FLAT ROOFING
The career of a lifetime
Having dedicated his entire working life to roofing, Ted Keasely has retired after 24 years as a roofing technician
at Delomac Roofing. As the first Sika Sarnafil trained operative in the UK, Ted shares 50 years worth of roofing
wisdom as he reflects on his experiences and the changes he witnessed during his time in the industry
I grew up on roofs. When I was still
at school I used to help an asphalter
who lived next door with jobs at the
weekends. He worked for a roofing
company based at White Hart Lane,
London, and they wanted me to join
them. As soon as I finished school, I did
an apprenticeship in felting and joined the
company. I loved it and didn’t look back –
not for 50 years!
DIY training
I’m the first Sarnafil trained operative
in the UK, but training was a different
beast when I was starting out in the
industry. It first came about when
two asphalters I worked with went to
Switzerland to source products for a
project. When they saw Sarnafil roofs
they were so impressed that they
wanted to bring them to the UK. The
material was brought over and my boss
at the time tasked me with being the
first person to install a Sarnafil roof.
I was handed a 200-page leaflet, and
was left to figure it out; it was a very DIY
approach to training back then. It took
three days to understand the leaflet,
which was made up of complex drawings
Sarnafil
roofing
systems being
installed by
Delomac (the
company Ted
worked for) at
the Longleat
Centre Parcs
a couple of
years ago
and written in another language. From it,
I completed my first Sarnafil installation:
the roof on Leighton Buzzard shopping
centre. In fact, I saw the roof a few years
ago and it’s still lasting well!
Since then, things have moved on.
I’ve completed a couple of courses
previously available from Sika Sarnafil,
including an NVQ Level 2 in Applied
Waterproof Membranes – nowadays
known as an NVQ Level 2 in Single
Ply Roofing. The training for this was
very comprehensive and supportive; it
spanned eight months, during which
time there was a lot of site-based work
evaluated by Sarnafil field technicians,
as qualified assessors of the course.
Innovative materials
Much like training, the quality of roofing
products has improved so much over
the years. When I first started out and
was working with felt, it was really
messy to install. It also didn’t stretch, so
as buildings moved over time, finished
roofs would crack and become damaged.
Then Sarnafil products came along and it
completely changed things for me.
It was so clean to work with Sarnafil
material, especially compared to the
bitumen felt I was used to. With the
former you would just put a layer of glue
down and roll it out – it was so easy. Plus,
Sarnafil products can stretch up to two
and a half times their original size.
Highlights
Like many other roofers, I think one
of the most rewarding parts of the job
is seeing a roof you’ve installed still
looking great years later. It’s a >
68 www.rcimag.co.uk July 2018
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