Temporary Weather Protection - Which Sheeting Lasts Longest?

Many construction projects require temporary weather protection for just a short period of time, perhaps for just a few weeks or a couple of months during a certain critical phase of the project.

However, occasionally the sheeting will be required for a much longer period, perhaps from 6 months to a year.
If you are looking for temporary weather protection sheeting that will perform for up to 12 months there are a couple of options.

Conventional Scaffold Sheeting

This sheeting is seen on many construction sites around the UK. The main challenge when using this product for long term protection is that there are so many different grades of sheeting.

To give you the best chance of success, try and choose the best qyulaity sheeting and use a tie system that is designed for longer term use.

This probably means doing away with elasticated bungees and choosing a high end system such as Monarflex’s anchor and tie system.

This can present a problem for traditional style scaffold sheeting  because over time the bungee cods which are used to attach the sheeting to the scaffolding tend to become stretched and lose their elasticity.

As soon as this happens, the sheeting becomes loose and saggy and is at risk of detaching in high winds.

The Layher Protect System

The Layher Protect System falls into the ‘temporary cladding’ camp. Rather than a sheeting system, using Layher Protect enables you to create a solid metal protective wall around the scaffolding.

The system consists of aluminium ‘cassettes’ which can be mounted to either Allround or SpeedyScaff scaffolding.

Each cassette contains a rubber seal which creates a very robust and tight fitting skin around a construction project.

dBarrier

The Dbarrier system has been designed and manufactured in Sweden and is an alternative to Layher for more permanent temporary weather applications (or applications where noise absorption would be of benefit.

In a similiar way to the Layher protect system it is applied to the scaffolding as a series of solid panels.

These temporary cladding systems have a number of obvious advantages when it comes to a long term protection.

However, their initial purchase price can be costly and they are best suited to system scaffolds. They cannot handle awkward shapes or protrusions.

Shrink Wrap Sheeting

Installed properly, shrink wrap sheeting can provide a number of benefits to projects where long term weather protection is required.

Because shrink wrap sheeting is attached to the scaffolding by wrapping around a tube and heat welding back to itself, there are no bungee cords which become stretched over time and allow the sheeting to sag.

Also shrink wrap sheeting is heat shrunk ‘drum tight’

For long term weather protection it is particularly important to use a good quality shrink wrap sheeting. Although a low quality shrink wrap may look fine when initially installed, over time welds or joints between sheets may begin to peel apart and the sheet may start to sag.

The ability of a sheeting to withstand long term exposure to UV light is vital if the sheeting is to last.

Ask your supplier for an up to date specification sheet.

Scaffolding Structure

For maximum longevity the scaffolding structure needs to be flush. In addition, we would recommend the installation of a sheeting rail around each lift.

Although after heat shrinking, the plastic will be moulded very tightly around the scaffolding, including any fittings, over long term, small movements can create holes in the sheeting.

A sheeting rail allows the scaffolding to be pushed away from fittings.

In the best of examples we have seen a sheeting frame installed on the outside of the scaffolding which allows the sheeting to be mounted well clear of any fittings, braces etc.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no matter what sheeting you use, you need to ensure that the scaffold is designed to withstand the extra wind loads that will be imposed on it.

In addition, whether it be Monarflex or Rhino Shrink Wrap, use the best quality scaffold sheeting available and install according to the manufacturers recommendations.

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If you have any questions or require any assistance give me or my team a call at Rhino Shrink Wrap on +44 (0)1477 53222 or email info@rhinoshrinkwrap.com. We look forward to hearing from you.