This concealed-fastener post wrap technique shows how to fully wrap a 6x6 post with zero exposed fasteners using an S-bend cut on a Tapco Pro9 brake, then build out a head flashing and custom window trim using the same core bending skills.

The video covers sizing receiver flashings so they never bottom out, protecting window sides from laterally driven rain, and folding trim tabs to keep water moving out and away from a building instead of pooling behind it. It closes with a demonstration of the often-overlooked kickout flashing—a tiny, inexpensive detail that can prevent tens of thousands of dollars in water damage.

TRANSCRIPT:

Introduction to the concealed-fastener post wrap (0:00–2:21)

Right now we're getting going on a post wrap with no exposed fasteners. The idea is that once a 6x6 is fully wrapped, there won't be any fasteners showing—Kelsey demonstrates the technique on one side while Aron focuses on making the bends on his Tapco brake, since this particular bend is a bit more complicated. When installing these, you want to leave a little room so the wrap goes over the post easily, and you cut the material back slightly so it actually fits.

On the back side, where no one will ever see it once you're down there installing it, you use a roofing nail or a flat screw so nothing shows once the cap goes on. On permanent installs, the receiver end that snaps over the wrap gets a bead of Lexel or similar sealant, ideally placed on the less visible side—though even finished, the seam doesn't look bad at all.

Breaking a 6x6 post wrap into even S-bend pieces (2:21–3:17)

There's a lot of thinking involved in this one. It's an S-bend, and that takes a bit of time when you're working with material around 24 inches wide—which is roughly what's needed to wrap a 6x6 in two pieces. A 4x4 would be much easier, and anything larger than a 6x6 generally has to be broken down into multiple pieces; anything bigger than that is probably too big to do cleanly. If a cut comes out a little off, it's not something to panic about—the stock just gets divided out into even pieces from there.

The Tapco Pro9 brake and learning core bends (3:17–4:18)

The brake being used here is a Tapco Pro9, specifically the 6T version, though it's also available in 12- and 14-foot versions—a 10-foot 6-inch is the personal sweet spot. Most of the shop's work bends steel rather than aluminum, so an XL brake gets used for that, while the Pro9 is ideal for aluminum trim coil, roof flashings, and pretty much anything else that needs bending.

Once you learn the 10 or 12 bends involved in this kind of work, that's really it. From there it's just a matter of organizing those bends into a sequence that produces whatever profile you're after, including the ability to custom-fabricate parts on site as needed.

How the overbent legs grab and hold the post (4:18–5:18)

The two legs on this piece get bent slightly past where they'll sit, so once installed on the column, they hook and grab the post. The receiving C-channel then inserts right into that, held with a couple of aluminum fasteners on that side. The two overbent angles flex and snap back once installed, gripping the post and pushing against the material to hold it in place—while still allowing it to expand, contract, and float as the material naturally should, without ever popping off. The outside cap's receiver slots are what that piece slides into.

Receiver flashing sizing and sealant tips (5:18–6:06)

A key detail is that the receiver flashing has to be shorter than the S-bend—for example, a 1-inch S-bend should pair with only a 3/4-inch receiver—so the metal never bottoms out. That lets the pieces float freely and expand and contract without touching each other; if the receiver flashing does bottom out, expansion can start pushing the pieces apart. In a high-wind area, it's worth assuming something could eventually go wrong, so a small dab of a high-quality sealant like Lexel goes into the joint—just enough to help it hold up for the next 25 to 30 years.

Measuring with the Tapco tape (6:06–6:55)

Next up is a head flashing, since there are windows nearby. The Tapco tape offers a quick way to measure without pulling out a tape measure every time—it has two scales, one already offset for the cutoff tool, the other indexed directly off the brake's anvil for bends. Locking it down and pulling out an 8-inch piece, flipping the stops out of the way, and grabbing the cutoff tool is all it takes to get a piece of metal ready to go straight into a head flashing.

Building a head flashing that protects window sides (6:55–9:10)

Head flashing gets done differently in different regions. Some places just have it stick out over the door without worrying much about the sides, though plenty of building failures suggest the sides deserve attention too. In areas where wrapping the sides is code, it's meant to keep laterally driven rain from rolling down the side of a window.

On a two-story building, all the rain hitting that wall runs down over the window, and if any wind pushes laterally across it, water curling around the top of the flashing can run down the sides of windows and doors—so this detail is a quick, easy way to prevent that. The window is at its weakest right at that top connection, which is exactly where water tends to roll off if this detail isn't done—making it a critical spot to get right.

The fix is a bit of metal origami: bending up a small end-wall tab that ensures water traveling across the top of the flashing goes down and out and away, rather than curling over the side. What's especially useful about this approach and the way kickout flashings get built the same way is that nothing depends on cutting and sealing—it's a single continuous piece that's fully watertight without relying on sealant to hold up over time.

Installing aesthetic window trim over flashed windows (9:10–11:17)

Sometimes the job calls for pure aesthetics, which is where custom window trim comes in—on a window that's already fully flashed underneath with tape flash and liquid flash. These trim pieces are purely decorative, sitting over a window that's already sealed. The bottom piece goes on first and is the hardest one to install, since it needs to sit nice and tight and sets the pace for the rest of the trim; the sides go on next, and the top piece goes on last.

Everything shingle-laps so that as water comes down, it can't get in behind any of the pieces. The profile can be adjusted for different window depths off the wall, sized for a J-pocket if needed, and the leg length can go up to 6 or 8 inches for a more robust look or to allow a rain screen to fit in behind—accommodating pretty much any siding thickness.

Tab details that keep water out and away (11:17–14:38)

This kind of trim takes a little time to install, especially the first few times—it's finish work, closer to installing crown molding on a cabinet, and finish work always runs a bit slower. It's the part people actually see: the curb-appeal detail, and it's finicky to get all the tabs in the right order.

The tabs on the corners and J-channel receiver serve two purposes: folded down, they help keep the J-pocket spread and held tight together, and folding the top tab down also makes sure any water crossing the top of the piece runs to the outside rather than down inside. The goal throughout is to force water out and away rather than let it collect in a little reservoir against the sheathing or the window unit.

In a place like Florida, freeze-thaw cycling usually isn't a concern, but further north it becomes a real problem. Trapped water between parts can freeze, expand, and push the assembly apart. Since the goal is for this to still look good after 30 years, taking the time to bend the tabs correctly and keep water moving out and away matters.

The kickout flashing demo (14:38–end)

The most important flashing of all, hands down, is the kickout flashing—a small, roughly 20-cent part that's routinely overlooked by building inspectors, siders, and roofers alike, yet it can save a building tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Making one is simple: grab a pair of pliers, do a pinch and a twist, and it's done—demonstrated here with a volunteer from the audience walking through the bend, twist, and final mash to finish the shape.