Flashing at Trim:
Gable Corbels, Belly Bands, Horizontal Trim and Rusty Lintels

Gable corbels

Corbels are the decorative wood brackets under a gable overhang, very common on newer Portland and Vancouver homes. Their tops are flat and their end grain faces the sky. A Vancouver report spelled out what happens: without metal cap flashing, water sits on the flat wood grain, leading to early rot, paint failure and moisture wicking into the wall. The recommendation was a custom-fit metal cap over each corbel, tucked behind the siding or trim above it.

In another Vancouver house, the corbel flashing was there but didn’t cover the whole top surface, which leaves the same problem at the exposed strip.

Belly bands and horizontal trim

A belly band is a horizontal trim board running around the house, often at the floor line. Water running down the siding above hits its top edge. Without a Z-shaped flashing tucked behind the siding above and lapped over the trim, water can run behind the band. In a Vancouver house, horizontal trim pieces on the columns had no flashing over their top edges, and Russ’s report noted they shed water back onto the column below and into the joint behind.

A Tigard house had open gaps with exposed structural wood at the top of column trim where it met the beam. The fiber cement siding post covers more of these install details.

Rusty lintels

Over windows and doors in brick, a steel angle called a lintel carries the brick above the opening. In a Portland house, the lintels showed surface rust. Russ’s report explained that surface rust may not affect strength right away, but can lead to more corrosion over time and rust staining on the brick below. The usual fix is cleaning and painting the exposed steel.

Heavy rust is different. Steel swells as it rusts and can lift the brick above it or crack the mortar. The brick and stone veneer post covers weeps and flashing in brick walls.

Why paint isn’t enough

Paint protects wood from sun and splash. It doesn’t hold up to standing water on a flat surface. Water finds the hairline crack at a joint, gets into end grain and stays. That’s why the top of trim fails before the face of it. The exterior paint failure post shows what that looks like as it progresses.

What Russ checks

He looks at visible trim, corbels, bands, columns, lintels and their flashing from the ground, ladder or drone, noting missing flashing, gaps, rot and rust. He probes wood where decay is suspected and reachable. He doesn’t remove trim or siding. Missing flashing gets a recommendation for a qualified siding or trim contractor; lintel concerns go to a masonry contractor.

For the rest of the outside, the guide to what to look at on the exterior before you make an offer covers siding, paint and flashing together. To set up an inspection, you can book online.