How to Set Up a Scaffold Structure for Shrink Wrapping

Before specifying how to set up the scaffold, it helps to understand what the sheeting team needs from the structure. Shrink wrapping is a three-step process:

• Hang. The sheet is unrolled and wrapped around a scaffold tube with approximately 30–40cm of overlap, then temporarily clipped in place.
• Weld. The heat gun bonds the overlapped area of shrink wrap back onto itself, creating a joint as strong as the original material.
• Shrink. The heat gun is used to shrink the sheet drum-tight — removing all creases, wrinkles, and slack.

Unlike traditional scaffold sheeting, shrink wrap is not attached with bungee cords and is not applied lift by lift in 2m strips. It is typically installed in 6m drops spanning multiple lifts, with welded horizontal joints between sheets. This means the scaffold structure needs to be prepared differently from a standard sheeting job.

The scaffolding must be complete and inspected (Scaff Tagged) before any shrink wrap installation begins. The following access conditions must be met:

• Working lifts. All areas of the scaffold requiring sheeting must have boards and handrails. A full working lift is preferable.
• Reach distance. The installer must be able to reach every part of the scaffold requiring sheeting from a boarded lift. The maximum distance from the installer to the sheeting area is 0.5m.
• Clear working area. Materials and equipment must not be stored or stacked within 1m of any area to be sheeted.
• Wind loading. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure the scaffold is designed and built to withstand the wind loadings that will result from scaffold sheeting. This applies to all sheeting types — not just shrink wrap.

Shrink wrap performs best on a flush, clean scaffold. Every protrusion — a protruding coupler bolt, an uncapped tube end, or an overhanging board — slows the installation, affects the final appearance, and is a potential puncture point.

• Flush boards. All scaffold boards must be flush with the main scaffold structure. No overhangs.
• No protrusions. Ledgers, handrails, and standards should be set flush. Any tube protruding through the line of the sheeting must be cut around and resealed — which is slow and creates a potential weak point.
• Tube caps. Fit tube caps to all exposed tube ends in the sheeting zone.
• Coupler nipple caps. Fit nipple caps to coupler bolts to prevent them piercing the wrap under tension.

Shrink wrap sheeting can be hung from any horizontal tube. However, the choice of starting point affects the quality of the finished job and the ease of installation.

For the termination point at the bottom of the sheet, there are three options:

• Option A. Wrap the shrink wrap around the lowest handrail and weld back onto itself.
• Option B. Fix a sheeting rail at the desired end point and wrap the shrink wrap around it.
• Option C. Batten the sheeting to the inside of the scaffold boards. If this option is used, boards must be secured to prevent lifting — this is critical.

For side terminations, the shrink wrap will be finished at the standard closest to the wall. Fix an additional standard to the outside of the scaffold using a single coupler or wraparound at the desired end point.

This is one of the most important differences between shrink wrap and traditional scaffold sheeting. Shrink wrap is not applied in separate 2m strips to each lift. It is installed in 6m drops — typically covering three lifts — with welded horizontal joints between drops.

To create a horizontal join between two drops, a double run of scaffold tubes must be installed on the outside of the scaffold at the join point, running continuously around the structure at approximately 6m vertical intervals.

• Spacing. The two tubes forming the double sheeting rail should be spaced approximately 100mm apart.
• Tube & fitting scaffolding. Fit the double sheeting rail separately to the outside of the scaffold using a single coupler or band and plate. Do not rely on the existing handrail spacing — handrail tubes can be up to 470mm apart, which wastes material.
• System scaffolding. A double handrail can be used as the horizontal join point on system scaffolding.
• Position. Sheeting rails should be mounted on the outside of the scaffold. This keeps the sheeting away from coupler bolts and creates a crisper finish.

Even on a perfectly flush scaffold with capped tubes and fittings, the final appearance of the sheeting will be improved by the use of sheeting rails. A sheeting rail on every lift holds the shrink wrap sheet away from scaffold fittings and creates a crisper, tighter finish.

• Position. Sheeting rails should be fitted on the outside of the scaffolding, between the double handrail, using a single coupler.
• One per lift. Fit a sheeting rail on every working lift in the sheeting zone.
• Armadillo caps. Use Armadillo Caps on sway brace couplers to pad them and prevent the sheeting being pierced at those points.

For the best possible result, construct a dedicated sheeting frame that is fully butted off the main scaffolding structure. This is a supplementary frame that extends 20–30cm from the face of the main scaffold, creating a flat, flush surface for the sheeting that is completely independent of the working scaffold fittings.

Sheeting drops on a dedicated frame should be a maximum of 6m.

Corners — both internal and external — require specific preparation to ensure the sheeting can be installed correctly and the installer can reach all areas from a working lift.

Obstructions within the scaffold structure require specific preparation. Each type is handled differently.

The simplest roof form is a canopy over the top of the highest scaffold lift. The sheeting is installed from underneath — no roof boarding is required provided the installer can reach the entire underside from the top boarded lift.

• Pitch. The roof must have a slope to allow rainwater to drain off. Ensure the scaffold is designed with a pitch — do not create a flat canopy.
• Ledger. Fit a ledger on the outside to keep the sheeting away from transoms and create a clean edge line.
• Roof edge boards. Roof edge boards make a crisp corner for the shrink wrap and push the sheeting away from the scaffold structure, improving both appearance and durability.

Where the roof span is too large to sheet from the underside, the roof should be fully boarded. This creates safe working access and provides anchor points for the shrink wrap.

• Minimum pitch. 15% minimum — this is critical. Flat or near-flat roofs will allow water to pool and will eventually cause the sheeting to leak, particularly at welded joints or batten points.
• Triple handrail around perimeter. Erect a scaffold handrail around the roof perimeter. Instead of a toe board, fit an additional scaffold tube no more than 250mm from the top surface of the roof.
• No toe board. Leave the toe board off. The side elevation sheeting will be cut around the handrail stanchions and overlapped onto the roof surface — a toe board prevents this overlap.
• Flush boards. All roof boards must be flush. Any board that is raised or uneven will create a high point that can puncture the sheeting under tension.
• Roof access. Access via ladder and gate to the side of the roof is preferable. If access must be provided through the roof itself, it must be at the highest point of the roof to minimise water ingress.

Scaffold boards provide the anchor points for the shrink wrap on a boarded roof. The sheeting team will batten the wrap to the boards at approximately 2m centres. If the boards are not properly secured, they will twist or detach under load — and if a board fails, the sheeting fails with it.

• All boards. Secure all roof boards using board couplers or limpet clamps.
• Batten positions. At every position where the sheeting will be battened to the boards, approximately 2m centres, extra board clips are required to prevent twisting and detachment.
• Every 8th board. Every 8th scaffold board requires additional clipping — 8 clips per board with a double clip at each end.

Where partial boarding cannot be avoided, the following minimum specification applies:

• Boarding pattern — with pitch. Install 5 boards every 2m following the pitch of the roof, with a maximum 1m gap between runs.
• Boarding pattern — across pitch. Install an additional run of 5 boards every 6m laid at right angles to the pitch, and at any location where a horizontal join between sheets will occur.
• Minimum pitch. 15% minimum, as with a fully boarded roof. Water that cannot drain freely will pool at batten or weld points and cause leaks.
• Board clipping. The centre board of each five-board run must be fully clipped with 8 clips at each end to prevent twisting and detachment.

A final seal is required where the shrink wrap must join to a wall, floor, or ceiling — typically on projects requiring full environmental containment. There are three options, and the one used will depend on how the scaffold has been built at ground level.