Weber, leaders in the manufacture of external renders, external wall insulation (EWI) systems, construction mortars and tile fixing products, introduces a new Flooring Systems handbook following the successful acquisition of the Maxit Group from Heidelberg Cement.  

This comprehensive 16 page guide introduces the main product categories of commercial, industrial, decorative, calcium sulphate and marine screeds as well as innovative products such as Leca Insulation Fill for quick and easy foundation preparation.  

In all categories, weber.floor products have been developed for optimum speed of application allowing access by other trades in the shortest possible time.  High performance materials ensure strength and durability in the most demanding industrial applications while decorative screeds opens a new design concept for architects, designers and specifiers with striking, durable and low maintenance coloured floor finishes.  

Weber levelling compounds and screeds are the most technically advanced on the market providing consistent, reliable drying characteristics and optimum durability that can be applied directly onto concrete, as floating bonded or unbonded screed including acoustic, insulated or heated floors.   

“Weber doesn’t simply manufacture construction materials, we provide complete systems and problem solving flooring solutions,” says James Mead, Weber Product Manager, Flooring, ”and this includes substantial technical support and training to meet the professional needs of our customers – before, during and after contract periods.”

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U-values slashed from 2.1W/m2k down to 0.27  

In 1950 when the 80 prefabricated steel shell bungalows were assembled on Welland Close, Peterborough to house evacuated Londoners after the war, they would most certainly have been labelled ‘temporary’. However nearly sixty years later a major refurbishment project is underway to bring these quite spacious homes closer to today’s standard of thermal performance. A key factor in this plan is the use of the weber.therm XM external wall insulation (EWI) system.  

The walls of these bungalows are made from corrugated steel sheeting, the shape of the corrugations similar in pattern to today’s steel cladding systems used for industrial buildings. No insulation was provided other than the plaster board lining for the room interiors. In winter the steel is ice cold and in summer heat radiates off the metal internally making this one of the most uncomfortable construction methods ever!  

The properties are managed by Cross Keys Homes, the housing association created to take over Peterborough Council’s housing stock in 2000. In addition to the steel shell bungalows nearly 600 homes are undergoing improvements in a multi-million pound project that has benefited from £1 million worth of support secured by Weber from the CERT funding initiative. Main contractor Mears has renewed roofs, windows and doors whilst specialist applicator Retrofit is handling the £3.73 million weber.therm external wall insulation (EWI) system installation.  

The walling corrugations are first filled with polystyrene sheets to present a flat surface for the 80mm of high-density phenolic insulation, which is fixed by power drive screws to the crowns of the corrugated steel. The insulation is then covered by an initial coat of weber.rend LAC which is a low density, polymer-modified, dry powder, cement-based mortar with high bonding strength. This first coat of 3mm acts as the base for the lay-in of the mesh cloth that adds strength and stability to the render system. As the initial scrim goes “tacky” holding the mesh, the second coat of weber.rend LAC is applied to sandwich the mesh in 6mm of basecoat. weber.rend LAC is fast, economical and gives a smooth finish coat, ideal as the base for the weber.sil TF150 through-coloured decorative finish used here.  

The basecoat is primed with a roller application of weber PR310, a low viscosity, general purpose pigmented primer which effectively reduces surface suction and gives an appropriate colour wash prior to the application of the Weber finish render. This primer also contributes to the minimum 10-year life span of the coatings.  

The finish coat of weber.sil TF150 is a silicone based, through-coloured, decorative finish that is highly weather resistant, UV stable and produces a vapour permeable facade. weber.sil TF has an even textured finish using 1.5mm aggregate content. Cross Keys have offered residents a pallet of six colour choices. The weber.sil TF product is factory batched to ensure colour continuity. “The weber.therm system has really allowed us to push on rapidly with this project,” says Mick Wesley, project manager for Retrofit. “I have three men putting on the boarding and the speed of completing each unit has enabled me to get extra labour on site for the render applications so I am very confident we will keep ahead of the schedule. It’s great to see these properties at last getting some decent insulation. I know the residents are pleased.”  

