Fire-rated sealing and fire stopping in New Town, Edinburgh
Fire stopping for New Town, from a contractor working since 2005. Fully insured and CHAS accredited.
- Snag lists that include open service penetrations
- Open linear gaps along the top of fire-resisting walls
- Hidden openings found during inspections
Fire stopping for New Town sites
Photos, a specification or a quick description of the joints is enough to start a fixed quote.
How we handle fire stopping in New Town
No fire sealant works on its own: its test evidence covers one product in one kind of wall or floor, with set services, gaps, depths and backing. We match each opening to that detail before any sealant goes in, and raise it with you if it falls outside. Most enquiries involve fire-rated sealant that has cracked or shrunk back and expanding foam used as fire stopping, on linear gaps at wall heads, cable penetrations and pipe penetrations. Facilities teams, main contractors and managing agents in New Town tend to want the same three things: a clear scope, tidy work and joints that don’t fail again.
Large city estates in Scotland, from universities to hospitals and offices, are re-serviced constantly, and each new run of cable or pipe through a compartment wall needs sealing. New openings are closed with the specified fire-rated product, following its test evidence.
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
- New Town (EH3, EH1, EH2)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- A 12-month guarantee
- Quote
- A fixed quote before we start
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Page updated
- 3 November 2026
Signs you need fire stopping in New Town
A common fault is a product that was never fire-rated in the first place: expanding foam or a general-purpose sealant pushed into a gap to tidy it. It may look closed, but it has no tested fire performance in that position.
Most enquiries start with something like this:
- Seals that don’t match their tested detail
- Fire sealant pulled out of the opening
- Snag lists that include open service penetrations
- Service penetrations left open after M&E works
For a unit at a centre such as Waverley Mall, which lies south-east of New Town, penetration seals are worth checking after each shop fit.
What your quote should include
- The terms of the workmanship guarantee
- Their public liability cover
- How joint depth will be controlled
- Will CSCS-carded applicators be on site?
Keeping the joints sound
Your facilities or cleaning team can help the joints last. Pass these on to them:
- Agree the fire-stopping specification before services go in
- Foam or ordinary sealant is never a fire-seal repair
- Have penetrations checked while they can still be seen
- Report damaged or disturbed seals as soon as they’re spotted
After the work, brief anyone else working in the area that the openings are now sealed. If a seal has to be opened for a new service, it should be reinstated to the same detail using the same product.
Regular walk-rounds of service areas are worth the time. A cracked or disturbed seal found early is a small job.
Questions about New Town
Can you work in a care home near New Town with residents in?
Yes. We work around residents’ routines, a room or two at a time. Tell us about any infection-control or safeguarding requirements and we will work to them.
Can you take on a job at a hospital such as Western General Hospital (Edinburgh)?
Yes, hospitals are one of the sectors we cover. The estates team’s permit system and infection-control rules come first, and the work is planned around them.
Do you work to architects’ specifications?
Yes. We follow the specification, along with the manufacturer’s installation guidance, and any queries are raised before we start.
What will the job cost?
It depends on the job: quantities, access, the product and any phasing. Call for a fixed quote.
Do you hold third-party fire-stopping installer certification?
No. We are not members of a third-party fire-stopping installer scheme. We are CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member, and our applicators are CSCS-carded. If your contract requires third-party installer certification, we are not the right fit for that package.
Do you work in New Town?
Yes. New Town falls within our area, and the simplest way to start is to call 01277 525 020 or email the details over.
Is it fine to apply new sealant on top of old?
No. We cut the old material out and clean the joint back before sealing, because fresh silicone will not bond with aged silicone.
When to bring in a specialist
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. Main contractors and clients often ask for CSCS cards, RAMS and insurance details, and we’ll confirm the paperwork you need with the quote.
Service penetrations in New Town buildings
A good number of hotels sit less than 2 miles from New Town. Bedroom-to-corridor walls in hotels are normally fire-resisting, so new cabling or pipework through them has to be sealed to the tested detail. Under the Scottish non-domestic Technical Handbook, clause 2.1.14, penetrations should be fire stopped to at least the wall or floor’s fire resistance duration, and products should be tested for their end use. We install fire-rated sealant to that tested detail where it is specified.
At a college such as Royal College of General Practitioners Edinburgh, less than half a mile to the south of New Town, checking penetration seals after summer M&E works is good practice. Wherever services are added at a hospital such as Western General Hospital (Edinburgh), 1.5 miles to the west of New Town, the compartment line has to be made good with the specified product.
New Town is about 1 mile north of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. We cover commercial sites throughout New Town, whether it’s a single job or part of a planned programme. 174 places across Edinburgh fall within our area, including New Town.
Postcode districts covered here: EH3, EH1 and EH2 for service penetrations. For a building on York Lane, Meuse Lane and Canon Lane or nearby, send details and we’ll quote for service penetrations. Close to New Town, our area also takes in Bellevue (1 mile north-east), Broughton (1 mile east), Canonmills (1 mile north), Greenside (1 mile east) and Gayfield (1 mile east). Further afield, our area takes in Queensferry (8 miles west), South Portobello (3 miles east), Southhouse (4 miles south-east), Gilmerton (4 miles south-east), Slateford (3 miles south-west) and Gracemount (4 miles south-east).
Near you in New Town
Locally, jobs take us to sites close to Stockbridge public library, Drummond Community High School and King George V Park, among other places. Nearby too are St Cuthbert's Church (0.5 miles south-west) and The Standing Order pub (under half a mile south). New Town has its own railway station: Edinburgh Waverley station. Well-known places in the area include Royal Public Dispensary of Edinburgh (0.6 miles south-east) and Waverley Mall (under half a mile south-east). For a walk, there’s The New Leaf Co-op and Salisbury Crags.
From enquiry to sign-off
Inspect, seal, sign off: that’s the shape of every visit. First comes an inspection and agreement on scope, then the work is carried out to the specified product and detail, and we finish with a walk round so the work can be signed off. Work on a big city site in Scotland typically involves inductions and permits. Tell us the rules and we will work to them.
- We start with your penetration schedule, drawings or specification.
- Access, permits and the order of areas are agreed with the site team.
- We compare every service penetration with its tested detail before sealing.
- Unsuitable material is removed and the opening cleaned so the seal starts clean.
- Backing and fire-rated sealant are installed to the detail and tooled.
- We tell you about openings that need a different product.
Getting the site ready
- Let building users know which areas are affected
- Tell us what induction or permit system the site runs
- Make sure the joints can be reached
Getting 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 will arrange a site visit if anything is unclear.
Related advice
What sealant work can’t fix
A few problems need another trade or a different fix, and we say so rather than covering them up:
- Reviewing a building’s overall fire safety
- Walls or floors that aren’t fire-resisting to begin with
- Designing or specifying fire stopping, which sits with the designer or fire engineer
If in doubt, phone 01277 525 020 or email the details over and we’ll say what we think.
Surfaces we seal
- Service gaps in risers
- Pipe penetrations
- Joints between fire-resisting walls and floors
- Linear gaps at wall heads
- Small duct penetrations where the tested detail allows
- Cable penetrations
Surface by surface
Metal pipes
Sealant details often cover copper and steel pipework. Pipe diameter, annular gap, sealant depth and any pipe insulation all have to match the detail and we confirm each before sealing.
Linear joints
Head-of-wall joints often have to absorb slab deflection. The specified product and backing for that movement are what goes in, along the full length of the run.