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Chimney Flashing and Repair in Warwick, Rhode Island

Where a brick chimney passes through the roof, metal flashing and mortar have to stay tight; here is how a roofer fixes a leak.

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Chimney Flashing

Chimney Flashing and Repair: what it covers

Quick answer

Chimney flashing is the metal that seals the joint between a masonry chimney and the roof around it, in two layers: step flashing woven into the shingles and counterflashing set into the brick above it. When either layer fails, water runs in beside the chimney. Warwick Roofing connects callers in Kent County with an independent local roofer.

Chimney Flashing and Repair illustration for Warwick, RI

A brick chimney and a roof move differently. Wood framing swells, shrinks and shifts with the seasons, while masonry stays put, and the joint between them has to stay watertight through all of it. That is a lot to ask of a few strips of metal and a line of mortar.

It is also one of the most common leak sites on older houses in the area. Colonial and Federal homes in East Greenwich, Bristol, Newport and Warren often have masonry chimneys through the roof. The stain a chimney leak leaves on a ceiling or an upstairs wall is easy to mistake for a roof leak somewhere else.

If the stain sits near the chimney, or the chimney itself looks wet inside a room after a storm, call (833) 751-2102. You are put through to an independent local roofer who serves your town, and they come when a crew is free. Describe where the water shows and whether there is a fireplace below.

Service area
Warwick & Kent County
Availability
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Warning signs

Signs you need chimney flashing and repair

Do not climb onto the roof or lean a ladder against the chimney to look at the flashing. Brick can be loose at the top of an old stack, and the slope beside a chimney is a hard place to keep your footing. If you smell smoke or see damp around a working fireplace, use it only once a qualified professional has looked at the chimney.

  • A ceiling or wall stain that sits next to the chimney breast on the upper floor, or in the attic around the brick
  • Water marks or damp on the chimney's brick or plaster inside the house, especially after wind-driven rain
  • A leak that shows up on the high side of the chimney on a steeply pitched roof, where water collects behind the brick
  • Metal along the sides of the chimney that has rusted, lifted or pulled away from the masonry
  • Mortar joints that are crumbling or open near the top of the chimney or just above the roof line
  • A thick line of roof cement along the base of the chimney that has cracked, shrunk or been added over more than once
  • White powder or staining on the brick, which points to moisture moving through the masonry
  • Cracks or missing pieces in the chimney crown, the cement cap at the top of the stack
Our process

How our chimney flashing and repair visit works

  1. Look at the chimney from the attic and the roof line

    The roofer checks the attic around the chimney for staining on the framing, then examines the roof around it. The pattern of the stain shows whether water is coming in at the flashing, through the masonry itself or from somewhere further up the slope.

  2. Test the metal and the mortar

    Step flashing, counterflashing and the mortar that holds the counterflashing in are checked piece by piece. A flashing that looks fine can still have failed mortar above it, and the reverse is also common, which is why both get looked at.

  3. Remove the old metal and any failed sealant

    Old counterflashing is taken out, the shingles around the chimney are lifted, and old cement is cleaned away. This is slow work on a brick chimney because the metal is set into joints in the masonry, and it is why chimney flashing costs more to do right than a smear of sealant.

  4. Install new step flashing and counterflashing

    New step flashing goes up the sides in an overlapping pattern, with the shingles woven over it. New counterflashing is then set into a groove cut in the mortar joint, bent down over the step flashing and sealed, so the two layers shed water in sequence.

  5. Add a cricket where the chimney is wide

    On a wide chimney on the uphill side of a slope, a small peaked piece of roof called a cricket can divert water around it, so it does not pool against the brick. The roofer will say whether your chimney needs one.

  6. Hand off the masonry questions

    If the crown is cracked or the mortar above the roof line is failing, a roofer will usually tell you it is a mason's job. Getting the masonry sound makes the new flashing last, and a roofer who says so is giving you a straight answer.

Cost

How much does chimney flashing and repair cost in Warwick?

No source that was found gives a reliable price for chimney flashing, so none is quoted here. These are the things that shape a quote.

