There ’ s More to Mastic Asphalt Than Meets the Eye by the Mastic Asphalt Council ( MAC )
Although mastic asphalt is one of the world ’ s oldest and most traditional roofing materials , it can sometimes be wrongly perceived by specifiers and clients as a one-dimensional waterproofing product that is only available in a standard black finish . But like many long-lasting , tried and tested materials , mastic asphalt is being re-imagined , modified and re-examined as a highly relevant building material for today .
A project carried out by Oxford Asphalt , a member of the Mastic Asphalt Council ( MAC ) for over 20 years , certainly illustrates this . A roofing system was required for a private residence near Witney in Oxfordshire and the architect concerned was seeking a roofing material that had the general appearance of lead , but with a seamless finish . Metal theft is one of the fastest
64 - www . refurbandrestore . co . uk growing crimes in the UK and both the architect and building owner wanted to avoid the prospect of lead being stolen from the roof .
A seam-free system would ensure that there was no threat of water penetration through any joints , laps or seams and it would also ensure that the roofing system could be easily spot repaired if need be , eliminating the need for costly wholesale replacement . The main contractor for the project was Midland Builders .
Terry Grandi , Director of Oxford Asphalt said : “ This project was different to the norm as the client wanted the roof to look like lead and have the seamless look of lead , but not be constructed in lead . The architect didn ’ t want to use felt or a single ply roofing
system , so we offered the option of mastic asphalt with a colour reflective coating on top to mimic the appearance of lead . As mastic asphalt has no scrap or resale value , it is not targeted by thieves so the threat of any theft would be eradicated .
“ In order that the client could visualise how the system would look , we made a mockup model to show them the versatility and seamless possibilities of mastic asphalt . They were very impressed when they saw it and on this basis , mastic asphalt was specified ,” he continued .
The mastic asphalt system was made up of a vapour control layer , 140mm rigid board insulation , mastic asphalt waterproofing and a coloured reflective coating finish to match the appearance of lead .