Future Building Plastics - Flint

A colour name is only the start. The range, surface finish, and small accessories all affect how the finished job looks.

Before ordering, put labelled samples of the actual products side by side at the property, agree where each finish goes, and keep one written record that the customer, installer, and supplier all work from. If a product changes, treat the substitute as a new choice and check it against that record.

Call 0330 043 2978 or email [email protected].

Our guide to matching building plastics colours covers samples, finishes, and product codes: https://futurebp.co.uk/matching-building-plastics-colours-samples-finishes-and-product-codes/

Where will your roofline boards go when the delivery turns up?

Check the site can take the full stock lengths and the right storage conditions before you confirm the date. Agree who receives the order, who checks it against the list, and how it gets to the storage area safely. Keep accessories bagged and labelled so your installer can find the right profile and finish first time.

We supply the products and can help with the product information. Your installer confirms the handling and fitting on site.

Call 0330 043 2978 or email [email protected].

Our site delivery plan for uPVC boards is on the News page: https://futurebp.co.uk/storing-upvc-boards-before-installation-a-site-delivery-plan/

Ordering cladding from the wall area alone can leave the finishing details unresolved. Mark every window, corner, edge, and change of material on a sketch before building the list.

Confirm the board range and direction, then identify the profiles for each junction. Window heads, side reveals, and sills do different jobs. Matching a colour is not enough to establish that a trim is suitable. Your installer should agree the construction details and current manufacturer's requirements before the order is finalised.

Our guide explains what information to bring to that discussion: https://futurebp.co.uk/cladding-around-windows-and-corners-planning-the-finishing-details/

0330 043 2978 | [email protected]

Roofline jobs rarely stall because of the big stuff. It's the missing corner joint, the brackets that ran out, the starter trim nobody ordered.

Our new checklist covers how to measure fascia, soffit and guttering properly - and the accessories people forget, with a simple rule: for every length you order, ask what happens at each end of it. Every answer is a fitting.

Read the full checklist here: https://futurebp.co.uk/roofline-materials-checklist-getting-quantities-and-accessories-right/

“Black guttering” is a colour description, not a complete parts specification. Before ordering a replacement joint, outlet or bracket, identify the system already fitted.

Profile, size and connection details matter. Parts that look similar may not be compatible, and a gutter outlet also needs to suit the downpipe arrangement. Check the manufacturer's name or reference where it is safely available, and keep any previous invoice or packaging.

A photograph of the wider run can be as useful as a close-up. It shows how the fitting relates to corners, outlets and neighbouring sections. Do not climb or remove sound components just to obtain a sample.

Have the cause of the problem assessed before putting the order together. A blockage, damaged fitting and poor support can produce similar visible symptoms but need different remedies. The person doing the work should confirm the parts and follow the correct system instructions.

Future Building Plastics supplies rainwater products to the trade and public. A clear description of the existing system and the agreed repair helps make the product enquiry more useful and avoids relying on a part that only looks close enough.

More about this: https://futurebp.co.uk/replacement-gutter-parts-what-to-check-before-ordering/

0330 043 2978 | [email protected]

Cap over fascia or a full replacement? The right answer is decided by the timber behind the board, not the price on the quote.

If your existing timber fascia is dry, solid and well fixed, a cap over board is a proper job: a uPVC skin over sound timber that ends repainting for good, with the gutters off and back on in a day. But press a screwdriver into the board first. If the point sinks in, if gutter screws spin, or if the paint is lifting in sheets, that timber is failing, and capping it just hides rot while it spreads towards the rafter feet. Then the honest job is a full replacement: strip back to the rafters, make good, and fix a thicker rigid board straight to the rafter ends.

Both systems come in five profiles, eight solid colours and nine woodgrains, with matching soffits, trims and guttering, so the finished look is identical either way. Just make sure the quote covers the eaves details too, because ventilation, eaves trays and dry verge are what make the job last.

We stock the lot for trade and public at both branches, and September is the sensible month to get it done. More about this on our website: https://futurebp.co.uk/cap-over-or-full-replacement-fascia-choosing-the-right-roofline-repair/

0330 043 2978 | [email protected] Flint | Saltney

Toughened, laminated and low-E glass solve three different problems, and knowing which one you actually need saves both money and remakes.

