Chimney Flashing & Leak Repair in Charlotte, NC

Q: There is a water stain by my fireplace. Does that mean my chimney is bad?

Usually not the chimney itself, the flashing. A stain near the fireplace after rain is the classic sign that the seal where the chimney meets the roof has failed and water is getting past it. The brick and the flue can be perfectly fine while the metal seam leaks. It is a common, fixable roofing repair, and catching it early matters, because a leak that runs for months rots the decking and framing behind the wall. We will inspect it and tell you exactly where the water is entering.

Q: Do I need a chimney sweep or a roofer for this?

It depends on where the problem is. If the issue is the flue, the liner, the firebox, or a chimney that needs cleaning or relining, that is a chimney sweep or chimney specialist. If the issue is a leak, water getting in where the chimney meets the roof, that is flashing, and that is a roofer's job. That is us. When we inspect, we tell you honestly which one you are dealing with rather than talking you into the work we happen to do.

If there is a water stain on the ceiling near your fireplace, or a rust streak running down the brick, the odds are it is not the chimney. It is the flashing — the metal that seals the joint where the chimney passes through the roof. That seam is the single most common place a Charlotte roof leaks. Not the shingles. Not the chimney itself. The line between them.

Here is the part most people never get told: a chimney leak and a chimney problem are two different jobs. The flue, the liner, the firebox, the sweep — that is a chimney specialist. Where the chimney meets the roof, and the water getting past it — that is roofing, and that is us. Keyway is a licensed general contractor in Matthews, and we have been sealing chimneys to Charlotte roofs for over 50 years. If your problem is actually up the flue, we will tell you straight and point you to the right trade instead of selling you something we are not.

Rebuilt brick chimney with new step flashing and cap in Charlotte, NC — Chimney re-flashed and sealed on a Charlotte, NC home.

We re-flash chimneys, replace failed step and counter flashing, build crickets behind wide chimneys that dam up water, and stop the leak at its source — then fix whatever the water already ruined on the way in. Call 704-847-7119 or contact us online for a free inspection.

Discover the Difference What To Expect

How to Tell It Is the Flashing, Not the Chimney

You do not need to climb up there to have a good guess. From the ground and the attic, these are the tells we see most on Charlotte homes:

A water stain or ring on the ceiling or wall near the fireplace, usually showing up after a hard rain
Rust or orange-brown streaks running down the brick from the metal
Damp brick or a musty smell on the chimney chase in the attic
Metal that is lifted, pulled loose, or missing where the chimney meets the shingles
Cracked, peeling black roofing tar smeared around the base — that is the last guy’s shortcut, and it is why you are calling again

That tar is worth its own sentence. We pull it off Charlotte chimneys constantly. Somebody caked sealant around the flashing to stop a leak, it held for a season, then it cracked and the water came right back. Tar is not flashing. It never was.

Seeing any of these? Get it looked at before the next storm. Call 704-847-7119 or contact us online.

What Actually Fails Up There

Chimney flashing is not one piece — it is a system, and any part of it can let go:

Step flashing. The small overlapping pieces tucked under each course of shingles along the sides of the chimney. When they corrode or a reroof crew reuses the old ones, water finds the gap.
Counter flashing. The metal set into the brick mortar joints that laps over the step flashing. When the mortar erodes, the counter flashing pulls away and the whole seal fails.
The cricket — or the missing one. On a wide chimney, the uphill side needs a small peaked “saddle” to split water around it. A lot of Charlotte homes never got one, so water pools on the high side and works its way in. That is one of the most common leaks we fix.
Old sealant. Everything up there is only as good as the sealant behind it, and Charlotte’s sun and 43 inches of annual rain age it fast.

New black step flashing where a brick chimney meets the roof in Charlotte, NC

Close-up of new chimney step flashing and counter flashing in Charlotte, NC

Step and counter flashing we replaced on a Charlotte-area chimney — the seam where most roof leaks actually start.

