor Plus installed around the window. This not only helps keep out water but it also helps seal out drafts around the window framing.

Self-Adhered Flashing Is Expensive……BUT

Quite often I hear people complain about the price of these self-adhered flashing products. A 75′ roll of Vycor can cost $33 or more and a roll of Ice & Water Shield can cost $120 or more. On a typical project we may spend about $1000 on self-adhered flashing products if there is a sizable roof and numerous windows. However, that price is a far cry from what it can cost if an ice dam occurs or water damage from wind driven rain. The bottom line is performance and these flashing products do an amazing job at preventing water damage. Don’t skimp on them and you’ll be comfortable knowing  you have some great protection against water damage.