South East England and London
Fire Stopping in Reading
For any site across Reading, we cover fire stopping in all 17 towns and villages, with a fixed quote and a 12-month guarantee.
Book fire stopping in Reading
Photos, a specification or a quick description of the joints is enough to start a fixed quote.
Towns we cover in Reading
Fire-rated and intumescent sealing of service penetrations and linear gaps. Pick your town below to see the details for your area, and send details for a fixed quote.
Largest places
Other services in Reading
- Facade and window perimeter sealing
- Mastic sealing for building owners and managing agents
- Commercial washroom and wet-area sealing
- Construction and new-build mastic
- Expansion and movement joint sealing
- Industrial and floor joint sealing
- Coloured and colour-matched sealant
- Commercial sealant contractors
Postcodes in Reading
How fire stopping works in Reading
Most of our fire stopping work happens after the building is up. New cable runs, replaced pipework and extra data routes all punch holes in compartment walls, often unnoticed. Those on your schedule are closed with the specified product. We work on small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows, joints between fire-resisting walls and floors and pipe penetrations, and the failures we are asked to look at most are fire sealant pulled out of the opening and hidden openings found during inspections.
At the end of each section, the masking comes off, the area is cleaned and every joint is checked with your site contact. Where the sealant needs time to cure before use, we tell you and sign the area.
- First we confirm the product and tested details named in the specification.
- Openings are measured and grouped by detail.
- Improvised fillers and failed sealant are removed.
- Mineral wool or other backing is fitted where required.
- We gun the sealant in to the specified depth around each service and tool it.
- We walk the completed areas with you and confirm the records agreed at quote stage.
What you will pay
Whether it’s a single area or a whole estate, the same things set the price: what’s in scope, how we reach it, what’s specified and when it needs doing. Call for a quote and we will put a fixed figure on it.
Why appoint us
- CHAS accredited contractor
- CSCS-carded applicators
- Over 20 years of commercial sealing
- One phone line for London, the South East and Scotland
Get a fixed quote
A good quote starts with a clear picture: what’s there, how much of it, how we reach it and what’s specified. Send what you have, and we’ll arrange a site visit if anything is unclear.
Around Reading
Recent enquiries here include premises near Kendrick School, Eldon Square and Former Kennet Arms, among other places. Other local landmarks include Coley Primary School (under half a mile north), University of Reading library (1.5 miles south-east), Eurospeak Language School (0.5 miles north) and All Nations Christian Centre (under half a mile west). The closest station to Reading is Reading West station, roughly 0.7 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Beaumys Castle (5 miles south) and The Oracle (less than half a mile north-east). Open spaces near Reading include Sonning Hill and Longwater.
Fire-resisting walls and floors across Reading
From Caversham, Norcot and Tilehurst to smaller places, buildings across Reading are divided into fire compartments. We install fire-rated and intumescent sealant where it is specified, around service penetrations and linear gaps, to the tested detail.
The South East has large numbers of business parks and industrial estates, especially around the motorway corridors, and Reading is part of the area we cover.
Reading: At a retail site such as Reading Link Retail Park, which lies south of Reading, walls between units may be fire-resisting, so services added in a refit need the specified seal. Hospital estates such as Spire Dunedin Hospital, under half a mile west of Reading, are divided into fire compartments, and any service penetration through them should be sealed to the specified, tested detail.
Building owners, agents and FMs in Reading
CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member, we make supplier vetting simple. We’re fully insured, and our insurance certificate can go with the quote.
FMs need a contractor who is easy to get on site. Let us know the documents you need (RAMS, insurance certificate, CSCS details) and we’ll confirm them with the quote.
What sealant work can’t fix
Part of a good diagnosis is knowing where sealant stops. We will tell you if the real problem is one of these:
- Writing the fire-stopping specification
- Fire doors, dampers or other fire safety equipment
- Plastic pipes whose detail calls for a collar or wrap
Why act early?
It is cheaper to seal service penetrations as each services package finishes than to come back for them later. While the area is still open, every opening is easy to see and reach, and the right detail can be checked at the time.
Questions to ask before you book
- Is depth set with backing rod, or bond-breaker tape in shallow joints?
- Which product they’ll use, and why it suits the joint
- Will failed sealant be removed rather than covered?
- How they’ll work around occupants
Should maintenance staff do it?
The visible bead is only part of the job. Backing rod, primer where specified and a joint designed to move with the building are where general trades tend to cut corners.
Paperwork matters too. Many sites expect CSCS cards, RAMS and proof of insurance, and our CSCS-carded applicators are used to working under those rules.
Keeping the joints sound
Cleaning and maintenance staff play a part too. Share these points with them:
- Brief every trade that openings they make must be sealed
- Treat an open penetration as a priority repair
- File the specified details where the next contractor can find them
- Include service cupboards in routine inspections
Never top up a fire seal with foam, ordinary silicone or filler. Repairs need the same product and detail as the original.
The simplest way to keep compartment walls intact is to plan fire stopping into every job that crosses them. That way the opening is sealed while the trade and access are still there, not months later.
Questions about Reading
Can you send site paperwork?
Tell us what site paperwork you need (RAMS, insurance certificate, CSCS details) and we will confirm with the quote.
Can weather delay the job?
It can, for external work. Sealant won’t bond properly to a wet or frosty joint, so we watch the forecast and rearrange outside work if we have to. Indoors, the weather is rarely a problem.
Are you fully insured?
Yes. Mastic Doctor is fully insured, public liability included.
Will fire-rated sealant work on every penetration?
No. It depends on the tested detail for that wall or floor and service. Collars, wraps, batts and boards exist for openings sealant doesn’t cover, and we’ll tell you when that applies.
Which standards are fire seals tested to?
BS EN 1366-3 covers penetration seals and BS EN 1366-4 covers linear joints. Results are classified under BS EN 13501-2 as E for integrity and I for insulation, with a time such as EI 60 or EI 120. That rating only holds when the product is installed to its tested detail.
Do you have third-party installer accreditation for fire stopping?
No, and we’d rather be clear about that. Third-party schemes aren’t a legal requirement, but many clients and main contractors ask for them, so check your contract first. Where it isn’t required, we install the specified sealant to the maker’s details.
Can you reseal penetrations after our M&E works?
Yes. Share the penetration schedule and product details for a fixed quote. We can follow the services contractor floor by floor.