Intumescent strips and smoke seals: our service in Reading
For property owners, landlords and managing agents in Reading, we offer intumescent strips and smoke seals with one team for the survey, the product and the installation.
Fire doors in Reading protect escape routes in mixed-use office buildings, restaurants and converted flats alike. We adapt the programme to the building and its occupants, never the standard of the installation.
Seal replacement in Reading can be combined with any other remedials on the same inspection report. We check that each door in your Reading building closes and latches against its new seals before signing it off.
Why seals fail
Seals are the most common defect on fire door inspections. They get painted over, pulled out, damaged by cleaning or simply worn by years of use. A painted brush seal no longer seals, and a strip of the wrong size may not close the gap in a fire. Our guide to seals explains the different types.
Each installation includes:
- Intumescent strips in frame or leaf edge
- Removal of damaged or painted seals
- Check of gaps and closing after fitting
- Intumescent pads to hinges and locks
Fire door law for Reading properties
England's framework applies in Reading. Approved Document B guides the fire performance of new and replacement doors under the Building Regulations 2010. Day-to-day duties sit with the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order 2005, and for multi-occupied residential buildings, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 add duties such as giving residents information about fire doors.
For blocks over 11 metres in Reading, those regulations require communal fire door checks at least every three months and best-endeavours flat entrance door checks each year. In higher-risk buildings, building work is overseen by the Building Safety Regulator, so we check whether approval is needed before starting.
Where intumescent strips and smoke seals fit in Reading
The need for intumescent strips and smoke seals usually arises in offices or HMOs, and sometimes schools. Each has its own pressures, such as residents at home or a building that must stay open, so we plan the sequence of work in Reading to keep escape routes protected throughout.
How a Reading job runs
- Identify door certification and seal specification
- Remove failed seals and clean the grooves
- Fit new strips and seals to the specified positions
- Fit missing pads and lock linings
- Check the door closes and latches against the new seals
- Record the products fitted
Prices for intumescent strips and smoke seals in Reading
Guide pricing for intumescent strips and smoke seals: £45–£110 per door to supply and fit strips and seals, ex VAT. Volume work across several doors in one Reading building usually brings the per-door cost down. Your written quote is fixed once we have surveyed.
Covering Reading and nearby
As well as Reading, we cover neighbouring towns including Lower Earley, Wokingham and Crowthorne. The survey and quote are free.
Questions
Is Reading within your coverage area?
It is. We cover Reading in Berkshire and neighbouring towns such as Lower Earley. There is no charge for the survey.
Do I need to be there for the survey?
Someone needs to give us access to the doors. For blocks and commercial buildings, a caretaker or site contact is fine; for HMOs and homes, we agree a time with you or your tenants.
Can smoke seals be painted?
No. Paint stops brush and blade seals working. If seals have been painted, they should be replaced.
Can I just add intumescent strips to an ordinary door?
No. Strips do not turn an ordinary door into a fire door. They only work as part of a door that was tested and certified with them.