Aquashield

knowloads

Bobbar wrote: »

I am also considering using this company - they say that 67,000 properties have been treated in the Uk so there must be lots of evidence as to quality and customer satisfaction

Apart from the same old blag on this subject by the same few (me included), there are few here that have the authority to give the real answers and not just a unofficial opinion on either Aquashield or roof coating.
may I remind all those seeing these pages for the first time, that roof coating is a legitimate product with proven record of over 15 years in the UK, and longer in the other world across the channel. 67,000 properties NO. They only went national through franchising 3 yrs ago and that would mean that they and the dozen other ex-aquashield salesman that have set up, and the two or three 6-8 yrs old companies are coating 323 roofs a week, 52 weeks of the year.

There are however 1000's of roof coating customers who have no need to read the forum here, making the comments on the last 9 pages a little one sided. Search for roof coaters on the old google and shop around but ask these questions.
1) Years doing actual roof coating. ( remember most only started up since 2007).
2) If they are more than +2 years old and 'very busy', ask for their VAT number...... (£50k threshold that's only 50 houses at £1000).
3) Are their fitters self employed and who covers the warranty.
4) Is the coating 100% acrylate and breathable.
5) Is the moss treatment safe for gardens and pets.
6) Are the owners ex-aquashield salesman or fitters.

If the answer to 6) is yes, then expect no more than the above 9 pages.
:beer:

Lewie

'there is nothing wrong with the coating itself'

That quote is fine but doesn't mean that it is a good idea to have it sprayed on your roof tiles. It means the coating coats things, sticks, is waterproof and breathable.

I say it again, if i was thinking of buying a house with this stuff on the roof i would knock the price of a reroof (plus a bit more for awkward strip).

IF THEY SAY YOUR ROOF NEEDS COATING THEN THEY ARE EITHER LYING OR YOU NEED A NEW ROOF!!

knowloads

IF THEY SAY YOUR ROOF NEEDS COATING THEN THEY ARE EITHER LYING OR YOU NEED A NEW ROOF!
Sorry Lewie, but you are wrong. ROOF COATING as mentioned is for concrete roof tiles, nothing else. Would you say that Hammerite is not for painting rusty metal since once rusty metal it.s rusty and should be replaced.
There are over 30 MAJOR coating manufacturers in Europe and the world making concrete roof tile coating so if you are a roofer trying to protect your business, then fine, but I am sure that some of the worlds largest manufacturers would bother to make stuff that doesn't work. (OK Nokia N95's don't work).

Check:
Adhesive (to concrete) Tested to DIN EN ISO 4624
Elongation at tear to DIN 53 504
Water vapour Permeability to DIN ISO 7783-2
Weathering Exposure Test to DIN EN ISO 4892-3, DIN 53 166 and DIN ISO 2810
Sparks and Heat tested to DIN 4102 Part 7

Sorry mate but one man's opinion against a product that has been around for years until some smart !!! Scots salesmen actually start to sell it en-mass, can not be argued with.

PEOPLE: Roof Coating your concrete roof tiles IS an alternative to re-roofing. That simple, the hard part is getting someone who can do the job for a good price and in the correct method.
It's that simple........ ask me how I know this...... and I can't tell you due to the roolz

Lewie

knowloads.
I know you are genned up on this product but the fact is that IF your tiles NEED this type of coating to stop them from allowing water in then they have had it.
A rusty pipe, if it is carrying water, should NOT be painted with Hammerite.
The paint will merely mask the underlying probem, eventually the pipe will become so thin that it will burst. Replace it.
If your gate is rusty, by all means, paint it with Hammerite.
The same with tiles.
NEVER rely on a coating that will hide any underlying problems.
Like i said, i would knock the price of a reroof, and some, if i was to buy a house with this stuff on it.
All the figures that the manufacturers quote are done under factory conditions.
I'm sure you know that every situation is different and could never be replicated by the manufacturers.
Having said all that, it is still up to the individual, it certainly is not for me!!

knowloads

it is still up to the individual, it certainly is not for me! Q.E.D
I think there are still situations that require a replacement. Rosemary tiles for eg; tend to look ok on the top but underneath can be totally gone. I think that as a cosmetic treatment that happens to waterproof too, coating should be a cheaper option, the issue here is that companies like AQ, charge far too much. I rest my case and now feel that this should be my last word on the subject.
Bye

Lewie

Although knowloads has left the building i must still stress that this type of 'new roof' should be a no no.
Tiles made of concrete DO become porous.
A waterproof coat will not put the stregth back into a concrete tile.
They have become porous due to years of water erosion.
A coating would act as a glue.
Do not glue your tiles to the roof.
A roofer WILL charge extra when the roof eventually needs retiling.

