In social housing builds, fireproofing sometimes takes a back seat. It’s not always ignored on purpose. But during winter builds in London, when schedules tighten and trades overlap, it can get lost in the shuffle. Fireproofing concrete and timber structures needs to be locked in early, not left until the last minute.
We’ve seen how fire risks build up slowly when one crew assumes another has sealed a joint, or when penetrations through walls aren’t followed up. These are the gaps that become problems. Fast handovers and phased work in blocks only add pressure. Planning ahead and knowing the pinch points gives us a better shot at catching the risks before they disappear behind finishes.
Places Fireproofing Gets Missed Most in Social Housing
There are some places on housing sites where mistakes show up again and again. Even when the rest of the build looks complete, small openings or poor finishes can leave the structure exposed.
• Shared risers, where pipes and wires run vertically through flats, often get missed after services are installed
• Corridor wall penetrations, where electrical boxes or cabling disturb fire barriers
• Behind kitchens or bath units, once cabinets go in and surfaces are tiled, follow-ups might not happen
Sometimes it comes down to miscommunication. When jobs get handed off between teams, no one knows who owns the fire sealing. It’s even trickier when one flat is being finished while the one next door is still in progress. Timber frame and CLT builds need detailed fireproofing around junctions, while concrete zones require different prep. If everything is treated with the same coating or filler, weak points slip through.
How Winter Schedules Add Pressure to Passive Fire Tasks
December is always a race. Teams try to wrap up before the break, close out unsafe zones, and turn flats over quickly. In that rush, finishing trades like painting, flooring, or skirtings can roll in before fireproofing is complete.
• Cold air and high moisture levels make drying slower for cementitious coatings
• Work that needs a sealed or warm space gets delayed because heating isn’t live yet
• Final inspections sometimes skip around trades still on site, so fire seals get overlooked
This rush means passive fire jobs like coating and sealing get pushed down the list. But when that happens, they rarely get done properly later. Once ceilings go up or units get boxed in, going back is ten times harder.
Why Fireproofing Concrete and CLT Needs Different Thinking
Concrete and CLT act differently when exposed to fire, which means they need different types of fireproofing. A lot of sites try to use one system across everything to keep things simple, but it’s not always a good approach.
For fireproofing concrete, cementitious coatings are usually the best fit. But the surface has to be prepped right, and that build-up takes time, especially when it’s cold or damp. If it goes on too quickly without curing properly, protection ends up patchy.
CLT is a bit different. It expands and shifts with cold or wet weather, and that can crack coatings that aren’t flexible. If the same cementitious product is sprayed across both concrete and timber frames without adjusting the method, gaps open up.
Different materials need different handling. Fire safety only works when products are matched to what’s behind them.
How Perlifoc and Flexible Products Help Fill the Gaps
We’ve found that flexible coatings like Perlifoc can solve some of the issues we hit during winter. When you’re dealing with unheated corridors or mechanical plant rooms in social housing blocks, airflow is low and drying is slow.
Perlifoc goes on quicker and bonds well even in places that aren’t fully enclosed yet. It’s useful in zones that are awkward to reach or working around newly installed MEP systems.
• Lift lobbies, floor penetrations, and between flat thresholds are all easier to finish with flexible coatings
• Once Perlifoc is set, we can lay cementitious coatings over other areas without having to double back
• Using both systems side by side gives us a wider range of coverage for different wall types and access levels
This joint approach helps make sure nothing is missed just because of a tricky spot or cold December afternoon.
Keeping Social Housing Safer with Better Inspection Timing
We see the same problem every season: fireproofing gets installed, but no one catches the gaps made later by other trades. If inspections happen too early or too late, the job ends up incomplete.
The trick is building fireproofing into the job sequence, not tacking it on. We plan it just after services and before ceilings or skirtings close it in. Then we check it again after every new stage touches the same area.
• Shared stairwells, corridors, or risers should get eyes on them more than once
• Fire barriers that get cut open for cable runs need spotting and sealing before sign-off
• A simple record system helps catch missed spots no matter how big the site is
It’s the timing of checks that really counts, not just how many there are.
Small Fixes That Make a Big Difference
Sometimes, keeping a winter build on track just means knowing what will and won’t work before you start. Fireproofing doesn’t need delays if we plan correctly.
• Test the surface temperature before spraying anything over concrete
• Let coatings cure during quieter periods of the day when airflow is better
• Use quick-set flexible options like Perlifoc in the areas that aren’t drying well
And always take a second look at spots where work stacked up or things moved faster than expected. Those are where the most leaks in fire safety tend to show up. A shorter build window in winter doesn’t need to mean missed fire protection, as long as we keep planning for what really happens on site.
It’s often the rushed patches and corners that create the biggest fire risks in social housing. But those are the same areas we can fix with smart products, some early checks, and the right timing. When we plan for winter pressure instead of reacting to it, fireproofing moves from scramble to solid.
At ATOL Construction, we understand how easily passive fire protection can be overlooked or hurried during busy winter months, especially on social housing projects in London. Getting the sequencing right and selecting products suited for both timber and concrete buildings is necessary under pressure. Flexible solutions like Perlifoc can be a valuable addition to more traditional methods, giving your project the extra coverage needed. See how we approach fireproofing concrete in complex build environments and let us help you plan for safer, smarter builds from the very start.
