What's new?

Springvale
Springvale EPS has added Warmsqueez and Warmsark to its Platinum range of expanded polystyrene insulation. The graphite particles in the Neopor material gives a 15-20% performance improvement over standard expanded polystyrene.

Warmsqueez is an inter-rafter compressible panel available in a wide range of thicknesses and 400mm, 450mm and 600mm widths to fit the most common rafter spacings. It works like a concertina, with the width of the panel compressing under pressure but always pushing to return to its original width, so that it fits between rafters without having to be cut.

Warmsark is an over-rafter panel with all edges tongued and grooved. Available in a range of thickness, the panels measure 1200mm by 600mm and are fastened above the rafters in a pitched roof. A breathable membrane goes above the panels, held in place by counter-battens nailed to the rafters. The roof is then ready for lathing and slating or tiling.
Enquiry number 204

Baggeridge
A brick with a groove in the middle of one stretcher face, the B-Brick allows builders to construct traditional bond patterns in cavity walls without using half-bricks. When turned outward, the false joint creates header bond patterns; for stretcher bond, the B-Brick's opposite face is used.

Baggeridge has also launched two new facing bricks. The Malthouse Red Multi is made using wet rather than sanded moulds, giving a subtler texture. The second newcomer is the Tasmin Orange Multi, a wirecut brick in shades of orange with a fawn heart. Both bricks have the highest FL durability rating.

Further colour inspiration comes from Germany with through-coloured clay bricks in white, cream, black and grey available in eight different sizes. The company is also importing ceramic glazed bricks from the Netherlands in a wide range of colours including metallic glazing in copper, gold, aluminium and nickel.

And finally, the company has expanded the website for its Corium brick cladding system. Coriumcladding.com now contains an extensive range of recent case studies and outlines projected developments such as larger tile sizes and complementary cladding materials. Current additions to the Corium range include cast stone sills and feature bands, glazed and textured tiles, and a wider range of standard colours.
Enquiry number 205

Concrete Block Association
The BRE has published a new special digest for masonry walls and beam-and-block floors. The 24-page digest explains how aggregate concrete blocks can be used to satisfy the Building Regulations on fuel and power conservation, with examples. The guide is aimed at designers, architects and builders, and can be obtained free from the Concrete Block Association.
Enquiry number 206

Dow Chemical
This month, Dow launches Styrofoam boards that go over and between the rafters to maximise the roofspace in a building. Tongue-and-grooved Roofmate RL-X boards are held in place by counter battens fitted to the rafters. No ventilation is needed between the boards and tiling/slating underlay, which can go directly on top. A butt-edged board, Roofmate RL-BE-X, goes between the rafters. To achieve a 0.2 U-value, you need a 60mm thickness of RL-X and 90mm of RL-BE-X. Dow claims the products are water-resistant, easy to handle and robust, although it warns against standing on or working off them.
Enquiry number 207

Vencel Resil
Expanded polystyrene maker Vencel Resil has added an edge strip to its Jablite insulation range. Jabfloor 70 can be used with concrete floors to limit thermal bridging, air leakage and acoustic transmission. The strips are placed vertically at the perimeter wall to prevent cold bridging at external junctions.
Enquiry number 208

Rockwool
Rockwool has released a range of preshaped segments for mild steel pipes that give fast, accurate and cheap thermal, fire and acoustic insulation. The company's Matched-half Bends and Pipe Bend Segments mineral wool products bring an end to cutting insulation to suit on site. The Matched-half Bends come in two curved half-shells that follow the radius line of the pipe bend, while the Pipe Bend Segments are 1m-long wedge-shaped sections of three full segments terminated at either end by a half-segment.
Enquiry number 209

Ibstock
Ibstock has added a pair of archbuilding products to its Intelligent Brickwork range. Available in shapes such as flat, skewback and bullseye, the Easy Arch comes with all the required voussoirs and key bricks in sets to pre-selected opening lengths. The other new product, the i-Arch, supplies any selected brick as slips bonded to lightweight aggregate blocks.

The company has also introduced sandfaced bricks with a spray-coloured finish to its Leicester Red and Dorset Stock ranges. Other releases include an Arden brick range with a waterstruck face and Mellow Red, a set of six warm colours and two blends in the Leicester Ivanhoe range.
Enquiry number 210

Knauf
Knauf Insulation has launched three Polyfoam roofing products. Made of extruded polystyrene, the trio offer Part L compliance, ease of installation and the thinnest possible layer of insulation material above the rafters. Polyfoam Raftersqueeze fits between rafters irrespective of their spacing. Grooves parallel to the long edges allow the rigid board to be pushed-fitted in place.

Polyfoam Sarking Board System is designed for new-build with rafters at 600mm centres. It consists of a 75mm-thick T-shaped top board is installed in conjunction with a layer of Raftersqueeze.

For rafters with centres other than 600mm, Polyfoam Pitched Roofboard has rebated edges on all four sides so joints between the boards do not have to fall above supporting timbers.

The company has also launched Supadeck loft boards that offer effective insulation with a thickness of only 130mm. Made from lightweight extruded polystyrene, the 1200mm by 600mm Supadeck boards are fixed down across the top of the ceiling joists. Putting 100mm of glass mineral wool insulation between the joists satisfies Part L regulations.
Enquiry number 211

BDA
The Brick Development Association has summarised the economics and design of off-the-frame clay brickwork on its website at brick.org.uk. The summary follows an analysis of the recladding of Winterton House, a 25-storey steel-framed tower block in London, which concludes that the technique can be cheaper, stronger and look more attractive than conventional multistorey cavity wall construction.

Winterton House was reclad with 215mm-thick clay bricks attached to the frame for vertical restraint rather than support.
Enquiry number 212

BRC Special Products
A new crack control reinforcement for 3mm mortar joints is available from BRC Special Products. Thin Joint Brickforce is designed to absorb tension in walls subject to thermal and moisture movement or areas of stress concentration above and below openings. The product consists of a pair of parallel wires placed in the thin-joint mortar bed, with cross wires ensuring correct spacing.
Enquiry number 213

Spot Board
Traditionally, bricklayers cut up floorboard or plywood they find on site for use as spotboards to place mortar on. But while plentiful on site, timber absorbs moisture, so mortar placed on it rapidly dries outs, which reduces its working life. A non-absorbent alternative is a Spotbord. Made of recycled low-density polyethylene, a Spotbord measures 600mm by 600mm, has a textured surface to hold the mortar and weighs around 3.7kg.

And if your bricklayers put their Spotbord on a 550mm-high Hop-Up stand, they won't have to bend down to collect the mortar!
Enquiry number 214