The Mad Surveyor

Commonly known as the big 6 because of the typically 6 inch corrugation, many industrial units built in the last century were clad in asbestos, roofs and walls. These days big sheds tend to be clad in coated steel sheets.

Now a lot of these industrial asbestos roofs are showing signs of age, typically leaking via the bolt holes that were originally sealed by rubber grommets. The rubber perishes, the steel bolt corrodes making it well neigh impossible to replace with new but ideal for leaks to develop. You cure one leak then another appears, a never ending maintenance nightmare. One solution that Isotech have adopted which is very cost effective when compared to the cost of a new roof and the major disruption that would cause a business not to mention the downtime and cost in lost storage and production is to do a "foam and coat" from the exterior. Also, asbestos disposal is a very costly affair these days.

Basically, the exterior of the asbestos roof is cleaned and prepared, then coated with a specially formulated dense foam (you can walk on it without damage) typically to 40 to 50 mm and a final rubberised coating is then sprayed on to protect the foam and provide a strong and waterproof layer. Depending on the quality of coatings and the budget allowed this solution can renovate a leaky old industrial roof and give up to 25 years life before a further coating would be necessary. It also has the additional benefit that the asbestos roof is now also well insulated; 50 mm of foam is typically as effective insulation wise as about 150 to 200 mm of normal mineral wool insulation.

The foam and coat result is a renovated asbestos roof at a fraction of the cost of a re-roof, not to mention the cost of business disruption and asbestos removal, a well insulated thus saving on heating bills and an extended roof life of up to 25 years (depending on quality chosen) before a further top coating will be necessary.