Soil pipes, drainage and land drainage pipes, all essential to your property but very rarely, if ever, a fascinating topic of conversation. Yet without this vitally important equipment, your home would be unable to function. At Bliby Plastics we do think about these less than glamorous but indispensible items. Nowadays, plastic has very nearly completely replaced cast iron as the ideal material for the manufacture of guttering and wastepipes, and in the home the pipes under the sink are now usually made of plastic.
Plastic fabrication companies produce a range of items such as plastic guttering, fascias, wall cladding and bargeboards. Even garden sheds made of rigid plastic are available. The main advantage is that the plastic does not need to be treated with wood preservative as would a more traditional shed made of wood and are not prone to erosion from rust which is a common problem with metal sheds. It is probably a good idea to make sure they are erected properly and secured firmly to a base which can be purchased separately. Some companies offer a service whereby they build the shed for you in situ.
uPVC is commonly used in the installation of double glazing either in a brand new building or as a replacement for old single glazed windows. They are a replacement for treated or painted wood window frames. Since it is very low maintenance, uPVC has become very popular with building firms. The material itself is available in a variety of colours and wood finishes, as well as uPVC fascia boards.
At some point you may want to replace a fascia, bargeboard or soffit on the exterior of your house. Even the best quality fascias will eventually show signs of wear and tear due to their constant exposure to the elements. The best way of going about this is to first completely remove the existing fascias, soffit or bargeboards. The reason for this total stripping out is that there are some builders who might fit cladding over wood that is already there. The problem with this method is that there is the risk of trapping moisture and this, in turn, may cause quite serious rot to occur.
At Bliby Plastics, as a plastic fabrication company, we will be able to advise you on the best way to fit your new fascias or bargeboards as well as offering a range of different fascias from which to choose. There are different types of board available. The UPVC fascia board, for example, is meant to be used without needing any kind of backing surface. The cover board differs from the fascia board in that it is usually thinner and tends to be used as a cover for fascias. The fascia board also differs from the cover board because it has a slot on its inside corner which will accommodate the soffit. The cover board has no such recess.
There are now building regulations in place that necessitate ventilation of some kind in soffit in new buildings, this will take the form of a two and a half centimetre gap across the perimeter.
We are all aware of the existence of plastic around us in a huge array of everyday items. Many of us could probably date old video footage by the design and prevalence of plastic items shown within. History does produce some quirks that would show an abundance of plastic objet d’art around the 1960′s and 1970′s, as this new material was exploited in every possible way. Latterly, it may not be so conspicuous in its use, but this is more a reflection of more subtle design, coupled with a certain disregard for its use.
It is also similarly possible to date some building designs by their use of plastic, both within the building and externally. The creative use of plastic in buildings was less clearly evident in the early years, which has led to a far more linear growth of its use within buildings.
In modern buildings, plastics are used extensively where lightweight, durable and low maintenance fittings are required. In many aspects, plastic can be one of many materials that can viably be used to fulfil a function, but in many areas such as plastic guttering, the choice makes itself almost every time.
Plastics function extremely well, and are both cost effective and provide easy installation. Their flexibility means that plastic fittings such as guttering, fascias and wall cladding are not easily broken, which leads to prolonged, low maintenance installations.
For all of your plastic requirements, at Bliby Plastics we are able to deliver to your site rapidly and accurately.
The chances are that you might not even be aware that you have a fascia, but it’s only a matter of time before your fascias will begin to suffer the ravages of time, and will need either repairing or full replacement. This process isn’t as difficult as it may first seem, however, and with some common sense and a little bit of elbow grease, you may find that installing fascias is really quite simple.
In order to be able to repair a problem, you first need to identify a problem, which is why it is essential that you inspect you fascias and guttering on a regular basis. This way, any damage that does occur can be repaired long before it gets so serious that a full on replacement is in order.
As the essential purpose of fascias is to hold the gutters in place (along with an aesthetic purpose), to get access to a damaged fascia you will first need to remove your gutters. This in itself is a serious job, and especially if you have heavy cast iron guttering you will definitely need someone to help you, or perhaps even a professional.
Once you have access to the fascia the process of repair should be fairly easy, provided the fitting hasn’t rusted into place (if so these can be removed with a padsaw), and will simply involve removal of the old fascia and replacement with a new piece. A word of warning, though – in some areas and for some houses, the use of plastic fascia boards may not be permitted, so always do your research before investing in anything.
Fascias aren’t just an interesting external design feature, and they actually perform an important structural feature, which means that proper fascia maintenance is not only a question of aesthetics, but is an important aspect of the functionality of your home.
Fascia boards essentially are essentially holding your gutters in place, which means that if you allow your fascias to degrade, either through rotting or weather activity for example, then it is only a matter of time before your entire guttering comes down.
Like any external feature of your home, fascias have got to endure whatever the great outdoors can throw at them, which means that they are highly susceptible to weather damage over time. This is one of the reasons that fascias are often constructed from highly durable composite materials.
Even the most durable fascias are vulnerable to damage, and therefore you should make regular checks on your fascisa to ensure that its not suffering from any significant damage. If they are, then you could either repair the affected piece or go for a complete replacement, which is often the solution nowadays considering the relative affordability of fascias – particularly at companies like Bliby Plastics.
When installing a new fascia board you might want to seek some professional advice, as there are some complicated procedure involved, including the removal of the guttering which is attached to the fascia – beyond this, installing a new fascia shouldn’t be too difficult for a competent DIY enthusiast.
