Fire-rated sealing and fire stopping in Chatham, Medway
Need fire stopping in Chatham? Send us the details for a fixed quote, backed by a 12-month guarantee on the work.
- Fire-rated sealant that has cracked or shrunk back
- Seals that don’t match their tested detail
- Fire-stopping items raised at inspection or handover
Need fire stopping in Chatham?
Tell us what needs sealing and where, with photos or drawings if you have them, and we’ll price it.
On site: what to expect
We follow your site rules from the start: signing in, inductions and any permit to work. Once we’re cleared to begin, we take the joints in the sequence agreed with you. Sites in a big town such as Chatham frequently have reception sign-in, inductions and permits to work. Send the site rules with your enquiry and we’ll plan to them.
- First we go through the drawings, schedule or specification for the seals.
- Every penetration is compared with its detail: wall or floor type, service, gap size and depth.
- Anything that doesn’t belong in the opening, such as expanding foam or general-purpose filler, is removed.
- Mineral wool or other backing goes in wherever the detail asks.
- We apply the specified sealant to the depth and around the services as the detail shows.
- Openings that need a collar, wrap, batt or other product are flagged to you rather than filled with sealant.
What we need from you
- Send your site hours and access windows
- Send any specification or drawings in advance
- Point out any areas we must not close
Request a quote
Photos, drawings or a schedule of the joints and a fixed quote comes back to you. If the job needs a look first, we’ll arrange a site visit.
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Fire stopping in Chatham, done properly
It helps to set out our role at the start. Deciding the specification sits with the designer, the fire engineer and building control; sign-off sits with them too. What we bring is careful installation of the specified sealant, to the maker’s guidance in Chatham and nearby. We work on pipe penetrations, linear gaps at wall heads and small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows, and the usual reasons a site gets in touch are unsealed joints where partitions meet the slab and fire seals cut back for extra cables and never reinstated. Facilities teams, main contractors and managing agents in Chatham tend to want the same three things: a fixed quote, no surprises on site and a 12-month guarantee behind the result.
Bigger buildings around a town like Chatham are often done in sequence: services first, then penetration and linear seals. We work to the specification and the manufacturer’s installation guidance, while design and sign-off stay with the designer and building control.
We stand by our work with a 12-month guarantee. That covers our preparation and application, and if something we did falls short, we return to it.
Why deal with it now?
Open penetrations multiply: each new service adds to the list. A schedule that is dealt with regularly stays manageable. A leaking joint in a commercial building in Chatham can damage stock, ceilings and finishes, and putting that right typically costs more than the reseal. It’s worth fixing at the first sign.
A quote for service penetrations depends on how many there are, their condition and the access, plus any specification you’re working to. Ask us for a fixed quote.
What you get with us
- One number for every site we cover
- Work carried out by CSCS-carded applicators
- Over 20 years of commercial sealing
- Joints cleaned back to sound surfaces
Take a look at what affects the cost and our accreditations.
Questions about Chatham
Do you seal service penetrations in hotels around Chatham?
Yes, to the specification and the product’s tested detail. Each seal follows the tested detail, and rooms are done in turn.
What does the BS 476 change mean for fire-rated sealant in Chatham?
From 2 September 2029, Approved Document B drops its BS 476 references in favour of BS EN 13501-2 classification, with transitional arrangements. Whichever applies, we install the specified product to its tested detail; the specification is for the designer to set.
Can you work while the building is occupied?
In most cases, yes. Phased work can be planned so areas stay in use, with each area protected and signed.
How long does a typical visit take?
The duration is planned around your programme and the access we are given. We will give you an estimate of time on site when we quote.
What happens if old sealant might contain asbestos?
Managing asbestos is the dutyholder’s responsibility, so for older buildings we ask for the asbestos register first. If anything suspect turns up, we stop until it’s tested.
What will the job cost?
There isn’t a price list, as every site differs. Send photos or drawings and we will price it at a fixed figure.
Are you CHAS accredited and on Constructionline?
Yes. We’re CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member, which helps with supplier vetting.
What we’re called out for in Chatham
Physical damage is another reason seals stop doing their job. Seals get knocked during maintenance, cut back to add a cable or pulled out when services are swapped, and the repair is often skipped.
