Lead Alternative for Stolen Leadwork, Prince's Mead School, Winchester

The area of stripped leadwork
1 of 7
This was a significant metal theft
2 of 7
The area was thoroughly cleaned and sanded
3 of 7
And fully pressure washed to ensure a completely clean surface
4 of 7
An initial layer was laid
5 of 7
The whole area was then coated
6 of 7
And finished with a topcoat of lead-look polymer roofing
7 of 7

Sadly, schools are all-too-common victims of metal roof theft, especially lead - see this one in Skelmersdale and this one in Swindon, the latter of which resulted in the collapse of three classroom roofs, fortunately without any injuries. These articles highlight both the scale of the problem and the dangers metal theft can pose. With schools, it is most often children who are at risk. 

Another recent metal theft victim was Prince's Mead School in Winchester, which had substantial amounts of its lead roofing stolen. Luckily for the children and staff, there were again no injuries, but the school was nevertheless left facing a large bill for replacement. However, recognising that replacement made little sense at a time when lead roof theft has become such a risk, the school made the decision to seek out an alternative. As they wanted to maintain the traditional lead look, they contacted us.

The polymer system has often been called "liquid lead" for its ability to accurately mimic both the flexibility and look of lead. It is, however, faster to install, less expensive, and because it is not metal, it is not a theft risk. Even if thieves were to mistake it for real lead, the polymers bond completely to the substrate, making it impossible to remove without removing the entire roof in one go.

The area of stolen roof at Prince's Mead School was a long and visually interesting curved area of roof, as the photographs show. The area was thoroughly cleaned to ensure best substrate coverage, then coated in the high performance polymer membrane, before being overcoated in the lead-look system.

Read more about the lead alternative polymer system>

Get advice and information on polymer lead>

Find out more about polymer roofing>

Talk to us today about how we can help with your roof. Call us on 07855 535581 

We're fast, UK wide, and we really know roofs.