Magply fire protection boards make the perfect choice for roofing contractors

A Colchester based roofing contractor has been using Magply Recovery boards as part of a high specification build up, which provided its operatives with a relatively quiet as well as safe means of carrying out re-roofing works to school classrooms during lesson times.

RT Roofing Services specialises in the education sector and carries out up to 20 large scale upgrade projects for premises across London and the South-east each year, with its current contract focussing on Herts and Essex High School in Bishops Stortford.

While much maintenance work around school and college campuses has to be scheduled for the long summer holidays, the pressure this puts on the re-roofing works means some operations have to carry on during term time, as long as noise and disruption are kept to an absolute minimum. As a result, instead of scabbling smooth the old covering of asphalt and chippings on the Bishops Stortford buildings, RT Roofing proposed to simply sweep away any loose material and then begin the over-roofing with a layer of 6mm thick Magply, bonded down in hot bitumen. This then offered a sound flat surface on which to install a Langley built-up felt system.

The owner of RT Roofing Services, Richard Tebbutt commented: “We mainly install Langley and Bauder flat roofing systems, being one of the latter’s biggest customers in the UK, having tackled 18 big contracts for schools in the past year. At the Bishops Stortford School we wanted to avoid the noise and dust of scabbling the existing asphalt surface and chippings, so instead the team just brushed off the loose material and thoroughly prepped the surface before bonding the Magply sheets down in hot bitumen.

“Because Magply is non-combustible, any excess bitumen can simply be burned off before the vapour barrier is installed as part of a Langley approved system. We have used Magply a number of times in the past in similar situations – including for another school project and purchase our supplies through Under Cover, a specialist roofing merchant in Rayleigh and Colchester.”

As its contract at the Herts and Essex High School has progressed, RT Roofing Services has laid some 600m2 plus of 6mm thick, 1200mm x 1200mm Magply boards.

As a high performance, multi-functional overlay board, Magply is manufactured from an MgO formulation. The board has been tested in the UK and carries a Euroclass A1 Non-Combustible Fire Rating. Magply boards are robust, easy to use on site and provide an environmentally friendly alternative to other conventional overlay products. Crucially, Magply carries internationally recognised accreditations confirming the boards’ ability to deliver fire resistance and insulation under test conditions.

Find out more about Magply products here

Magply fire protection boards supplied to Oakworth Homes

A timber frame manufacturer, serving both the self-build and wider development sectors, includes high performance Magply boards within its standard details and brochures, to ensure its customers can be offered fail-safe fire resistance wherever the circumstances demand it. Oakworth Homes has established its Benchmark Selfbuild service to help individual clients fulfil their creative aspirations, Oakworth also delivers larger contracts in the student accommodation, care and other markets. The company’s energy efficient and very flexible designs all being based on the Varytherm platform which can provide a variety of different wall constructions with U-values down to 0.10 W/m2 K.
Each option in the Oakworth range includes the choice between conventional OSB3 or Magply fire check boards for the outer sheathing to Varytherm timber frame elements. The design team accordingly recommends the use of Magply whenever the site survey and pre-contract assessment identifies a specific risks to adjacent properties in the event of a fire during the construction stage. The Magply boards also offer resistance to racking loads, both as part of the completed structure and during the installation process. The Factory Production Manager for Oakworth Homes, Lee Wild observed: “When we are designing our timber frames for customers, we always give them the option of upgrading to using the Magply fire check board instead of the standard OSB material. This may be in just one area of the structure – where it is in close proximity to another property – but we have to make them aware of the need to address the risk of a fire on site spreading to adjacent buildings.

“We have reviewed many products that are on the market and found that Magply offers the best solution for the application. Oakworth Homes staff the production line definitely discovered that it not only cuts better, but the boards are not prone to cracking or splitting as they are installed with the pressurised nail guns. Sometimes we have to go from nailing at 150mm centres down to 75 or 50 mm if the structural calculations demand it. It all comes down to the engineering and the design and we will always factor in the safety considerations, advising clients according on the availability of the Magply as an option.”  As a high performance, multi-functional board, Magply features a Magnesium Oxide formulation, to offer a fire-safe and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plywood or OSB products. Additionally, the unique production process keeps the chloride content to just 0.01%, enhancing both stability and long term durability.  Crucially, Magply carries internationally recognised accreditations confirming the boards’ ability to deliver 90 minutes integrity and insulation under test conditions. Furthermore the range offers excellent racking strength, impact or pull-out resistance and all round ease of use in a variety of applications. Magply has been tested under BS EN 476 Part 22 for timber frame applications and parts 6&7 to provide Class 0 certification for the surface spread of flames together with other approvals such as EN ISO 1182-2010.

Find out more about Magply products here