Lead flashing alternatives .... and Flashband

[^woody^]

Lead flashing alternatives are all the rage at the moment and get a good press, but Flashband and similar have been around for many years but tend to get a bad press.

Looking at them they are all aluminium foil with a butyl/bitumen backing, but the current crop of lead alternatives cost at least three times as much as Flashband

Lots of pros see Flashband as a temporary thing or a last resort, and yet these new lead alternatives are typically used without question.

So can someone explain the actual difference between these lead alternatives and Flashband, and are they really "better"?

 

[noseall]

So can someone explain the actual difference between these lead alternatives and Flashband, and are they really "better"?

I would imagine the difference between lead alternative and f.b. is strength and longevity.

Flashband often fails because it is adhered to both the horizontal and vertical surfaces which in turn causes stress failure at the junction or adhesion failure at the connections.

There is no allowance for ex/con movement

 

[SASroofer]

I've seen some with e.m.l infused to add strength and flexibility, where as flash band is basically tin foil and a bitumen coating.

Looking at a job in Islington tomorrow morning, achurch thats had its lead flashings nicked. Am taking a few samples of lead alternatives with me.

Breaks my heart, being a qualifyed lead worker

 

[datarebal]

We recently installed some flashing to a Fulham church that had been stripped of some of its flashings.... I used Redland Rapid flash and to be honest it looks pretty good..

 

[seasickstevie]

I've seen some with e.m.l infused

What's EML ?

 

[noseall]

I've seen some with e.m.l infused

What's EML ?

Expanded metal lath.

 

[SurreyRoofingEstimator]

We use a product called Masterform from a company called Nicholson in London, not the cheapest by far but it is very good and very versatile, easier to use than Ubiflex and the big plus is it can be used in flat areas such as small flat top porches and parapet gutters

 

[RedHerring2]

I've only used Ubiflex and found it to be OK. I've used it for chimney and upstand flashing and for valley gutters. It has an aluminium eml embedded in it. It's quite a bit thicker than flashband. It also has a degree of self-healing ability. I think it comes in a small variety of colours.
It can be worked in a similar way to lead.

 

[SASroofer]

We use a product called Masterform from a company called Nicholson in London, not the cheapest by far but it is very good and very versatile, easier to use than Ubiflex and the big plus is it can be used in flat areas such as small flat top porches and parapet gutters

Would you say nicholsons stuff would be usable as a flashing on a delta tiled roof? That's what I found on the job I looked at this morning

 

[hardmetalking]

Stainless steel all the way!
Worthless to thieves and will last forever, has to be installed by a pro though..........
Or there's always zinc or copper........

 

[datarebal]

stainless has scrap value.

 

[SASroofer]

And it would look terrible soldered over delta profiles!

 

[^woody^]

So, it seems that these new flashings have mesh in them, as opposed to the thin foil of flashband. Which would explain the extra cost and potential durability.

But it does seem a bit heath robinson with all those cut pieces around chimneys and up the slope of profile tiles though.

 

[hardmetalking]

Why would it need to be soldered and why would it look terrible?

Yeah every metal has a scrap value but I'm sure they wouldn't be interested in 20p's worth of stainless around a chimney........

 

[datarebal]

Scrasp value of a few bits of lead from a "chimney" isnt worth much. the main problem as I see it is media has made people believe that any scrap lead is worth lots. in fact it's bugger all unless you save it up. same would apply to stainless, copper ,zinc etc

I have done several jobs where the client has asked for a credit for the scrap in which case I say i'll leave you the scrap......