The dramatic changes to the aesthetics of these Peterborough homes are matched by the changes in performance. “It’s much quieter inside now, we don’t hear so much traffic noise and it’s much warmer at night. We have to open the windows during warm summer nights so we will be saving a fortune on heating costs this winter,” reports Russell Ferguson who has lived in Welland Close for 16 years. He is also very pleased with the Mint Green colour finish, which he says, fits nicely with his well-maintained garden.  

In the Paston area of the City, Cross Keys Homes are improving additional homes built using the “no fines” precast panel system, which was then pebble-dashed. Here again the weber.therm external wall insulation (EWI) system is employed to add insulation and weatherproof render. Two-storey terrace houses and three storey town houses are being brought up to today’s thermal standards.  

Retofit is also using Weber’s brick slip finish system, weber.therm XB, on some 200 homes starting in Muswell Road, Peterborough. This was chosen by Cross Keys Homes as a cost effective way of producing a facade that replicates real brick work. This has been applied to 80mm phenolic foam.  

CERT (Carbon Emission Reduction Target) funding is the OFGEM managed Government programme that requires energy providers to encourage home owners to reduce their individual carbon emissions by providing funding assistance to energy saving action such as cavity wall and loft insulation, boiler upgrades and other heat loss measures. On the large scale of homes owned by a Housing Association the total funding that can be secured is substantial.

Cross Keys Homes has a rolling upgrade programme for its properties and with further funds now available an additional 150 units are receiving substantial thermal improvement. This additional capacity requirement is being met by experienced application contractor Lawtec Limited.  

The finish chosen for some of these properties uses the weber.rend RB system to produce a brick-effect finish to the EWI system.  The weber.rend RBB base, or “mortar joint” render, which is available in 8 colours, is applied first and allowed to set. Then the weber.rend RBF face, or “brick” render, is carefully applied. When the face layer has formed a skin, the brickwork pattern is cut through to face layer to expose the base layer to pattern. The weber.rend RB cutter is best used for this intricate job.  

weber.rend RB brick finish is being applied to a quantity of these homes to add another positive factor to the residents’ pleasure of a warm, quiet home.

 

weber.therm XM is a high performance external wall insulation (EWI) system suitable for a variety of insulation types and protected by mesh cloth-reinforced polymer modified renders. The lightweight system is BBA approved and provides efficient thermal insulation for both refurbishment and new build construction. A comprehensive range of colours and textures are available as a finish to the system to give buildings striking visual appeal.  

weber.therm XM is used extensively on solid wall (ie non-cavity) and non-traditional constructed housing and refurbishment of this kind is often suitable for grant assistance through energy supplier schemes. Contact Weber for further information (www.netweber.co.uk).  

“This adhesive reduces airborne dust during the preparation processes,” says James Mead, Weber Product Manager, “and will create a cleaner working environment.  It will prove particularly popular in homes where residents are present.”  

weber.set rapid SPF is a rapid setting, flexible cement-based floor and wall tile adhesive suitable for interior and exterior use.  It can be used to fix ceramic, porcelain and natural stone floor and wall tiles and is perfectly suited to underfloor heating applications and on wooden floors that have been over-boarded with 9mm WBP plywood or similar.  

weber.set rapid SPF with Low Dust Technology is ready for light foot traffic and grouting after only two hours and is available in both light grey and white 20kg bags.  

More product and technical information is available on tel: 01525 722169, or visit www.netweber.co.uk for a copy of the Weber Tiling Solutions handbook – a technical manual and product guide with problem solving situations and complete case studies – which is available in hard copy or CD format.  

Weber is the leading manufacturer of materials for the tile fixing, facade, construction mortars and flooring systems markets.  

At the Dorchester Medical Centre, main applications contractor Formscape Ltd. of Poole, Dorset achieved a consistent finish to a stunning curved three-tier front facade. Using high performance Weber External Wall Insulation to two of the three tiers, the weber.therm XP system of phenolic insulation and mesh has been applied externally to a sound metal framework structure and finished with a cementitious topcoat of weber.therm M1, a one coat, through coloured mineral render to achieve a scrape finish.  

The entrance facade and lobby, a blockwork structure, has been finished with weber.pral MF and the side and rear elevations with weber.pral M.  Both products are one-coat for fast application and through-coloured for low maintenance, and are factory produced for consistency.  In this project, Weber materials have been manually applied although they are suitable for spray application.  

