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Scaffold Sheeting
Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’, with sealed joints Rhino Shrink Wrap® creates a low maintenance smart looking scaffold sheeting that will not flap & detatch.
Weather Protection
Shrink wrap scaffold sheeting provides a weatherproof barrier, keeping rain, wind, and dust away from construction or maintenance work. It ensures that the project and workers stay protected in all conditions.
Environmental Containment
Scaffold shrink wrap is ideal for containing dust, debris, and paint overspray during projects like sandblasting, painting, or asbestos removal. This helps meet environmental and safety regulations while maintaining a clean, controlled worksite.
Site Appearance
Shrink wrap scaffold sheeting won’t flap or sag, even in bad weather, which creates a neater and more polished site appearance. This not only looks better to clients and the public but also helps your company maintain a more professional image on the job site
Shrink Wrap Scaffold Sheeting: Key Advantages
Total Encapsulation
Sealed scaffolding for total environmental containment and weather protection.
Smart Appearance
Smart & professional appearance – Clean, white, drum tight finish.
Tough & Tight
Heat shrunk shrink wrap is ‘drum tight’ – it does not flap or ‘self destruct’ in high winds.
100% Recyclable
Covers do not need to be returned or maintained, simply remove at site and recycle.
Flame Retardant
Flame retardant options – Covers available as ‘standard’ or ‘flame retardant’.
Versatile
Cut and welded ‘in situ’ – No restriction on size and shape of the scaffolding structure.
No Bungees
Smart & tight appearance, even after many months in use.
Shrink Wrap Scaffold Sheeting vs. Traditional Scaffold Sheeting
Scaffold Shrink Wrap Case Studies
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Scaffold Encapsulation - Cambridge
The Brief Rhino Shrink Wrap were approached by TrueForm Scaffolding Ltd. to provide full encapsulation of a scaffolding over a bridge spanning the Lower River in Cambridge, UK. The entire structure of the footbridge required shot blasting and painting. Due to weigh restrictions on the bridge, the project was planned so that half of the footbridge would be scaffolded and shrink wrapped in two phases. We used our signature 300 micron scaffold shrink wrap film for this project. This wrap, which is flame retardant to the EN13501 standard and is supplied as a 7m wide x 15m long roll. Shrink wrap sheeting is particularly advantageous for shot blasting and painting applications because joints between individual sheets of shrink wrap are heat welded using a propane gas hot air gun to create a continuously bonded skin over & around the scaffolding structure. This seal makes creating environmental containment much easier whilst the ‘drum tight’ fit means that the shrink wrap sheeting does not tend to flap and self destruct like traditional sheeting products. This means the sheeting can be relied on to provide weather protection and temperature control during the painting phase of the project without requiring frequent maintenance visits. The Scaffold Encapsulation Process The Rhino installation team step began by hanging the shrink wrap sheeting around the side elevations of the scaffolding. This sheeting was battened around the perimeter of the roof and dropped 30-40cm past the lowest hand rail. The shrink film was wrapped around the hand rail and heat welded back on to itself to provide a lower anchor point for the sheeting. Where possible, joins between sheets were planned to occur at the point where protrusions, (such as the bridge structure) passed through the shrink wrap to minimise the amount of cutting and resealing required. The shrink wrap roof sheet was then fitted and overlapped and welded to the side sheets. Once the main part of the structure had been covered and heat shrunk drum tight the Rhino team were able to move on to creating the ‘final seal’. TrueForm scaffolding provided a boarded platform suspended beneath the footbridge. Rhino laid the shrink wrap sheeting over the boards and heat welded this floor sheet to the side sheets previously installed. TrueForm then laid another floor of scaffold boards on top of the shrink wrap so that the sheeting was protected. The final stage was to install a zipped access door which allowed workers to access the blasting and painting area whilst full encapsulation was maintained around the project. Key Challenges Cutting around the bridge structure whilst maintaining a seal for shot blasting work. Working around the weather. In the middle of installation, when a large storm was forecast, our teams went in early to complete the work and keep the project on schedule. Lessons Although a fairly small project, the success of this project was due in large part to TrueForm Scaffolding. By building the scaffolding structure flush and by provided a fully boarded floor and roof, our installers were able to easily install the shrink wrap sheeting and achieve full encapsulation ready for the shot blasting and painting teams.
