Encapsulated roof
Completed white coating on an asbestos cement roof at SAICA, Warrenpoint, County Down.
- Sheets left in place
- Northern Ireland project
Asbestos roof encapsulation · County Wexford, Ireland
Gaco Asbestos Roof Waterproofing in County Wexford — Encapsulation Without Removal
Asbestos roof encapsulation for County Wexford farm buildings, factories and warehouses — no strip-out, no disposal of the sheets. Many farm buildings, factories and warehouses in County Wexford still have corrugated asbestos cement roofs. As the sheets weather they become brittle, porous and harder to keep watertight. Encapsulation seals the surface and waterproofs the roof while the sheets stay where they are.
County Wexford encapsulationSheets stay in place · survey-led
Approved & trusted
Survey-led, regulation-aware and manufacturer-backed
Manufacturer-backed product warrantyAvailable when the system is specified and installed by an approved installer to the manufacturer’s requirements.
Survey firstThe roof is inspected for structural soundness, condition and access before anything is specified. Not every roof is suitable.
Approved installersEnquiries from County Wexford are routed to an approved installer who covers County Wexford.
GacoFlex U91 + U92A U91 base coat and U92 top coat seal the asbestos cement surface.
HSA permit planned inSince the 2025 amendment, notifiable asbestos work needs an HSA permit before it starts.
Sheets stay in placeNo strip-out or disposal: the weathered surface is sealed and made watertight.
Local context
Asbestos cement roof coatings for Wexford grain stores and port sheds
Much of County Wexford is tillage land. In Teagasc’s Castledockrell study catchment, 54% of the 1,100 hectares is tilled — spring barley is the main crop, with winter barley, oilseed rape and potatoes alongside it. Grain means stores, drying sheds and machinery buildings, and plenty of them were roofed years ago with corrugated asbestos cement. On the coast, Rosslare Europort, Ireland’s main gateway to continental Europe with 36 direct sailings a week, and Wexford town on the Slaney estuary add their own older warehouses and stores.
No published 1991–2020 rainfall average for a Wexford station appears in our verified sources, so this page doesn’t give one. Met Éireann’s general summary is that most of the eastern half of Ireland receives 750 to 1,000 mm a year, but even at the drier end of that range, asbestos cement exposed for several decades weathers badly. The surface erodes, lichen roots into it, and ridge and eaves sheets crack where the fixings have rusted. Sheds near the coast around Rosslare and Wexford Harbour also face salt-laden wind, which adds to the weathering of sheets and the corrosion of their fixings.
On a grain store a leak is expensive, because wet grain spoils. Coating the roof with Gaco U91 or U92 urethane seals the weathered cement and gives back a watertight surface, without lifting sheets over stored crops or machinery. The approved installer inspects each sheet, arranges replacement of broken ones and picks a preparation method that won’t abrade the surface. Timing matters as well: harvest fills the stores, so many farms schedule roof work around the tillage calendar. Duratite supplies the coatings and introduces Wexford customers to an approved installer. Grain dust and bird droppings build up on store roofs, so cleaning has to be thorough but gentle, with runoff collected rather than washed into drains or watercourses.
Asbestos work anywhere in Wexford comes under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006, as amended, with the Health and Safety Authority as regulator and its 2025 Code of Practice as the practical guide. Because asbestos cement can give way underfoot, fall protection is part of the design of the job rather than an afterthought. Wexford County Council is the building control authority for the county, including sites around Rosslare and Wexford Harbour. Replacing broken sheets is asbestos work in its own right and is planned within the same assessment.
Pricing
How much does asbestos roof encapsulation cost in County Wexford?
It depends on roof area, condition, access and the specification, so we do not publish prices. After the free survey you receive a written quotation in euro from the approved installer.
Pricing · County WexfordWritten quotation after a free survey
Why encapsulate in County Wexford
Four reasons County Wexford building owners choose encapsulation
Buildings that must stay in use
Livestock sheds, stores and production buildings cannot easily be emptied for a roof replacement.
Cost and disruption of removal
Removal needs specialist contractors, disposal and a replacement roof. Encapsulation leaves the sheets in place.
Fragile roof access
Asbestos cement sheets are fragile. The work is planned with safe access so no one relies on the sheets for support.
Weathered asbestos cement sheets
Older sheets lose their surface, grow moss and lichen and become porous. Encapsulation seals that weathered surface.
