Chimney and Flashing in North Arlington, NJ

Is there a brown mark on the wall by the chimney, or a gap where the brick meets the shingles? Call __PHONE_DISPLAY__ and say where the mark shows and what the chimney is made of, and the roofer can plan a look at the flashing and the mortar.

Call __PHONE_DISPLAY__ for a time Pairs with ice dams

Older roofer in an olive jacket nailing step flashing beside a chimney

When it cannot wait

A stain that follows the chimney up

A leak that tracks a chimney, a wall or a vent pipe can come from the metal sealing the joint rather than from the shingles around it. The National Park Service's roofing brief names failed flashing as usually a major cause of roof deterioration.

A ceiling stain near the chimney after wind-driven rain, a gap you can see from the yard between brick and metal, or loose, lifted metal is reason to call __PHONE_DISPLAY__ and book a look this week.

What the work involves

Two layers of metal at the chimney base

At a chimney the metal comes in two parts. Base flashing is tucked under the shingles and turns up the brick. Counterflashing is set into the mortar joints above it and laps down over the base. Rain that runs down the brick meets metal first and shingles second.

Along a wall the Building Science Corporation's flashing details show step flashing woven in with the shingles, and kick-out flashing at the bottom to steer water away from the wall.

Stop and get help first if

Smoke, a burning smell or soot is coming from the chimney or the walls around it: leave the house and call 911.
A brick or a chunk of the cap has dropped, or the stack leans: keep everyone from standing underneath, and leave the fireplace unlit.
Gas odor inside or near the chimney: get out, touch no switches, and dial PSE&G's gas line, 1-800-880-7734, or 911 from outside.
Someone wants to climb onto a steep roof to look at the chimney: do not. The base shows from the ground with binoculars, or from an upstairs window.

Close to home

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 year-built ranges put 1,366 North Arlington homes at 1939 or earlier and 1,177 in the 1940s, about 2,500 homes before 1950, give or take roughly 400. Chimneys, counterflashing and mortar joints on those houses are as old as the houses, or have been rebuilt along the way.

Winter carries as much precipitation as summer at Teterboro Airport in the 1991-2020 normals: 4.10 inches in December and 4.09 in March, against 4.45 in July. A joint between brick and metal that leaks in August can leak again in December.

What moves the price

What a flashing quote is made of

A chimney's flashing job depends on the chimney: how wide it is, whether it sits mid-slope or at an edge, how many sides need metal, and whether the mortar joints that hold the counterflashing need repointing first. A small peaked saddle behind a wide chimney adds work.

The metal chosen, such as aluminum, galvanized steel or copper, changes the material cost. Repointing is masonry work, so it may be quoted separately or by a different trade.

Paperwork pointer

Chimney work and the state list

The state's maintenance alert names liquid-applied lining inside an existing chimney as ordinary maintenance. It does not mention repointing or masonry repair, so ask the town office about those; the rules page lists the office in each town.

Icicles hanging below two snowy dormers on a brick cape cod

Pairs with

Ice Dams

Ice at the eaves with a damp ceiling or wall

Is there a ridge of ice along the eaves, with a damp patch on the ceiling or the wall beneath?

Open ice dams

Where the facts come from (7)

Checked 1 Nov 2026