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Russell Square London
The Brief The spectacular Hotel Russell, situated on Russell Square in the heart of London was built in 1898 by the architect Charles Fitzroy Doll and was one of the first hotels in London to feature an innovative feature for it’s day – en-suite bathrooms! The hotel has some interesting historical links to the Titanic – the restaurant in this hotel is said to be almost identical to the one on the Titanic, which the architect also designed. Owned by the Principal Hayley Group, in the summer of 2016 a complete refurbishment of the hotel by S&T Interiors began and Rhino Shrink Wrap were contracted by MR Scaffolding to provide scaffold shrink wrapping to completely encapsulate the scaffolding around all four exterior elevations. Scaffold shrink wrapping was chosen to provide containment for the hydro blasting works, weather protection during the winter months and also to provide a smart & professional appearance to this construction project which will not be finished until 2017. However, scaffold shrink wrap is not the right solution for everybody and every job. Hopefully this example project will highlight why other scaffolders and contractors have used shrink wrap sheeting and help you advise your customers if shrink wrap sheeting will benefit them on their next project. What is scaffold shrink wrap? Scaffold shrink wrap is a type scaffold sheeting which is made from a low density polythene that has been engineered so that when heated, it is shrinks powerfully and moulds tightly (but does not stick to) whatever it covers. Scaffold shrink wrapping is also designed so that it can be heat welded together in such a way that any joints between sheets are strong and permanent. Because there is no limit to the number of sheets that can be welded together, there is no limit to the size of the project that can be shrink wrapped. The most common size of scaffold shrink wrap used is a 1.8m wide roll (which weighs 32Kg / 70lbs) which unfolds to a sheet that is 7m wide (23’) x 15m (50’) long. Because it is 7m wide, this means that it is normally used to cover up to three lifts of scaffolding, or around 6m (18’). However, the size of the ‘drop’ will change according to the job. For an indoor scaffolds, such as might be used for a factory partition, there is no limit to the drop, whilst for a very exposed outdoor job, it might be better to drop the sheeting less than 6m before tying it back to the scaffolding. A shrink wrap used for scaffold wrapping should be around 300 microns thick, which is sometimes referred to as 12 mil in the USA. Again, 300 microns or 12mil has become the standard thickness for scaffold shrink wrap films that are going to be used for weather protection or environmental containment outside. This gives you a wrap that is heavy duty enough to cover a scaffold but still flexible enough that it is still easy to heat weld together. How is shrink wrap different to ‘traditional’ scaffold sheeting? Fundamentally, it is the two unique characteristics of the shrink wrap scaffold sheeting (the heat shrinking and the welded joints between sheets) that make it different to traditional types of scaffold sheeting. For example, once it has been fixed to the scaffolding and heat shrunk, it creates a very tightly fitting sheet which will not flap and self destruct like some types of sheeting. This makes it really strong and robust. The second result is that it is possible to create a completely sealed skin around a construction project without any holes or gaps typical of most sheeting systems. This makes it really good for those projects where the containment of dust and debris or whatever is required. Why was shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding chosen for the Hotel Russell, London? This construction project is a great example of why scaffolders and contractors choose shrink wrap sheeting. On this job we’re encapsulating all four sides of the scaffolding, which in effect a complete block of London. When finished we will have hung around 7000 square metres or 75,0000 square feet of scaffold shrink wrapping. So, why is shrink wrap sheeting being used on this project? Firstly, as part of the refurbishment process, the fantastic terracotta exterior of the building is going to be water blasted and as this site is located in a very busy part of London, it’s important to completely contain the water and dirt that is going to be created as the building is cleaned. Traditional scaffold sheeting, which has gaps between overlapping sheets, would not be particularly effective at containing the dirty water and spray. Also, as a fairly long term and high profile construction project, there is a need for the scaffold sheeting to look smart and professional over many months, whatever the weather is going to throw at it. A good quality shrink wrap will have a very high yield strength which in effect means that it has elasticity and it can ‘bounce back’ to it’s original taught & tight state. Unlike traditional scaffold sheeting, there are no elasticated bungees tying this sheeting to the scaffolding which can stretch over time and cause the sheeting to become baggy. Instead the sheeting is wrapped around a scaffolding sheet and heat welded back on to itself. So, in summary, scaffold shrink wrapping was chosen by the scaffolder and contractor on this project because; They required a sheeting that will not detach. Shrink wrap is often used for projects where the sheeting detaching would cause problems. They need to create a completely ‘completely sealed skin’ around the building to provide the best containment of dust and debris. They needed a sheeting that looks smart & professional and will keep looking smart & professional for up to 12 months. Shrink Wrapping of The Hotel Russell – The Challenges With traditional style scaffold sheeting products, which are generally installed on a ‘lift by lift’ basis around the scaffolding, protruding transoms, ledgers and standards do not cause much of an issue for the installation of sheeting, because the scaffold tubes stick through the sheeting at the point the strips of scaffold sheeting overlap. For shrink wrap scaffold sheeting, which is normally supplied on a roll which opens out to 7 metre wide sheet, having to cut around protruding tubes, whilst not impossible, can affect both the appearance and performance of the finished job. System scaffolds are the easiest to shrink wrap but in the UK at least, these are still the minority of scaffolds on which we work day to day. As the appearance of the sheeting was considered to be of great importance to this project, the team at Rhino worked closely with the team at MR Scaffolding, and it was decided to install sheeting rails on the outside of the scaffolding structure which would hold the sheeting away from the scaffold fittings. Planning a scaffold structure for shrink wrapping? Key points to remember are; Keep the scaffold structure flush Ensure the scaffold is fully boarded to create safe access to all parts of the scaffold structure that require sheeting For a really great looking job, install a ‘sheeting rail’, mounted on a single, around the scaffolding lift by lift, this will hold the sheeting off scaffold fittings and prevent any sharp bolts sticking through the sheeting.