Chimney Flashing and Repair pricing in Kent County (2026)
JobTypical rangeWhat it includes
Size and shape of the chimneyQuoted on siteA wide or multi-flue chimney needs more metal and may need a cricket
Roof pitch and coveringQuoted on siteSteep slopes and slate or cedar roofs take more care around a chimney
Cutting new grooves in the masonryQuoted on siteSetting counterflashing into mortar joints is a slow, careful step
Masonry repair by a masonQuoted separatelyCrown, cap and mortar repairs are usually handled and priced apart from the roofing

These items describe what moves the price, not a price list. Your exact price is confirmed on site before any work starts.

Job stories

Typical jobs for chimney flashing and repair

Typical job
Illustration: A chimney leak on a colonial near Main Street, East Greenwich

A chimney leak on a colonial near Main Street, East Greenwich

What homeowners notice
A homeowner in an old house on the Hill sees damp plaster beside the chimney breast on the second floor each time wind drives rain from the northeast. The masonry looks sound from the lawn, but the strip of metal where the chimney meets the roof is lifted at one corner and the mortar line above it has gone dark.
What we do
The roofer inspects the step flashing and the counterflashing from a ladder and from the attic, removes the loose pieces and installs new flashing woven into the shingle courses, with new counterflashing set into the mortar joints. Any open joints are noted for a mason, since the roofer does not rebuild brickwork.
What to expect
The new flashing is photographed before the shingles close over it, and the homeowner is told in writing which masonry repairs, if any, belong to a separate trade.

Half a day to a day typical visit

Why do chimneys leak where they meet the roof?

A chimney is a vertical wall sitting in the middle of a sloped roof, so water runs down the slope and meets it head on. The joint depends on flashing that can fail through rust, old sealant or movement, and on masonry that can crack, so there are several ways for water to get in.

Water has a straight run at the uphill side of a chimney, where it collects and pushes against the joint. That is why the high side is where many leaks begin, and why a cricket matters on a wide chimney. The two sides run water past the brick, and the downhill side has to shed it.

Masonry also soaks up water. A cracked crown, a loose cap or open mortar joints at the top of the stack let rain run down through the chimney and show up as damp near the flashing even when the flashing is fine. Sorting out which is which is the point of the first visit.

Is it a roofer or a mason who fixes a chimney leak?

Both can be involved. A roofer handles the flashing, the shingles around it and any cricket, while a mason handles the brick, the mortar joints and the crown. A roofer should tell you which of the two problems you have, and say so plainly if the masonry needs separate work.

The two trades meet at the counterflashing, which is set into the masonry and finished on the roof side. A roofer is comfortable cutting a groove into a mortar joint to seat it. Repointing a failing stack or rebuilding a crown is bricklayer's work, and it is not part of what the call line connects you with.

If you are told the chimney needs a mason, get that quote and the roofing quote lined up, because the order of the work matters. New flashing set into crumbling mortar will not last.

What is special about chimneys on older bay-area houses?

Older homes around Narragansett Bay often have large masonry chimneys, steeply pitched or multi-gabled roofs, and more than one roof covering. That means more metal to lay, more careful cutting and more places for earlier repairs to have been added over. Historic-district rules can affect the work.

East Greenwich's historic district has Colonial and Federal homes dating to the 1700s, and the Newport Historic District covers 250 acres of colonial and later houses. A house of that age has often been re-roofed more than once, and the area around the chimney is where layers and patches pile up.

Slate, wood shingle and standing-seam metal roofs need a roofer who is comfortable working around them. If your house sits in a locally designated historic district, the commission may have a view on the metal and the finish before work starts. Ask first.

Can chimney flashing be fixed in winter?

Often, but weather decides. Snow or ice around the chimney has to be cleared before metal can be fitted, and sealant and mortar work best when the day is not too cold or wet. A roofer may recommend a temporary cover and a full repair when conditions allow.

A leak in January does not wait for April. If the chimney is dripping now, a roofer may be able to cover it temporarily; the emergency roof tarping page explains how a tarp works as a stopgap. The permanent fix is scheduled when the roof can be worked on with care.

