When it comes to moisture control in masonry cavity wall construction, flashing plays a critical role in protecting building envelopes from water intrusion and long-term damage. Selecting the right flashing can make or break the long-term integrity of your building envelope. Hohmann & Barnard offers three popular solid options: Textroflash, Mighty-Flash, and Copper-Fabric, each with strengths suited to specific applications.
Best For:
- Everyday commercial or residential jobs
- Straightforward installs where fire rating and extended exposure aren’t needed
- Contractors who want speed, flexibility, and value
- Material: Polyethylene sheet with high-tack adhesive (40-mil thick)
Why Choose It:
- Very flexible (and soft to the touch) and easy to install over uneven surfaces
- Material: Polyethylene sheet with high-tack adhesive (40-mil thick)
- Compatible with concrete, wood, masonry, and steel
- Budget-friendly for large-scale jobs
Trade-Offs:
- Not fire-rated
- UV-resistant for up to 120 days
- Less durable under long-term mechanical stress
Choose Textroflash when flexibility, speed, and cost matter most, and fire/load specs are not the priority.
Mighty-Flash SA – Stainless Steel Flashing (Fire-Rated, Lifetime Durability)
Best For:
- Projects with long construction timelines or long-term outdoor exposure
- Government, healthcare, and institutional buildings requiring Class A fire rating
- Applications with high wind loads or where flashing will be exposed for weeks/months
Why Choose It:
- Extreme durability: won’t tear or deform over time
- UV-rated for 180 days, great for extended installs
- Class A fire rating (ASTM E84)
- Lifetime performance warranty
- Material: 304 Stainless Steel bonded to polymeric fabric with pressure-sensitive adhesive (316 stainless steel is available by special order)
Trade-Offs:
- Higher upfront cost
- Less flexible than poly or copper when wrapping corners or detailing
Choose Mighty-Flash when performance and code compliance matter more than material cost or install speed.
Copper-Fabric Flashing – High Compatibility & Conformability
Best For:
- Historic restorations, high-end masonry, and complex detailing
- Installers who want long-term chemical compatibility with mortar/sealants
- Jobs where flexibility is critical - arches, corners, custom openings
Why Choose It:
- Malleable and conforms easily to detailed shapes
- Chemically compatible with most masonry sealants and mortars
- Time-tested in the field for decades
- Material: Dead-soft copper laminated with polymer fabric; available in standard and self-adhering (SA) versions
Trade-Offs:
- Standard version requires mastic or mechanical fastening
- Heavier than poly; adds install time unless using SA version
- Higher material cost than poly (but less than stainless in most cases)
Choose Copper-Fabric for traditional builds, detailed masonry, or when you need long-term flexibility and chemical safety.
Flashing Comparison: Textroflash vs Mighty-Flash vs Copper-Fabric
| Feature | Textroflash (Poly) | Mighty-Flash SA (SS) | Copper-Fabric (Copper) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Adhering | Yes | Yes | No / Yes (SA version) |
| Fire-Rated | No | Yes (Class A) | No |
| UV Resistance | 120 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| Material Flexibility | Very High | Moderate | High |
| Durability (Tear/Impact) | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Conformability | Great | Fair | Excellent |
| Cost Level | $ | $$$ | $$ / $$$ (SA) |
Use Textroflash when you need a flexible, fast, and affordable flashing for general masonry walls.
Use Mighty-Flash when the project must meet fire codes, needs long exposure time, or will see harsh jobsite conditions.
Use Copper-Fabric when flashing must flex tightly around complex shapes or when long-term chemical compatibility with mortar matters.
If you're still unsure which to use, contact our team and we'll do our best to help you select the right flashing for your specific project.
For chemically aggressive environments or specialty envelope systems, H&B also offers Flex-Flash, a KEE-based flashing with high chemical and UV resistance. It’s significantly more expensive and typically only used in specific commercial or industrial applications.
Flashing Essentials – Everything You Need in One Place