Fire Stopping in Hicks Forstal
We carry out fire-rated and intumescent sealing of service penetrations and linear gaps in Hicks Forstal and the surrounding area. Send photos or drawings for a fixed quote.
- Penetration schedules that need working through
- Unsealed joints where partitions meet the slab
- Old intumescent sealant that has split away
Fire stopping in Hicks Forstal
Share the site address and what’s failing, and we’ll reply with a fixed quote or arrange a visit.
How we handle fire stopping in Hicks Forstal
Penetration seals are fire tested to BS EN 1366-3 and linear joint seals to BS EN 1366-4. That classification, such as EI 60 or EI 120, belongs to the product in its tested arrangement. So our job is to reproduce that arrangement faithfully. We work on cable penetrations, service gaps in risers and small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows, and what we are called in for most is seals disturbed by maintenance and left open and service penetrations left open after M&E works. A specialist sealant contractor works differently from a general builder: in Hicks Forstal, that means joint design, primers and backing rod as standard.
A job near Hicks Forstal is usually planned around one visit, so send the specification and photographs first. Design and sign-off belong to the designer or building control; we install what’s specified.
We stand behind the joints we seal: 12 months, guaranteed. It covers how we prepared and applied the sealant, and we come back if anything isn’t right.
- Location
- Hicks Forstal (CT3)
- Region
- Kent
- Cover
- 12 months on every job
- Quote
- Fixed quote, scope in writing
- Phone
- 01277 525 020
- Last updated
- 3 November 2026
Looking after the joints
After handover, a little attention goes a long way:
- Record which product was used where
- Foam or ordinary sealant is never a fire-seal repair
- Check risers and ceiling voids after each round of works
- Settle who seals which penetrations at the start of a project
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.
Make reporting new openings part of every permit to work in service areas. It costs little and catches breaches early.
Diagnose, treat, sign off
Tell us your site hours and access windows and we will plan around them. On the day, the work area is kept contained and tidy, and we check in with your contact before moving on to each new area. If others near Hicks Forstal need work, visits can be combined, which keeps travel down. You’ll have a fixed quote before work starts.
- The specification and schedule come first, so we know which details apply.
- We plan the sequence of floors, risers and voids with you.
- Each opening is checked for wall or floor type, service, gap and depth.
- Foam, ordinary sealant and debris come out first.
- The specified backing and sealant go in to depth and are finished neatly.
- Anything outside the detail is reported to you rather than sealed.
Preparing the site
- Send your site hours and access windows
- Send any specification or drawings in advance
- Point out parking and an unloading spot
Ask for a quote
Every quote starts with the facts: the joints involved, quantities, access and the product called for. Share whatever details you have and we’ll fill any gaps with a visit.
Related advice
What we can’t put right
Honesty saves time and money. Fresh joints won’t solve:
- Reviewing a building’s overall fire safety
- Signing off or certifying a building’s fire stopping
- Large openings beyond what any sealant detail covers
If you are not sure, just ring 01277 525 020 or use the quote form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Pipe penetrations
- Cable penetrations
- Small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows
- Service gaps in risers
- Linear gaps at wall heads
- Joints between fire-resisting walls and floors
Questions about Hicks Forstal
Can you work at a site such as Buddy's Retail Park, by Hicks Forstal?
Yes. Our area takes in Hicks Forstal and its surroundings, with estates and business parks such as Buddy's Retail Park included. To start, just call 01277 525 020 or email the details over with the unit, the joints involved and your access times.
Could you schedule work at a campus like University of Kent for the vacation?
Yes. Education sites normally want the work in vacations or in phases during term, and we plan to suit. Let us know which documents your site asks for, and we will confirm them alongside the quote.
How long before the joints can be used?
We will confirm how long the chosen product needs to cure.
Will you write the fire-stopping specification?
No. Deciding what is needed sits with the designer, fire engineer and building control. Our role is fitting the specified fire-rated sealant, following the maker’s tested details.
Will you just go over the old sealant?
No. We cut the old material out and clean the joint back before sealing, since fresh sealant will not bond reliably to aged material.
How long do sealant joints last?
There isn’t a single answer, because life depends on how much the joint moves, how exposed it is and how it’s cleaned and used. Regular checks let you plan resealing before leaks or damage.
Do you seal openings left by new services?
Yes. Share the penetration schedule and product details. Work can run area by area behind the M&E trades so areas aren’t left open.
Service penetrations in Hicks Forstal buildings
For England, the fire stopping of penetrations is dealt with in Approved Document B. 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. Either way, we install the specified product to its tested detail. Central London is about 54 miles from Hicks Forstal. Business park offices in the commuter belt are refitted as tenants change, and each fit-out adds services through compartment walls.
Theatres, wards and plant rooms at sites like Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, 2.6 miles north of Hicks Forstal, all have compartment walls crossed by services. Holiday works at schools like Spires Academy often leave service openings to seal before pupils return. Shop fits on retail sites such as Buddy's Retail Park, 1.7 miles south of Hicks Forstal, can bring new services through fire-resisting walls between units, to be sealed with the specified product.
Hicks Forstal is about 2 miles south of Herne Bay, in Kent. We cover Hicks Forstal and the rest of Kent, and jobs here get the same fixed quote and 12-month guarantee as anywhere else. Our Kent coverage takes in 931 places, from busy centres to rural villages. There’s a separate page for London, roughly 54 miles from Hicks Forstal.
We take on service penetrations across the CT3 postcode area. Sites close to Hicks Forstal are covered too, including Calcott (1 mile south-west), Herne Common (1 mile north), Knave's Ash (1 mile east), Herne (1 mile north) and Bullockstone (1 mile north-west). Bigger towns within reach include Canterbury (4 miles south-west), Margate (12 miles east), Dover (15 miles south-east), Ramsgate (12 miles east), Broadstairs (13 miles east) and Whitstable (4 miles west).
Local landmarks in Hicks Forstal
In Hicks Forstal, that means premises near Curtis Wood, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Sturry station, about 2.2 miles south. Nearby you’ll also find St Martins Hospital (3.9 miles south) and Canterbury Castle (4.6 miles south-west). Open spaces near Hicks Forstal include West Blean and Thornden Woods.
Why deal with it now?
Leave a penetration open and smoke and fire can cross into the next compartment far earlier than intended. Putting it right is usually a modest job when the openings are accessible. Left until ceilings are closed or a tenant moves in, the same work costs more access and more disruption. Converted and older buildings near places like Hicks Forstal tend to move, and aged sealant cracks. A sealant with the right movement capability, correctly sized, lasts far better.
The work involved drives the cost: stripping out, preparation, sealing, access and phasing. Call for a quote.
Why clients in Hicks Forstal choose us
- CSCS-carded applicators
- Fully insured, including public liability cover
- 12 months’ guarantee on every job
- Work to your specification and the manufacturer’s guidance
Doing it in-house
For most general trades, sealant is a sideline. A specialist prepares properly, controls joint depth and picks a product with the right movement class.
There’s also the paperwork. Many sites expect CSCS cards, RAMS and proof of insurance, and our CSCS-carded applicators are used to working under those rules.
What the job involves on each surface
Metal pipes
Sealant details often cover copper and steel pipework. The tested detail sets the pipe size range, gap, depth and whether insulation can stay on and we confirm each before sealing.
Small ducts
We seal around ducts only within what the tested detail covers. The ductwork, its supports and any dampers are for the ductwork contractor.