Toughened glass is float glass heated then cooled rapidly, which puts the surfaces in compression. It ends up several times stronger than untreated glass of the same thickness, and when it does fail it breaks into small blunt granules rather than long shards. That is why it is the default safety glass in doors, side panels and low level glazing.

The catch is that toughening is the last step in manufacture. Once toughened, glass cannot be cut, drilled or edge worked, so every hole and cut out has to be formed beforehand. A measurement error means a new pane, not a trim.

Laminated glass is different. Two or more panes bonded to a plastic interlayer, so when it breaks the fragments stay stuck to the interlayer and the pane stays in the opening. That matters for overhead glazing and for security. The interlayer also damps sound, which makes laminated the practical answer on a busy road, usually more so than triple glazing.

Low emissivity coating is a microscopically thin metallic layer inside the sealed unit. It passes visible light but reflects heat back into the room, and it does more for thermal performance than cavity width or gas fill. It is standard now rather than an upgrade.

One to be careful with: the building regulations require safety glass in certain positions, including doors and low level glazing. That is not a preference, so tell us where the pane is going.

Misted up? The seal has failed and it cannot be reversed. The unit needs replacing, but your frame and hardware are fine.

0330 043 2978 | [email protected] | Flint | Saltney

Read more: https://futurebp.co.uk/toughened-laminated-or-low-e-specifying-the-right-glass-unit/

Window boards and architraves are the parts of a window job people look at every day, and the parts most often rushed at the end.

The board caps the internal sill. When a window goes in there is a gap between the bottom of the frame and the wall below, and something has to cover it in a way that is airtight and hard wearing. The board takes that job, and it is also the surface people put things on, wipe down and knock. Architraves cover the joint where the frame meets the wall, hiding the joint line and any plaster damage from the installation.

The commonest ordering mistake is depth, not width. Too narrow and the board does not reach the plaster line. Too wide and it stands proud of the wall. Measure from the front face of the frame to the finished wall surface, then add the front overhang you want, and take the depth at both ends because openings are rarely identical end to end.

The other decision is rigid or flexible angles. Rigid gives the crispest line and is right when an opening is genuinely square. Older properties frequently are not. Reveals bow, plaster builds up unevenly at corners, and a rigid angle pressed against a wavy surface leaves a shadow gap that sealant will not convincingly hide. Hold a straight edge along the reveal before you order. If you can see daylight under it, flexible will look better.

Trim and sealant work together, by the way. Neither substitutes for the other. Filling a wide gap with sealant alone gives a thick cracked bead within a year.

Bring your reveal measurements to Flint or Saltney, and we will sort the board widths and angle types.

0330 043 2978 | [email protected] | Flint | Saltney

Read more in our blog: https://futurebp.co.uk/window-boards-and-architraves-how-to-finish-a-window-properly/

Roof ventilation is one of those things nobody thinks about until there is water on the underside of the felt.

The principle is simple. Warm air inside a house carries moisture and it rises. Some gets past the ceiling into the loft, where it meets cold timbers and the underside of the underlay. Warm moist air touching a cold surface condenses, and that water sits on rafters and felt. Left alone it leads to damp timber, mould and eventually rot in the structure holding the roof up.

Ventilation fixes it by letting outside air move through: cool dry air in low at the eaves, moisture carried out higher up.

At the eaves you have two routes. An over fascia vent sits on top of the fascia board under the first course of tiles, creating a continuous slot without touching the soffit at all. That makes it the answer where there is little or no overhang, or where the fascia is being renewed but the soffit is sound. Soffit vents work the underside of the overhang instead, and circular ones are the retrofit favourite because you can cut them into an existing board.

Two things people leave out. First, felt support trays. Without them the underlay sags at the eaves, blocks the airway you just created and collects water that should be going into the gutter. Second, high level ventilation. Air needs somewhere to leave as well as enter, so on shallow pitches or where structure breaks the void up you need ridge ventilation too.

Worth knowing: better insulation makes a loft colder, which makes condensation more likely rather than less. Insulation and ventilation work together.

Bring the overhang dimension and your roof pitch to Flint or Saltney, and we will work out what fits.

0330 043 2978
[email protected]
Flint | Saltney

Read more in our blog: https://futurebp.co.uk/over-fascia-vents-or-soffit-vents-getting-roof-ventilation-right/