Teribus

Hello.

Yes, I'm a newbie here. Signed up after reading this thread to add my experiences (I'll continue to update as things happen)

We had Aquashield appear at our door on Tuesday night asking if we wanted a free, no obligation quote. Free is my favourite word, so I said sure, carry on.

Wednesday night, a rep appeared armed with tape measure and portable DVD player. However, as my wife wasn't here, he refused to go through with giving me a quote, telling me about some rule set by some standards agency (I can't remember whom), saying they needed both homeowners there. That should probably have rung alarm bells - what they were meant to be giving me was a price so that I could consider it with my wife. But anyway, I let them arrange another appointment and they appeared again last night (Thursday), and with both of us here they ran through the spiel.

They certainly manage to sell the product well, it has to be said. As my wife and I recently bought this house, and as we know the roof tiles up there are mostly heading for 40 years old, we thought the idea of a "roof renovation" (their words not mine) would be beneficial.

Stupidly, though, I didn't do the research between Tuesday and Thursday. I waited until last night, AFTER I signed the dotted line, to do the research. And the MSE forum certainly worried me.

Now, I have to be frank here, most people who will give reviews of a company usually do so because they've had a bad experience. Everyone should realise that. However, there were some points added on this thread that, when researched, set the alarm bells ringing.

For example, the "HQ" address on Aquashield's website... as pointed out earlier in the thread, that address belongs to a completely different roofing company. Secondly, the paperwork I was given quotes a different address to the website (ding dong). And the BBC rogue traders point raises question marks too - a company who are doing a good job should not appear on a programme like this.

So, overnight and this morning (having spoken to other people who are better informed than us), we have taken the decision to cancel the contract before work gets started on our roof.

We went for a finance plan through Hitachi Finance, and gained Aquashield's "showhome" discount (which, reading these forums, doesn't seem to exist - some people's quotes on this thread for the work without a discount are less than our quote with it! Our house isn't that big, it was originally a 2-bed end-terrace, although the box room has been extended to make a third bedroom. But it's probably the average size for a terrace house in the UK.

So, as I said, I will be cancelling the work now. We are going to E-mail, and send a letter by recorded delivery, to the addresses given on the contract we were handed by the sales person. We are also going to contact Hitachi Finance to let them know that if any agreement comes through for us, that it is not to go ahead. Hopefully the postal strikes will not hinder this process!

I'll keep you all posted with the results of the cancellation - by some peoples' reports, the cancellation goes ignored and they start work anyway... I don't want this happening.

Fortunately they are still to call to arrange a suitable time to "inspect" the roof, so i can tell them then that it's supposed to be cancelled. But time shall tell what's happening.

But, thanks to the MSE forums, I read into the paperwork a bit more clearly and basically all they are selling is a respray for your roof - it'll look nice, but doesn't guarantee very much other than the fact it hides any problems and they'll only come to light much later on, and at greater expense. Fingers crossed they take the cancellation OK.

-T

Lewie

it'll look nice

No it wont i'm afraid.
There is ONE house that has been sprayed just up the rosd from me.
Most people just point and smile. It is an eyesore.
Hope your cancellation goes ok.

Teribus

Ha Ha, perhaps I should edit that to read "it would look nicer than moss".

E-mails and Recorded Delivery Letters have been sent to both Aquashield and Hitachi Finance now, so fingers crossed that's the end of the ordeal.

However I fully anticipate that Aquashield will send out a rep to offer us a lower price... which automatically grinds with me - if they can lower the price to save a cancellation, then they were obviously ripping me off the first time. I don't deal with rip-off merchants.

-T

Homeowner999

Im in Carlisle, and a few weeks ago, we had aquashield around, saying they would be doing a house round the corner, and did i want a quote.
I said that I would have a look and decide when they had done it.
Wednesday night they were back round again, telling me which house it was, and did i want a quote, i agreed and said would speak to my husband, (which when i told him, he told me not to bother) :rolleyes:, so after thinking about it, they were supposed to come around today and tell me about it, measure etc....I did see the house down the road, which had the green paint on, and did look quite tidy, but i deciced, whatever the cost we wouldnt be able to afford it.
I phoned them this morning and cancelled the appointement on the 0800 number on the leaflet, and they were fine about it, just said that they were doing work in my area for £12 a week. (god knows how many years over though). The sales rep was courteous and hopefully i wont have any more calls from them.
Just thought would google it when i got in from work and came across this forum, so well done forum, good for keeping people informed.:T