Vivalda Group launches second in CladMaster video series on fixings
Vivalda Group, the UK’s largest independent supplier of non-flammable cladding, has unveiled the second video in its ‘CladMaster’ series designed to improve installers’ practical understanding of cladding materials, fixing systems and fire safety challenges.
The second video entitled ‘Three things to get right when specifying a Fixing System’, looks at common mistakes made by when ordering fixings for cladding projects. Vivalda London’s branch manager Andy Thomas, who is featured in the video, said: “We often find that it’s the simplest contractors of oversights that can cause the biggest headaches for installers. Three of most common slip-ups we see are; contractors failing to order cladding and fixings at the same time; ordering cheaper, non-approved fixings and failing to invest in the right tools to ensure the fixings are properly installed.
“In our experience, getting these very simple things right from the start of a project can save huge amounts of time, money and risk. Poor specification of fixings can even invalidate warranties on the cladding installed. The Grenfell tragedy should serve as a constant reminder how materials must conform. Guesswork can be fatal.’
“In the bigger scheme of things, it’s easy to see how fixings sometimes get overlooked, but in practice they are a vital element of the cladding system that accounts for large part of the budget. It’s just not worth trying to cut corners where fixings are concerned and we would encourage contractors to spend more time ensuring that they have the right fixings and tools specified for the job.”