Building products manufacturer Glidevale Protect is helping to make roofing contractors’ lives that bit easier by offering a co-branded service that provides clear and concise fixing instructions printed directly onto its pitched roofing underlays.
The simple instructions provide roofing contractors with a straightforward guide to ensure underlays are installed correctly and in accordance with the manufacturer recommendations alongside any specific guidance from the roofing contractor. This includes the requirement detailed within BS 5534 to lay the membrane with a maximum 15mm drape, the instruction to install with a batten restrained headlap as well as specific requirements for clout nails or stainless steel fixings required for installation. This guidance helps reduce the risk of a ‘performance and skills gap’, allowing roofing contractors to incorporate into their training programme to their workforce, ensuring the roofing underlays provide the maximum benefits when installed. The move to print instructions directly onto the underlays also provides greater transparency for Building Control, helping to meet the requirements of warranty providers where proof is required that products have been installed correctly and as per the manufacturer’s instructions, typically with photographic evidence to back this up.
This initiative was a result of the collaboration between Brandon McDonnell at McDonnell Price Roofing Contractors Ltd in Gloucester and Glidevale Protect, being trialled for the first time on a roofing refurbishment for a new mixed-use residential development project in Charlton Hayes, Bristol. Fixing instructions were printed by Glidevale Protect on all Protect VP300 pitched roofing underlays and supplied to McDonnell Price for installation on site. Following the success of this trial, the co-branded membrane with fixing instructions will be rolled out by the contractor on all projects with Glidevale Protect going forward.
Brandon McDonnell, Director at McDonnell Price commented:
“We felt it would be extremely useful to print the fixing instructions on the membrane in order to prompt the operatives when on site. By providing an open and honest reflection of how the product should be fitted this is helping to drive the quality of installation. I’m delighted with the end result and the work undertaken with Glidevale Protect on this important is helping make our team’s lives a lot easier.”
John Mellor, Head of Marketing at Glidevale Protect said:
“This is a great initiative, a simple but effective idea to make things easier on site, providing a handy reminder of installation best practice for roofing contractors. We’re confident that printing guidance like this can help reduce the number of on-site installation issues and will help inform contractors as to the key pointers when fitting the underlay, reducing the performance gap so that our products always deliver as expected. Our focus continues to be on developing products that combine verified technical performance with ease of use, and this latest customer collaboration is the perfect example.”
To find out more, visit www.glidevaleprotect.com, call +44 (0)161 905 5700, or email info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)glidevaleprotect.com. Follow Glidevale Protect on LinkedIn.