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Temporary Shrink Wrap Roof
The Brief When a shrink wrap roof was required to protect an historic Vulcan bomber during restoration work, Rhino Shrink Wrap provided the materials and installation services to help ensure the project could be completed in dry and controlled conditions. The Avro Heritage Museum, which opened in November 2015, is situated on the site of the old Woodford Airfield in Woodford, Greater Manchester. The airfield, which closed in 2011, has a long & illustrious history – 7377 of the famous Second World War Lancaster Bombers were assembled here and Woodford also manufactured the iconic Vulcan Bomber which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1960 to 1993. Originally developed to deliver Britain’s nuclear deterrent, (crew were on permanent standby to take off in just 2 minutes in the event of a Soviet attack), the Vulcan was a revolutionary aircraft for it’s time and it’s delta winged design and distinctive sound make it an iconic and much loved aircraft. Although 135 Vulcans were built, many were broken up after the Vulcan left active service in the 1990’s. At The Avro heritage Museum, Vulcan XM603 is being restored by a dedicated team of volunteers. Without a hanger, carrying out the repairs and repainting the aircraft even during the summer months would have proved very difficult. The museum contracted Climb It Scaffolding Ltd., also from Manchester to construct a scaffolding around and a temporary roof over the Vulcan and Rhino Shrink Wrap were contracted to completely encapsulate the roof and sides of the scaffolding structure to provide a dry and controlled environment for the work to take place. The Structure A temporary shrink wrap roof is nearly always a challenge and so we worked closely with Climb It Scaffolding during the erection of the scaffold structure. Whilst small temporary roofs can be boarded out completely, this is not usually practical for large roofs so our minimum requirement for a temporary shrink wrap roof is that a run of boards (3 boards wide) is laid around the perimeter / edge of the roof. In addition, runs of boards (3 boards wide) are laid over the roof, in line with the pitch and at centres of 2 metres maximum. Finally, a handrail is erected around the perimeter of the roof to provide edge protection and to allow the installation team to install their own safety lines. (We use equipment from Spanset, including the ‘Gotcha’ rescue kit in which our teams are trained in using.) The Process Our teams started by hanging the scaffolding shrink wrap around the sides of the structure. The side sheeting is overlapped on to the top edge of the roof and ‘tacked’ into position using small wooden battens. For this project, the height of the scaffolding was only 2-3 lifts (4-6m or 13-20’) which meant that the entire ‘drop’ of the scaffold structure could be covered in a one sheet. If the scaffolding had been more than 3 lifts high then it is normal practice to fix the shrink wrap to the scaffolding every 6m vertical height and begin a new drop. Why start by hanging shrink wrap around the sides of the scaffolding? The main reason is that if the sides are hung first, the shrink wrap sheeting which is used to cover the roof will overlap the sides like a roof tile and joints between sheets should not leak. Hanging the sides also creates a wind break which makes it easier to fix and in particularly heat shrink the roof sheeting drum tight. Next, the roof sheets were rolled out. Individual sheets are overlapped by around 30cm and heat welded together. Around the perimeter of the roof, the roof sheets are heat welded to the top edge of the side sheets. Once the shrink wrap has been fixed around the sides and over the roof of the scaffolding and all sheets have been heat welded / joined together the final part of the process can begin – heat shrinking. The heat shrinking part of the scaffold shrink wrap process involves using a gas shrink wrapping gun to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’. the installers try and cover all parts of the sheeting to create a smooth, tight covering that will not flap and detach like traditional scaffold sheeting. The Challenges The main challenge faced in erecting the shrink wrap sheeting over the roof and sides of the scaffolding which covered the Vulcan bomber was the weather. On day 2, when the roof sheets were installed over the starboard wing of the Vulcan it was very wet. Rain is particularly a problem when installation a large temporary shrink wrap roof because a large roof will require that individual sheets of scaffold shrink wrap (which are typically 7m wide x 15m long) will need to be heat welded / sealed together. In wet conditions, it becomes difficult to get a very effective heat welded joint between two sections of scaffold wrap. Although it may appear that the sheets have been bonded, this bond will not be as strong as a weld created in dry conditions. The best way forward is to wait until dry conditions but if this is not practical then it is necessary to try and dry the overlapped area before starting to weld them together. On day 3, the rain had stopped but now the wind speed had increased! The wind can make hanging sheets much slower. For the installation of the largest roof sheets our teams attached heavy duty strapping to the scaffolding and unrolled the roof sheets underneath these straps to keep control of the shrink wrap sheeting. However, the main challenge with wind is that it becomes very difficult to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’. Instead of the sheeting, shrinking down and creating a smooth, glossy and tight surface, as the wrap is heated it momentarily becomes very soft and supple and in windy conditions may be blown into a large bubble. In these kind of conditions, it becomes necessary to heat a very small area, let it shrink, heat another area, let it shrink and so on. This technique, often known as ‘spot shrinking’ can work but it is time consuming. For this project our teams returned on the final day, when the winds had dropped to finish the shrinking process, which in the right conditions is the quickest and easiest part of the entire process of creating a temporary shrink wrap roof.
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