Martin Hipkin, DEKS Business Development Manager, discusses the features and benefits of lead replacement flashings versus traditional lead on various types of installations
You only have to take a cursory glance at the numerous grandiose older buildings in your local town or city to see how extensive the use of lead has been over the centuries as a durable roof flashing. In more recent times, however, it has come to be regarded by many as a product which is no longer wholly appropriate for a more safety conscious, environmentally aware society. Even its biggest advocates would have to agree that using lead is time consuming, cumbersome and requires high levels of skill to install. Working at height, it also makes increasing sense for the ideal roof flashing to be lightweight, and easy to manoeuvre. It also needs to be easy to cut and form, applied directly from the roll with minimal waste and without the requirement of being prefabricated and lifted into place.
At the same time there should be no need for welding at the joints or elaborate fixings or bending devices. The best solution is always non-toxic and, therefore, more environmentally friendly. Lead replacement flashings should also be attractive enough to sit comfortably next to the existing lead, which may have been in place for decades.
As we all know Lead has a significant scrap value and, despite futile efforts to stop the illegal scrap trade, there continues to be a massive escalation in lead being ripped off roofs and stolen for scrap. One of the biggest problems with the theft of lead from roofs is the damage that can then be caused by water ingress, leading to expensive repairs, worry and stress and increased insurance premiums.
Taking all those factors into account it is easy to make a strong case for our own solution, the DEKS FastFlash, a highly flexible, adhesive, smooth and attractive roof flashing that will not only provide a better outcome but won’t get stolen because it is stuck hard and fast to the building. Customer feedback indicates that using FastFlash almost pays for itself on the installation efficiency alone.
Material advantages
Our product is a stretchable matrix of recycled aluminium, embedded in eco-friendly polymer rubbers with a fully self-adhesive butyl backing. Like a traditional lead flashing, it can be chased into masonry and will adhere to most conventional building materials – plastics, zinc, copper, steel, brick and concrete – with only minimal priming required for porous or dusty surfaces. It also does not need any pagination oil applied with the extra cost in labour and materials.
Those who regularly lift lead know how surprisingly heavy it is, which is a potential hazard on any sloping roof. Fastflash is five times lighter than code-4 lead. And, unlike lead, it isn’t a potentially toxic product. It rarely needs heat or flame for installation, which reduces the risk of possible roof fires due to naked flames.
Easy and fast installations
For projects – like flashing a chimney – it’s simply a case of cutting each length of flashing, instantly bond butyl to butyl faces, pinch, roll and flatten easily with a soft dressing hammer or finger tips and create a flexible watertight bond at the joint that looks professional.
In use it stays where you manipulate it, with no memory to want to return to its original shape and, while lead has to be lapped every 1.5 metres to allow room for expansion, it’s possible to use an entire roll of flexible flashing up to 5m with no lapping, cutting installation time significantly with less waste, thereby saving money. Importantly, lead replacement flashings are also not as vulnerable to the price fluctuations associated with lead, so you can be assured when you quote for a job you will not be out of pocket.
Boxed for easy transportation, and to minimise damage on the move, the product range comes in Black, Light Grey (Old Lead) and Anthracite (New Lead) – allowing flashings to blend in even on listed buildings.
For further information on DEKS FastFlash visit https://www.deks.co.uk/perform-fastflash
