Construction sites produce a lot of dust, trash, paint, and potentially dangerous chemicals such as asbestos. By encapsulating a structure, you can reduce environmental contamination produced by toxins while simultaneously providing a safety barrier.
While there is a variety of encapsulating materials to choose from, shrink wrap outperforms many of them. Continue reading to discover more about how to protect your scaffold and construction project with shrink wrap.
What Is Shrink Wrap for Construction Sites?
For those wondering what shrink wrap is, it’s a low-density polyethylene plastic film with a variety of applications, including confining construction sites. Shrink wrap comes in various thicknesses, but the type used to encase scaffolding is often thicker to provide a durable and long-lasting encapsulation. For scaffolding sheets, two different forms can be used: shrink wrap and traditional sheeting.
Shrink Wrap Sheets
This method is used to contain scaffolding by joining individual shrink wrap sheets together through the heat produced by a heat gun. This method avoids the gaps that are common in standard scaffolding sheets. As a result, shrink wrap is more waterproof and less likely to rip, and the heat-bonding process strengthens the encapsulation.
Traditional Sheets
With traditional scaffolding sheets, workers wrap the strips of the sheet around the scaffolding and then use bungee strings to connect each sheet to the next. In years past, most contractors used these plastic sheets as a way to protect the construction site.
Traditional scaffolding sheets come with their own set of benefits. The problem with this method is that it leaves gaps between the individual sheets, allowing dust, dirt, and weather factors to pass through.
Benefits to Using Shrink Wrap for Construction Projects
Many contractors are starting to realise that the ability that shrink wrapping has to contain and protect a construction project can’t be beaten. It is slowly becoming a must for various contractors working on a range of projects. If you are still not convinced about shrink wrap sheeting, take a look at the numerous benefits it provides.
Offers a Tight Fit
Shrink wrap offers a super-tight fit because of the way it moulds to a building. This prevents flapping in high winds and ensures that you don’t return to a destroyed construction site after a massive windstorm.
Not only that, but it’s extremely tough and durable and nearly impossible to break through. That means that the project you are currently working on will be fully protected from whatever comes its way.
This protection includes thieves looking to steal materials, tools, or metals from the construction site in an attempt to make a quick dollar. As thieves approach the job site and see the shrink wrap, they will move on to an easier target. Breaking through the wrap will attract more attention than they want.
Protection From the Elements
With the ever-changing climate of New Zealand, shrink wrap is perhaps the easiest and most effective way to protect your project from the various elements. Not only that, but most shrink wrap is fire and UV-resistant, so it adds to the workplace’s safety.
The heat-welded joints between each sheet of shrink wrap, along with the super-tight fit, give superb weather protection. Rain and wind are deflected away from the workers and the worksite, which limits the exposure of the building to the elements, so the weather creates fewer problems.
High-grade shrink wrap provides an insulating impact on the indoor workplace due to its waterproof features. All laborers will be more protected from the weather, allowing them to work in a more pleasant setting that promotes productivity, bringing you closer to project completion.
Recyclable
Many construction companies today are looking at different ways that they can better help the environment. They are looking at all of the different ways they can go green. The great news is that shrink wrap sheeting is 100% recyclable. What this means for contractors is they are able to minimise their impact on the environment and save some money in the process. Recycling shrink wrap sheeting saves money on landfill costs because it’s less stuff being carted off and disposed of.
Versatile
We offer custom shrink wrapping services because we can tailor each wrap to the exact specifications of each job. This means each building is individually wrapped for superior performance.
The reason this works is that shrink wrapping is a “shrink to fit” approach. It is not a one size fits all kind of application. You are not limited by the size or shape of the scaffolding framework because the wrap is cut and welded specifically for the job.
What this means for most contractors is that no matter what your project’s size and scope are, we can most likely help you out with a customised solution.
Looks Nice
When something looks good and works well, you know it is something to look into further. Shrink wrap on construction sites is one of those things that is nice to look at but serves its purpose quite well.
Ugly construction sites are terrible for business. Not only are they an eyesore, but they may also be in violation of municipal ordinances, including those governing public safety. This often makes potential clients think twice about hiring you for their next projects. Tarps and standard scaffold sheets may be useful, but they can never be said to be attractive.
Shrink wrapping gives your project a professional, eye-catching appearance, increasing its reputability in the eyes of the public. It improves the overall appearance of the scaffold site, ensuring that the work remains tidy and appealing. Plus, it helps to keep random dirt and debris from littering the grounds of the construction site or the neighbourhood.
Provides Privacy
Shrink wrap is a great technique that adds a physical layer of secrecy to your project. This is especially useful if you need to hide what’s going on “behind the scenes” or if you want to save the final results for a huge reveal.
This could also be beneficial to both local inhabitants and project workers. As much as you may want to keep your construction work hidden, the rest of the community may not like having to see it day after day. Everybody is happy with a proper shrink wrap application because nobody can see what is going on behind the sheeting.
Environmental Containment
Keeping your neighbours in mind, you may need to commit to shrink wrapping if your project necessitates any kind of environmental containment. This means that you’re working with products that could contaminate the environment. To prevent them from escaping into the neighbourhood around you, shrink wrap everything to keep all dust and other particles inside.
Shot blasting of bridges, painting projects, asbestos removal, and concrete cutting are all examples of this. The tightly welded shrink wrap forms a continuous skin around the project, containing and trapping any debris that might escape. As a result, you aren’t endangering anyone in the neighbourhood surrounding your project.
A Solution That Comes to You
You already have enough going on when it comes to job site development, remodelling, or maintenance. There’s no need to add another thing to your long list of what needs to be done. This would be the case when securing tarps or standard sheeting. When choosing to protect your job site with shrink wrap, the experts come to you.
How Long Does Shrink Wrap Take to Install?
Every contractor wants to reduce the amount of time workers spend on a building site completing jobs. How long it takes to shrink wrap your scaffolding will be determined by a number of factors.
- Weather – if the weather is rainy or windy, it will take longer to install the shrink wrap as it’s harder to handle the material in wet or windy weather. Clear and cool days are ideal for installing shrink wrap, but you really can’t control the weather, so it’s nice to know shrink wrap can be applied in all conditions.
- Shape – the shape of the building or scaffolding also determines how long it takes to install. The more complex the building design is, the longer it is going to take to shrink wrap, as it involves a lot of manoeuvring around to get the properly sealed fit.
- Area – the area requiring the shrink wrapping also affects installation rates because of how time-consuming some areas are to access compared to others. For example, accessing the roof area is a bit more challenging than accessing the flat walls. Some areas also require different specialised equipment or resources to access.
- Experience – this is one of the obvious ones but needs to be mentioned. The more experienced the installers are, the faster they can work, plus they have mastered the skills necessary to install the shrink wrap. Many contractors consider doing the wrap job themselves, but they shouldn’t. We recommend using a professional shrink wrap company that has the tools and experience necessary to complete the job correctly and quickly.
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