Asbestos Roof Encapsulation in Faringdon, Oxfordshire

For building owners in Faringdon, from the industrial units on Station Road to the farm buildings across the Vale of White Horse, asbestos cement roofs are still a common sight. They’re a challenge, but usually a manageable one. At National Coating Specialists (NCS), we survey your roof first, then we match our asbestos roof encapsulation system to the sheet type and how exposed your building is.

Your Legal Duty to Manage Asbestos Under CAR 2012

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 makes it clear what Faringdon property owners and duty holders need to do. Whether you run a retail unit on London Street, a warehouse on Fernham Road, or farm buildings near Great Coxwell, you’ve got to:

• Find and assess any materials that might contain asbestos.
• Keep good records of where it is and what condition it’s in.
• Put a plan in place to either monitor it or fix the risks.

This applies to commercial buildings all over Faringdon. We see it everywhere, from the Thames Valley Business Park to smaller industrial estates off Gainfield. Lots of buildings from the 60s, 70s and 80s are still standing, and many of them have asbestos cement roofs.

Where We Find Asbestos Cement Roofs in Faringdon

Faringdon’s mix of light industry, farming, and older commercial buildings means we come across asbestos cement in all sorts of places:

• Industrial estates: Units on Station Road, Fernham Road, and the Coxwell Road trading estates often still have their original asbestos cement roofing.
• Farm buildings: Barns and outbuildings at Faringdon Folly Farm, Wicklesham Lodge Farm, and other holdings frequently used asbestos cement sheeting back in the day.
• Retail/workshop premises: Older buildings on London Street, Market Place, and Gloucester Street often still have their original roofs.

It was popular because it was tough and resisted fire. Now, we have to manage it carefully.

What Asbestos Roof Encapsulation Involves

Our encapsulation process seals and protects asbestos cement roofs. We do it without disturbing the sheets:

1. We pressure wash to get rid of moss and rubbish, making sure we control the water runoff.
2. Then we put on a stabilising primer. That binds any loose surface fibres.
3. After that, it’s multiple coats of a reinforced acrylic coating system.
4. Finally, a waterproof topcoat with UV protection goes on.

This builds a protective membrane. It stops fibres getting out and adds years of life to the roof. Best of all, you don’t have the disruption of stripping the sheets off and replacing them.

We treat every Faringdon asbestos roof as fragile until the survey says otherwise, and the coating or paint system is chosen for the sheets in front of us.

When Removal Becomes the Right Choice

Encapsulation is usually the best bet for Faringdon roofs, but sometimes removal is the only way forward:

• If the sheets are badly cracked, broken, or just generally falling apart.
• If you’re planning major structural changes to the roof.
• If future maintenance work on the roof would risk disturbing the asbestos.
• If other planned works mean the roof has to come off anyway.

Our surveyors will always tell you what’s best for your specific building.

Our Survey-Led Approach

Every Faringdon project we do starts with a detailed survey. We do this because:

• The condition of asbestos can vary, even on the same roof.
• Local weather hits different parts of a building differently. Think about a west-facing elevation.
• How you use the building changes the risk profile.
• Access issues can really influence how we’d do the job.

We’ll write up all our findings and give you recommendations that meet HSE rules. You’ll need this for your asbestos register.

Why a Survey Comes First

If you jump straight into encapsulation without a proper assessment, you’re risking:

• Missing areas that need urgent attention.
• Underestimating how much prep work the roof needs.
• Not even considering safer ways to do the job.
• Failing to get the compliance paperwork right.
• Creating problems down the line because your records aren’t up to scratch.

For Faringdon building owners, managing asbestos properly means knowing exactly what condition your roof is in. Learn more about our encapsulation process or arrange your no-obligation survey.

Recently — June 2026

As always, where a coating is not the responsible answer we say so and point towards repair or replacement. The survey is what settles it honestly.

Settled summer weather suits coating and spraying work, with stable temperatures and dry surfaces helping systems cure and bond as specified.