What We Do About It

We fix the flashing and everything the leak touched. In one visit that usually means:

Replace failed step and counter flashing with new metal, set properly into the mortar — not tarred over
Build and install a cricket or saddle behind wide chimneys so water is shed instead of trapped
Reseal the joint the right way and replace the shingles disturbed around the chimney
Repair the rotted decking, fascia, or trim the leak already caused — because a chimney leak that ran for a while almost always left wood damage behind it
Re-flash the chimney as part of a full roof replacement, which is genuinely the best time to do it. And since a chimney leak often starts the same way a wall leak does, a failed seal, we also handle window and door weatherproofing

Free inspection, honest scope, upfront pricing. Call 704-847-7119 or contact us online.

Discover the Difference What To Expect

Repair, Re-Flash, or Wait for the Reroof?

Not every chimney leak needs the full treatment, and we will not sell you one that does not. If the flashing is mostly sound and one section has failed, a targeted reseal and repair holds. If the metal is corroded across the board or someone tarred over the real problem years ago, a full re-flash is the honest call — a patch on that will fail on the same timeline as the last one. And if your roof is already near the end of its life, the smart money is re-flashing the chimney when the new roof goes on, so you are not paying twice for access to the same spot. We will lay out which situation you are actually in.

Why Homeowners Call Keyway for a Chimney Leak

We are roofers and carpenters, not a chimney sweep pretending to be one, and that honesty is the point. One licensed team seals the chimney, replaces the shingles around it, and repairs the water damage inside — no juggling three contractors for one leak. We have worked on Charlotte-area roofs for over 50 years, we are family-owned and headquartered in Matthews, and every job carries our one-year workmanship warranty. If the real fix is up the flue, we say so and hand you to a chimney specialist. That is how you end up being the roofer a homeowner calls next time.

Stop the leak at the source. Call 704-847-7119 or contact us online for a free chimney flashing inspection in Charlotte, NC.

Chimney Leak Questions We Actually Get

There is a water stain by my fireplace. Does that mean my chimney is bad?

Usually not the chimney itself — the flashing. A stain near the fireplace after rain is the classic sign that the seal where the chimney meets the roof has failed and water is getting past it. The brick and the flue can be perfectly fine while the metal seam leaks. It is a common, fixable roofing repair, and catching it early matters, because a leak that runs for months rots the decking and framing behind the wall. We will inspect it and tell you exactly where the water is entering.

Someone put tar or sealant around my chimney and it is leaking again. Now what?

That is one of the most common situations we walk into. Roofing tar smeared around a chimney is a shortcut, not a repair — it seals for a season, then Charlotte’s heat and rain crack it and the leak returns, often worse because water has been sitting behind it. The right fix is to pull the tar, replace the actual step and counter flashing, and set it properly into the mortar. Done correctly, it is a repair you should not have to think about again for a very long time.

Do I need a chimney sweep or a roofer for this?

It depends on where the problem is, and this is where a lot of homeowners get bounced around. If the issue is the flue, the liner, the firebox, or a chimney that needs cleaning or relining, that is a chimney sweep or chimney specialist. If the issue is a leak — water getting in where the chimney meets the roof — that is flashing, and that is a roofer’s job. That is us. When we inspect, we tell you honestly which one you are dealing with rather than talking you into the work we happen to do.

My chimney is wide and it only leaks on the uphill side. Why?

That is almost always a missing or failed cricket. A cricket is a small peaked saddle built behind the uphill side of a wide chimney to split rainwater and send it around instead of letting it pool against the brick. A lot of Charlotte homes were built without one, or had a poorly made one, so water dams up on the high side and eventually works its way in. Building a proper cricket is usually the permanent fix for that exact leak.

Can you re-flash the chimney when you replace my roof?

Yes, and if your roof is near the end of its life, that is the smartest time to do it. New flashing should go on with a new roof anyway — reusing old, corroded flashing on a fresh roof is a shortcut we do not take. Doing both at once means you only pay for access to that part of the roof once, and the chimney and the roof age together from the same starting point.

Keyway Construction & Roofing handles chimney flashing as part of full roof repair and storm damage work across greater Charlotte, from Matthews and Mint Hill to Ballantyne and Waxhaw. Call 704-847-7119 for a free inspection.

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