“This project was all about performance and aesthetics and the capacity Weber materials have in working together while achieving different but complimentary finishes,” says Dale Robson, Contracts Manager, Formscape Ltd.  “This was a big and prominent project but we kept just one team on the job as consistency of finish was an essential requirement.”  

The building sits between an 1840’s red brick building with attractive period detailing, and a Victorian dwelling.  “The Medical Centre could be considered out of keeping with its immediate neighbours but aesthetically, it works,” continues Dale Robson.  “Using Weber EWI was relatively new to us but we benefited from attending Weber’s Bedfordshire-based training facility and it is exactly as they say – it’s a fast, simple and totally effective method of achieving a high performance, thermally efficient building with tremendous, low maintenance aesthetics.”  

Formscape is also involved in the phased development of Poundbury by the Duchy of Cornwall, Dorset where they are extensively using weber.pral M.     

weber.therm XP provides an attractive and thermally efficient answer to solid wall housing refurbishment and has contributed significantly to the overall success of this project – around 40% of the properties in this area are currently being refurbished with the system.  

Thermal efficiency is greatly improved for those properties that are being refurbished with weber.therm XP.  Phenolic insulation boards of 60mm thickness are fitted onto the original brick external walls and with the mesh cloth bonded into the external render for added strength, dramatic u-value improvements have been obtained. The existing construction gave a u-value of 2.90W/m2K but following the application of weber.therm XP this was slashed to a u-value of 0.32Wm2K, a remarkable and welcome reduction of heat loss for the residents.  

“The speed and versatility of the weber.therm XP system over traditional  multi-coat systems helps us keep this busy programme ahead of schedule and contributes substantially to the efficiency of the overall project,“ says Phillip Bristow, Housing Renewal Officer for EYRC.  Unlike traditional multi-coat systems Weber’s expertise in mineral renders has resulted in a one-coat, through-coloured mineral render which can be applied directly to all major insulation types.    

The mineral, through-coloured, one-coat render finishes available with weber.therm XP are contributing to the visual enhancement of the area, to the delight of the householders. Residents are given a choice from a palette of five pastel colours, a selection which sit happily together in terraced properties. The added attraction of these through coloured renders is that they are low maintenance requiring little or no cleaning over time.  

Mrs Violet Teale has lived in Cecil Street for more than 40 years and is delighted with the new aspects of her home. ”My first choice of colour was the blue, it’s my namesake really! Already I can feel that the house is warmer and I feel more secure too.”  

The Goole “Changing Streets” scheme is a housing regeneration project launched to fund badly needed improvements to 53 complete streets of over 2000 pre-1919 solid wall, private sector terraced homes. Improvements include the use of Weber external wall insulation systems; replacement windows and doors; new fascia and guttering and new boundary walls and railings.  

A pilot scheme of more than 100 properties on four streets determined that the weber.therm XP system would be used for the regeneration project. The benefits of the system were demonstrated early in this extensive project when the application contractor, Ray Clough of Lloyd Clough & Sons, offered to renovate the well-regarded local charity shop originated by the late Olive Hunt, MBE, which has raised over £500,000 for local causes. It was with the charity shop that Ray Clough was able to demonstrate the speed of application of the weber.therm XP system following the pilot scheme in which an alternative traditional multi-coat render proved substantially slower in application and drying capability.  

“The speed at which we can install the weber.therm XP has significant impact on the reduction of on-site hours and other factors, such as the cost of scaffolding hire on site,” continues Ray.  Being a one-coat system there is no waiting for a base coat to dry and the material can be applied by machine pump making the application the most economical in the industry.  “And being able to minimise disruption to tenants is a prime consideration,” says Ray  

The entire project has been an excellent example of real “partnership” co-operation led by the Housing Renewal Team of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Interserve Project Services, one of the Council’s main framework contractor and a group of specialist building service contractors who formed a close-knit partnership with a strong “can do” ethic. Equally, close communication has been maintained with all residents and, additionally, commercial premises owners in the target streets. Consultation meetings, project displays and resident briefings have resulted in a 99% take-up of the plan.                

