Firestone Building Products’ RubberGard EPDM system has been used to complete a 1,000m2 roofing project as part of a new store refurbishment for Home Bargains in South Elmsall, Wakefield.
The existing store building has undergone a complete refit since being acquired, as the existing bituminous roof was reaching the end of its service life and showing signs of stress due to differential movement, which could result in leaks.
Roofing contractor UK Roof Solutions was required to renew the roof without strip out or the use of hot works, and was also required to add insulation to improve the building’s thermal performance. The company selected Firestone’s 1.1mm LSFR RubberGard EPDM membrane; a 100% cured roofing membrane made of a synthetic rubber Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Terpolymer. The membrane offers resistance to the effects of ozone and UV with flexibility, even at temperatures as low as -45°C.
The system is laid using lightweight 3.05m wide panels and according to Firestone Building Products requires around 66% fewer seams compared to a traditional bitumen roofing system. As a result, the company says it is faster to install and provides an improved long-term waterproofing coverage, with a service life of up to 50 years.
After cleaning and preparing the existing substrate, UK Roof Solutions used Firestone’s complete roof build up. First, ISO95 + GL insulation boards were adhered to the surface using I.S.O. twin-pack high performance polyurethane insulation adhesive. The Firestone RubberGard EPDM single ply membrane was then fully adhered to the insulation boards using the company’s BA-2012 cold-applied adhesive and seams were sealed using QuickSeam splice tape, with a 10cm overlap to ensure a robust and leak-free surface.
Mark Rowe from UK Roof Solutions said: “This installation has renewed and upgraded the roof at the Home Bargains store in South Elmsall with a hard-wearing and long-lasting roofing system from Firestone that has improved the building’s aesthetics, weather resistance, thermal performance and fire protection in a rapid installation requiring no hot works.”