Meltwater is a common trigger. A chimney in an attic corner often stays cold, and melting snow around it runs into any gap the flashing has opened.

Options

Types and options for chimney flashing and repair

Reflashing with step and counterflashing

The standard repair. The metal is replaced in two layers, the lower woven into the shingles and the upper set into the masonry, so that water has to run down the face of the brick and over both pieces. This is the right answer for most older chimney leaks and the one a roofer will usually propose first.

Resealing a sound installation

If the metal is in good shape and only the sealant at the top edge of the counterflashing has cracked, a roofer may be able to re-seal it. This is the cheapest and quickest fix, but it only holds if the metal underneath is sound and was laid in properly in the first place.

Flashing plus masonry repair

Where the crown, the cap or the mortar joints are also failing, new flashing alone will not stop the water. The roofer and a mason each handle their half: the roofer the roof, the metal and the shingles, the mason the brick, the mortar and the crown. See flashing repair for how the same system works at walls and dormers.

Kent County

Why chimney flashing and repair is different in Narragansett Bay

Warwick sees roughly 32 to 37 inches of snow a year and a cold season of about 3.3 months, and snow stacks up on the uphill side of a chimney and melts slowly, giving any weak joint plenty of water to test it. March thaws are when many people first see a stain.

The city's housing runs from the 1960 median home to the older village houses: more than 21 percent of Warwick's homes predate the 1940s. Those older houses are where chimneys run through cut-up rooflines, and where a past re-roof may have left old flashing in place under new shingles.

Warren's waterfront historic district has more than 300 buildings, and Bristol and Newport have colonial houses with chimneys that are part of the character of the roofline. On those streets a like-for-like repair of existing flashing is usually a different conversation from a change of material, so check with the town before ordering anything new.

One call and it gets handled.

Most chimney flashing and repair calls are scheduled the same day when a technician is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.

Call (833) 751-2102Get a quote
Where we work

Chimney Flashing and Repair across Kent County

Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.

Related

Flashing Repair

Flashing is the metal at valleys, walls and roof edges that sheds water; when it fails, leaks start at the joins.

Roof Leak Repair

Tracing and fixing roof leaks in Warwick-area homes, through an independent local roofer you reach with one call.

Roof Inspection

A roofer's look at shingles, flashing, valleys and attic, with photos and a written list of what needs work.

Guides

Read before you book

FAQ

Chimney Flashing and Repair FAQs

How do I know if my chimney leak is flashing or the brick?

A roofer separates the two by where and when the water appears. Staining that follows the roof line and shows during heavy rain suggests flashing, while damp that runs down inside the chimney or shows after any rain suggests the crown, the cap or the mortar. Often it turns out to be both.

Does a cricket really matter?

On a wide chimney on the high side of a slope, yes. A cricket is a small peaked structure behind the chimney that splits the water and sends it around both sides. Without one, water and debris pile up against the brick and push on the flashing joint.

Why not just seal the joint with caulk?

Caulk or roof cement can hold for a while on a hairline gap, but it hardens, shrinks and cracks as the roof and the brick move differently. Good flashing sheds water by overlap, with sealant as a final seal. A roofer will usually replace the metal instead of adding another layer of sealant.

Will chimney work change how my roof looks?

A little. New metal is brighter at first, and counterflashing shows as a thin line across the brick. Where the house is historic, the finish and the material matter more, and in a locally designated district you should check with the commission before changing what is on the roof now.

Can I have chimney flashing done while I replace the roof?

Yes, and it is a good time to do it, because the shingles around the chimney are up already. A new roof laid against old flashing can bring the old problems with it, so ask how the roofer will handle it. See roof replacement for what a full re-roof involves.

Does a chimney leak always mean the flashing failed?

No. Water can run into the house through a cracked crown, a missing cap or open mortar joints, or from a nearby roof valley that happens to empty beside the chimney. That is why a roofer looks at the whole area before deciding what to replace.

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