Project evidence
Asbestos roof encapsulation at SAICA, Warrenpoint
A Northern Ireland project, photographed on site. The SAICA Warrenpoint roofs combined closed-cell roofing foam with a GacoFlex U91 base coat; the build-up for each roof in County Wexford is set at survey.
Foam from the walkways
SAICA, Warrenpoint, County Down: closed-cell roofing foam spray-applied from the walkway system over asbestos cement (Northern Ireland project).
- Fragile-roof walkways
- No one on the sheets
GacoFlex U91 base coat
GacoFlex U91 base coat applied over the cured foam at SAICA, Warrenpoint.
- GacoFlex U91
- Sealed surface
Republic of Ireland regulations
Asbestos regulations for roof work in County Wexford
Work on asbestos-containing materials in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 386 of 2006, as amended by S.I. No. 589 of 2010 and S.I. No. 632 of 2025).
Since the 2025 amendment, notifiable asbestos work needs an HSA permit before it starts, supported by the notification, a plan of work and a risk assessment. The installer’s programme for your County Wexford roof builds that lead time in.
Every project is survey-led and risk-assessed, and notified to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) where required.
Because the sheets stay in place, they remain part of the building’s asbestos records after the work in County Wexford.
County Wexford questions answered
Asbestos roof waterproofing FAQs · County Wexford
Straight answers to the questions building owners and managers ask most often.
Do you treat asbestos cement roofs in County Wexford?
Yes. Duratite Ireland takes enquiries from County Wexford and routes them to an approved installer of the GacoFlex asbestos roof system who covers County Wexford. We do not have a branch office in County Wexford; the survey and application are carried out by the approved installer.
Can the building in County Wexford stay in use during the work?
Often, yes, because the work is carried out on the roof with the sheets left in place. The installer’s risk assessment sets out any restrictions for your building.
Can my asbestos roof in County Wexford be treated without removing it?
If the survey finds the sheets structurally sound, yes. The roof is prepared, sealed with GacoFlex U91 and U92 encapsulation coatings and, where specified, finished with a GacoFlex silicone topcoat. The sheets stay in place, so there is no removal or disposal.
Which regulations apply to asbestos roof work in County Wexford?
In the Republic of Ireland, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006, as amended most recently by S.I. No. 632 of 2025. Notifiable asbestos work now needs an HSA permit before it starts, supported by the notification, a plan of work and a risk assessment.
How much does asbestos roof encapsulation cost in County Wexford?
It depends on roof area, condition, access and the specification, so we do not publish prices. After the free survey you receive a written quotation in euro from the approved installer.
Does encapsulation mean the asbestos is gone?
No. Encapsulation seals the asbestos cement sheets and makes the roof watertight, but the sheets stay in place, so they remain part of the building’s asbestos records.
How far ahead do I need to book asbestos roof work in County Wexford?
Allow for the survey, the specification and the HSA permit, which must be in place before notifiable asbestos work starts. The installer plans the programme around it.
When is the best time to coat a grain store roof in Wexford?
Ideally when the store is empty or the crop underneath can be protected, and during a settled dry spell. Coating needs a dry roof and conditions within Gaco’s application limits through application and cure, so the installer books against the forecast. On tillage farms that often means avoiding the weeks around harvest, when the store is full and the yard is busy.
Will a roof coating stop dust or fibres falling from the underside of the sheets?
A topside coating seals the weathered upper surface and keeps water out; it does not treat the underside. If the inside face of the sheets is a concern — for example over stored grain — the underside can be dealt with separately, such as with sprayed foam, following a survey and risk assessment under the asbestos regulations.
Who regulates asbestos roof work at a business in Rosslare or Wexford town?
The Health and Safety Authority enforces the Exposure to Asbestos Regulations 2006, as amended, across the Republic, including Wexford. The approved installer’s risk assessment sets out how the work is classified and controlled. Wexford County Council deals with building control questions, such as whether wider roof alterations need to meet the building regulations.
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Guide: asbestos regulations in Ireland
What the 2025 amendment means for roof owners, and the Northern Ireland rules.
Guide: asbestos cement roofs in Ireland
Condition, management options and the rules that apply before any roof work starts.
Case study: SAICA, Warrenpoint
Asbestos cement roofs encapsulated in place at an industrial plant in Warrenpoint, County Down.
All areas we cover
Every county in Ireland and Northern Ireland.