Simon Woods has been managing the project team and praises the supplier partnership that has matured quickly to undertake greater numbers of renovations. “The weber.therm XP system takes just three days per property, one to board out the insulation, one to render and one to scrape back the finish. It enables me to move the schedule capacity up to meet the Council’s expectations.”  

Phillip Bristow, Housing Renewal Officer for ERYC, comments that resident reaction is very, very positive: “Everyone is very happy with the render appearance and choice of colours and the instantaneous improvement in warmth provided by the insulation is music to our ears.”  

So strong have been the results that further funding from the Regional Housing Board and the Humber Partnership Group has been agreed and the programme advanced to cover more homes.  450 properties will have been refurbished during 2008-09. It is projected that half of the 53 streets identified may well be completed ahead of the 2011 schedule.  

Weber’s range of services includes not only full technical advice and support but also assistance in securing funding for solid wall insulation schemes through either the current CERT programme or the forthcoming CESP initiative targeted at low income communities with a high concentration of ‘hard-to-treat’ homes.  

Clapham Park in Lambeth, South London is a residential area of more than 3000 homes in 50 multi-storey blocks, developed mainly by London County Council in the 1920s and later by the Greater London Council and Lambeth Council. In more recent times the Estate has been selected as a pilot scheme for the New Deal for Communities with multi-million pound investment planned by the London Borough of Lambeth. In 2006 the properties were transferred to the control of Clapham Park Homes, the new community led housing association which is part of the Metropolitan Housing Partnership, and regeneration of the properties and community has now commenced.

The first three apartment blocks at Tillsons Gardens, which have provided social housing for decades, are being totally renovated internally and externally. Additional resident access is being formed and the buildings are to receive new fenestration, replacement doors, new service systems and interior restructuring. Externally the neo-Georgian brick facades are being cleaned and repaired with matching brick stock and substantial concrete repairs are using the high-build weber.cem HB30 repair system.  

weber.cem HB30 is a single component, polymer modified, high-build cementitious mortar with fibres, designed for concrete repairs to facades and soffits where high compressive strength is not the prime consideration. weber.cem HB30 is ideal for overhead and vertical repairs and at Clapham Park the extensive external walkways are requiring numerous patch repairs prior to refinishing. weber.cem HB30 is a lightweight, low-permeability, medium strength mortar that is easy to apply and can be used to build up to 100mm vertically and 75mm thick in overhead applications without the need for formwork. HB30 achieves 30N/mm² hardness after 28 days and has a special low shrinkage formulation that shows less than 0.02% shrinkage when fully dry after 28 days.

Concrete repair specialist Lawtech is carrying out the work on behalf of Durkan Contractors Ltd, the main project contractor. Lawtech’s Mick Chapman explains the process: “We cut out the blown concrete with angle grinders to get a hard straight edge of substrate making certain that we have at least a 10mm depth to fill to ensure a really hard bond. Where this exposes rebar or other steel we clean this right back to fresh surface and apply a protective coating of weber.cem keycoat to act as a holding primer. The weber.cem HB30 is mixed with clean water in a low-shear, forced-action machine to avoid aerating the material and we hand pack the repair whilst the keycoat is still tacky. If we have to go very deep to get sound bonding we will put in a first layer and let that cure before packing the finish layer. We use a wood float to give the best possible finish for the paint or coating renovation to follow. We have to repair some of the big window lintel castings and we put up a flat shuttering board to help support the packing whilst it cures. The weber.cem HB30 is so easy to use and gives us a really sound bond and good finish.”    

Further details about Weber concrete repair systems are available on 01525 722169, or visit www.netweber.co.uk for product information, performance criteria and case studies.  

The current phase of renovation and refurbishment being carried out on properties owned by Norwich City Council is designed to raise their thermal performance. Whilst the application of weber.therm external wall insulation and render is the core element of this renovation process, additional benefits are gained from replacement of windows, doors and roofline products.  

The weber.therm XP system features light weight insulation boards fixed to a sound substrate and a cementitious one-coat through-coloured render with a meshcloth inlay for enhanced impact resistance.  