These are often picked up first by site or facilities staff:
- Unsealed penetrations discovered above suspended ceilings
- Seals that don’t match their tested detail
- Unsealed joints where partitions meet the slab
- Non-fire-rated filler around services
Campus buildings at universities such as University for the Creative Arts - Rochester (1.8 miles north-west of Chatham) see constant changes to data and services, and fire-rated sealant goes in around new penetrations where it is specified.
Comparing quotes
- Whether old or failed sealant will be cut out, not overlaid
- Who will actually carry out the work
- Is the sealant right for the movement and the substrate?
- Will RAMS and insurance details be available?
What affects the price in Chatham
Your fixed quote is built from the real scope. It takes account of:
- Specialist products, such as fire-rated or hygienic sealants
- Working within restricted access windows
- Whether old sealant has to be cut out first
- Travel to remote or island sites
The work involved drives the cost: stripping out, preparation, sealing, access and phasing. Call for a fixed quote.
What to include in your enquiry
Diagnosis starts before we arrive. Tell us:
- How the joints are reached, and at what height
- The site address and postcode
- The product your specification calls for
- Drawings or a marked-up plan, if available
Every job follows the same four steps: send details, get a quote, we seal, guaranteed. The first step is to call 01277 525 020 or email the details over with what you know.
Surface by surface
Plastic pipes
In a fire, plastic pipework melts away and leaves an opening. Some intumescent sealants are tested on smaller plastic pipes. We check the pipe material and diameter against the detail before we start.
Linear joints
Joints at the top of partitions may need to move as the slab above deflects. We use the product and backing the detail names for that movement, along the full length of the run.
More services for Chatham
Service penetrations in Chatham buildings
The area within 2 miles of Chatham holds several hotels. Hotels are divided into compartments, and refurbishments that add pipes and cables through bedroom and corridor walls leave gaps to close. Approved Document B is the English guidance that covers fire stopping around openings and penetrations. References to the older BS 476 classes are being removed from it from 2 September 2029, after which the European classification, BS EN 13501-2, is the route, subject to transitional arrangements. Our part stays the same: the specified product, installed to its tested detail.
Theatres, wards and plant rooms at sites like Medway Maritime Hospital (1.7 miles north of Chatham) all have compartment walls crossed by services. Workshops and IT rooms at colleges like MidKent College Gillingham Campus (to the north of Chatham) are re-serviced often, leaving penetrations to seal.
Chatham is about 29 miles east of London, in Medway. Any commercial site in Chatham is covered, for single jobs and planned programmes alike. Chatham is one of 54 places we cover in Medway for service penetrations. For work in that direction, see our London page.
Work on service penetrations is covered throughout ME5, ME4, ME7 and ME1, whatever the building. For a building on Luton High Street, Market Place and High Street or nearby, send details and we’ll quote for service penetrations. With the A2 and A229 nearby, Chatham is easy to get to with materials and equipment. Nearby places we also cover include Luton (1 mile north), Hale (1 mile north-east), Darland (1 mile east), Capstone (1 mile east) and Walderslade (1 mile south). A short drive away, we cover Rochester (3 miles north-west), Rainham (3 miles east), Strood (3 miles north-west), Park Wood (3 miles east), Twydall (3 miles north-east) and Hoo St Werburgh (5 miles north). Chatham is one of the busier places in Medway, and we take on service penetrations for its commercial and public buildings.
Local landmarks in Chatham
In Chatham, that means premises near The Huntsman pub, Walderslade Girls' School and Darland Banks. The closest station to Chatham is Chatham station, about 1.7 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Six Poor Travellers House (2.5 miles north-west) and Rochester Castle (2.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there’s Blue Bell Hill and Burham Down.
Keeping the joints sound
To get the most from the new sealant:
- Make fire stopping part of every scope that crosses a fire-resisting wall
- Foam or ordinary sealant is never a fire-seal repair
- File the specified details where the next contractor can find them
- Ask which product is in place before decorating
Add risers, plant rooms and ceiling voids to routine fire-stopping checks. Watch for cracked sealant, new services with no seal and openings that have grown and get them dealt with.
Write fire stopping into the scope of any work crossing a compartment wall or floor. Then the seal goes in while the area is open.