Pry, chisel and scrape off old metal flashings and roofing cement. Before you do anything, get your ladder, roof brackets and safety harness set up so you can work safely and efficiently on the roof.

Q: My builder is talking about installing metal flashing as he's putting up my vinyl siding. What in the world is this material, and why is it necessary? I don't want to waste money, so can you tell ...

Q. My builder is talking about installing metal flashing as he's putting up my vinyl siding. What in the world is this material and why is it necessary? Some other people I've talked with have no idea ...

Have you ever heard a contractor or other DIYer talk about "flashing" and wondered what they mean? Or maybe you've got a rough idea but need clarification on the number of flashing types available.