Main contractor for Norwich City Council is City Care (the trading name of Morrison Veolia Limited) and specialist application experts, Cornerstone East Anglia, are carrying out the Weber installation. The propeties are mostly pre-war brick structure with roughcast pebbledash render. Kevin Wright, Major Projects Manager for City Care, is impressed with the “retrofit” process. “We check that the original render is sound before the 60mm of phenolic insulation boards are fitted with the fixings going right through the render into the brickwork for stability. Where we have an adequate run we are applying the render by machine pump and when correctly set the scrape-back gives a really excellent finish.”  

Cornerstone’s Tom Eden is responsible for the current contract for 50 properties in Norwich. “The phenolic insulation of the weber.therm XP EWI system gives tremendous insulation. With 60mm of insulation and 12mm of render these properties are dramatically improved. Tennant’s feedback has been great; their utility bills are showing substantial savings in energy use and, quite simply, the homes are now comfortable, warmer, quieter and better looking.” The indicative u-values of the properties will have fallen from 2.09 W/m²k to 0.31 W/m²k from using the weber.therm XP EWI system.  

A properly grouted duct will protect tendons from corrosion by providing an alkaline environment around and between the tendons but challenges are created in the application procedures if there is inconsistency in flow and pumping pressure.  

A number of EN specifications have now been issued that define grouting procedures, test methods and the grout material to be used and these are certified by the independent CARES body.  Due to the specialised nature of post-tensioned grouting, only trained operatives and contractors should be employed in this critical operation.  

CARES recommends solely the use of pre-bagged grouts for use in post-tensioning ducts. weber.cem duct grout is a quality controlled, factory-blended, pre-bagged cementitious grout developed to eliminate on-site errors and complies with the statutory  requirements under the CARES Product Certification Scheme and has been successfully used on many major civil engineering and building projects with total success.  

“Using a CARES certificated product is a specifiers seal of confidence knowing that it will have undergone a strict regime of regulation, testing and inspection,” says Chris Urbanowicz, Product Manager, Weber Construction Mortars.  CARES is the ultimate acknowledgement in the manufacture of construction products through to product installation.  

“For contractors, the use of a CARES certified grout simplifies the on-site testing and approvals route which even though the use of a pre-bagged grout will be more expensive, the cost saving in terms of time and money in not having to conduct so much on-site testing is quite considerable,” Chris continues.   weber.cem duct grout is a non-shrink grout that does not segregate or bleed, with reliable and consistent properties.  It is formulated to be mixed with water and pumped whilst maintaining high flow for up to 90 minutes after mixing.  It has good void filling capabilities and can be used in a wide range of temperatures, from 5 to 30 degrees.  

More information is available on tel: 01525 722169 or visit www.netweber.co.uk and request a copy of the Weber Construction Solutions Handbook.  

The Weber range of proven specialist mortars for civil engineering, concrete and crack repair in buildings meet the new BS EN1504 standard and Weber is providing technically compliant data which meets this standard. Weber offers a comprehensive advisory service to assist surveyors, structural engineers and architects to work within the new regulation. A new RIBA approved CPD training module is now available from Weber to assist the understanding of this complex set of regulations.  

David Reid-Simms, Business Manager, Weber Construction Mortars, welcomes the new standard: “Now there is a unified standard right across Europe that will ensure that concrete repairs are carried out to the same high standards. BS EN1504 integrates the product manufacturer, the specifier and the applicators in a formal and repeatable formula that has 11 principles.  These principles range from protection against water ingress through to corrosion protection techniques. BS EN1504 provides a platform for the management strategy of a structure from initial identification of the problem, selection of the appropriate remedial product category to quality control and on-site application.”    

“Weber has contributed substantially in both time and financial investment in the formation of the new standard which has relied heavily on our expertise in this sector,” confirms Reid-Simms   The second and revised edition of the Construction Solutions Handbook, now available in print and on CD, will continue to be the definitive guide for distributors, stockists, contractors, engineers, architects and surveyors tasked with designing a concrete repair project in total compliance with BS EN1504.  

Call Weber now on 01525 722169 to arrange a CPD presentation at your business location for you and your colleagues, or register online: www.netweber.co.uk.