Firestone’s RubberGard EPDM single ply roofing membrane has been used to refurbish three flat roof areas at South Wiltshire Grammar School in Salisbury as part of a programme of roof upgrades at the school.
A selective girls’ school with high academic standards, South Wiltshire Grammar has a large campus accommodating around 1000 students, and various additions to the buildings on site have been constructed over the years.
Firestone-authorised contractor Saul Bros was tasked with carrying out major repairs to the tiled pitched roof on the main building and refurbishing three flat roofs on the same building.
All works needed to be carried out during school holidays and provide a high quality, robust finish with an extended service life. Having used Firestone’s RubberGard EPDM membrane on previous schemes, Saul Bros recommended it to the school as the ideal solution for a rapid install and long service life on the three flat roofs.
The technical team at Firestone worked closely with Saul Bros to develop a technical specification for the roofs, ensuring efficient use of materials and a durable, hardwearing finish.
The existing bituminous roof coverings were prepared to receive the new waterproofing system. Debris and areas with poor laminar strength were removed and the surface made good for adhesion of the new ISOGARD™ HD cover boards.
On one of the roofs, three existing skylights were also stripped out and the resulting recesses were re-boarded to enclose the apertures.
Following strip out, Firestone ISOGARD HD cover board was adhered to the roofs’ concrete substrate, maintaining the existing fall to the drainage outlets and ensuring a smooth, compatible and robust surface. The membrane was then adhered to each roof with minimum 150mm laps and the joints were sealed using Firestone’s 75mm wide, self-adhesive QuickSeam Splice Tape.
All works were completed within the holiday period and the school says it is delighted with the result. Head teacher Michele Chilcott commented: “Maintaining the fabric of our buildings to the high standards we uphold across all we do is important to us and we wanted a refurbishment that would offer us a long-term, low maintenance solution that looks good and ensures a watertight environment for students.
“Saul Bros recommended the RubberGard EPDM membrane, which is quick and easy to install as it enabled the completion of works within a short timescale outside of term time and created a neat finish that we’re confident will last and last.”
