System for flashing end joints of siding

Abstract

A system, flashing apparatus, and associated methods for protecting vertical butt joints in installed siding having locking profiles. The lower profiled edge of the siding is modified proximate the ends during manufacture or in a factory setting to create a modified section configured to mate with a unique piece of factory-produced or pre-made flashing of similar or matching profile. The flashing piece fits with the ends of the adjacent siding boards in a horizontal row and aligns with the profile of the locking edges of vertically adjacent siding boards so the system sheds water effectively and prevents water from penetrating behind the siding. In addition, the factory-modified siding and the pre-manufactured flashing pieces may be supplied as a ready-to-install system that simplifies the siding installation process and shortens the time and cost of installation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flashing system for use with siding with locking profiled edges, comprising:
 a plurality of pieces of siding, each piece of siding comprises a length, a front face, a back face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end, and a second end, said top edge comprising an underlap portion defining a first portion of a locking profiled joint, and said bottom edge comprising an overlap portion defining a second portion of the locking profiled joint, wherein the top edge and bottom edge of vertically adjacent pieces of siding fit together to collectively define the locking profiled joint, and the first end and second end of horizontally adjacent pieces of siding collectively define a butt joint;   a plurality of pieces of flashing, each piece of flashing having a length and a width, a front face, a back face, a top edge, a bottom edge, opposing ends, and a center, wherein said bottom edge of each piece of flashing comprises a dog-leg portion with a first bend and a second bend in opposite direction from the first bend, with a first leg located between the first bend and the second bend, and a second leg extending beyond the second bend;   wherein each piece of flashing is configured to be placed behind a respective said butt joint with the second leg of the dog-leg portion extending downward over some or all of the front of the underlap portion of a vertically adjacent piece of siding.   
     
     
         2 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the flashing comprises metal, copper, aluminum, galvanized steel, stainless steel, flexible metal fabric, and/or an adhesive-based metal foil. 
     
     
         3 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the flashing comprises a molded plastic polymer, high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polypropylene, polycarbonate, a polymer coated fiberglass. 
     
     
         4 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the flashing comprises fire-resistant and UV-resistant material. 
     
     
         5 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the flashing is molded or flexible. 
     
     
         6 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , further wherein the bottom edge of each piece of siding comprises a modified joint section where the locking profile joint element is absent or has been removed proximate to both the first end and the second end; and
 wherein the modified joint sections of respective said horizontally adjacent pieces of siding jointly form a flashing space.   
     
     
         7 . The flashing system of  claim 6 , wherein the modified joint section comprises a top cut angled downward towards the front face of the piece of siding. 
     
     
         8 . The flashing system of  claim 7 , wherein the first leg of the piece of flashing is angled downward towards the front face of the piece of siding, and wherein the top cut angle and the first leg angle are the same. 
     
     
         9 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the second leg extends downward over the head of a fastener penetrating the underlap portion of a vertically adjacent piece of siding. 
     
     
         10 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the top of the pieces of flashing extend to or proximate to the top edge of the respective pieces of siding. 
     
     
         11 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein a fastener used to fasten a piece of siding to a building or structure also penetrates the respective piece of flashing. 
     
     
         12 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the dog-leg portion extends the full length of the bottom edge. 
     
     
         13 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the dog-leg portion extends only part of the length of the bottom edge. 
     
     
         14 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein the dog-leg portion extends across the center and does not reach either end. 
     
     
         15 . The flashing system of  claim 14 , where the portions of the bottom edge not included in the dog-leg portion extend downward, and are configured to extend downward behind the underlap portion of the vertically adjacent piece of siding. 
     
     
         16 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein each piece of flashing is corrugated or wavy in cross-section, in whole or in part. 
     
     
         17 . The flashing system of  claim 1 , wherein each piece of flashing comprises a plurality of diagonal channels on the front face angled downwards towards a central vertical channel in the center, and one or more linear side gaskets extending vertically proximate an outer end of said plurality of diagonal channels. 
     
     
         18 . The flashing system of  claim 17 , further comprising a vertical central gasket disposed in the central vertical channel. 
     
     
         19 . The flashing system of  claim 18 , wherein the vertical central gasket has a width to match the butt joint spacing between the first end and second end of said horizontally adjacent pieces of siding.