The project
Leigh Spinners Mill is a Grade II listed building and one of the finest examples of a working mill in the UK. It was opened in 1915, and the ground floor is currently used to produce commercial carpeting and artificial sports surfaces.
Although it is currently still under its original ownership, the building is under threat and is on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. Acquisition and restoration are underway by Leigh Building Preservation Trust, which plans to open up a large amount of floor space on the upper floors of the complex for a variety of new uses.
The roofing installation
As part of the restoration of the roof, Permicoat removed the existing duckboards and the lower two courses of existing slates. This enabled the roofing contractor to install a C16 3” x 2” timber structure, along with the installation of 22 mm oriented strand board (OSB). Once this was completed, Flex-R’s RubberBond was applied through all of the gutter valleys and adhered using water-based roof deck adhesive and SPB spray bonding adhesive for upstand details and kickboards to the valleys. The installation involved the use of 108 Ubbink UB143390 flat roof breathers and was sealed using PS pipe seals and HP 250 primer to bond.
Why RubberBond FleeceBack?
RubberBond FleeceBack is a 3mm thick combination of EPDM and polyester fleece backing, creating a rooftop that is fast and simple to install and will withstand the toughest conditions.
It’s twice as strong as standard EPDM and 30% quicker to install than comparable flat roofing systems. And, compared to traditional hot weld, the cold-applied RubberBond FleeceBack is safer and has two-thirds fewer seams.
The British Board of Agrément has approved RubberBond FleeceBack for a life of over 35 years – one of the longest ratings in the UK.
Testimonial
“Leigh Spinners Mill is a very prestigious project for our company, and we believe we secured the project because of our experience, roofing expertise and reputation for using quality materials.
Renovation on the mill was well overdue – especially in respect of waterproofing on the flat roof sections – and RubberBond FleeceBack was specified because of its durability and the fact that it comes with a 35-year guarantee. It was easy to apply but what really stood out for us was the level of technical information and the readily available technical support offered by Flex-R, who made this project a pleasure to work on.”
James Mattison, Commercial Director, Permicoat