Total Installer May-June 2019

Top Tips: Roofline
SIMPLE TIPS FOR TROUBLE-FREE
ROOFLINE INSTALLATION
Colin St John, from Freefoam UK, shares his best practice tips for installing roofline.
Whether you’re fitting roofline every week, monthly or once in a blue moon, it’s always worth
reminding yourself of best practice to avoid common pitfalls and prevent customer call-backs.
Here are Freefoam’s no-nonsense tips for simple, safe and hassle-free installation:
• If you’re working off a ladder or Easi-Dec, do fit
the gutter as you fit the runs of fascia. It saves
you going back on yourself and it’s much quicker
and safer to place the ladder or Easi-Dec once.
Leave the gables until last.
• Do remember to fix just one side of a jointer or
corner to the fascia. If you fix both sides it will be
forced off with the expansion and contraction of
the boards.
• When fitting fascias always fix the end to a
rafter foot. Don’t try to join between two rafters,
because the join will not be as firm.
• When fitting fascias you often need just over
five metres to complete a run. Don’t be tempted
to have a small one metre piece at the
end. It looks out of balance and
ruins the look of the whole job.
Instead, cut down the five metre
board so that you have a larger
space to fill at the end, about
1,500mm. This looks much better
and you can use the one metre off-cut
on the barge board.
• Do use a dilute mix (50:50) of PVA to prime the
under-cloak and tiles when re-bedding a gable.
You can also add a small amount of PVA to the
mortar mix. This bonds the verge together and
helps to stop slumping.
• Do always use white chalk when using a string
“If you only use one or two holes it will allow the
bracket to swing, which will trap the gutter and
stop the correct expansion and contraction”
“The addition of an
over-fascia vent will
mean you need a
smaller fascia”
Left: Colin St John, Commercial Director,
Freefoam UK.
line to mark a fixing line for
fascias, bargeboards and gutter
brackets. Don’t, for example, use a red
one – it will be much harder to rub off and can
leave marks round the nails.
• Don’t forget to allow for smaller fascia when
using over-fascia vents. The addition of an overfascia
vent will mean you need a smaller fascia.
In many cases the saving you make on the fascia
will pay for the over vent.
• Do remember to fill a gutter installation with
water before you leave the job. It only takes a few
minutes but will test for leaks and save you a
wasted return journey.
• Do always use all three fixing holes in the
fascia brackets. The brackets are designed to
allow the gutter to move back and forth in
fluctuating temperatures. If you only use one or
two holes it will allow the bracket to swing, which
will trap the gutter and stop the correct expansion
and contraction. This is normally the cause of
guttering coming out of the joints which can then
lead to leaks.
• Do use dust sheets on the ground when ripping
off fascias if there are flower beds under the
scaffold. This will make it much easier to clean
the area when finished.
• Don’t use standard PVC solvent cleaners on
woodgrain products. They are too harsh and will
68 TIJULY/AUG 2019 PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST