Innovative Decking Solutions: Exploring Wallbarn’s Pedestal Range

At the core of Wallbarn’s cutting-edge offerings lies a range of pedestals that serve as a game-changing support system for hard landscaping surfaces. These pedestals are meticulously engineered to facilitate rapid installation, improve drainage, and extend the longevity of the underlying surface by elevating it above potential standing water. Moreover, their adjustable and removable nature ensures a future-proof solution, enabling effortless maintenance and modifications as needed.

Unparalleled Attributes: Strength and Resilience

Wallbarn’s pedestals are crafted from high-quality virgin fibre polypropylene, a material renowned for its robustness and compliance with stringent technical standards. Each pedestal boasts an impressive weight tolerance, designed to bear up to an astonishing 683kg, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. Furthermore, these pedestals exhibit remarkable resilience, seamlessly functioning in extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +75°C, ensuring their versatility in diverse climatic conditions.

Innovative Design: Functionality at its Finest

The pedestals’ design is a testament to Wallbarn’s commitment to functionality and attention to detail. The self-levelling headpiece incorporates multiple positioning lugs arranged in a crucifix formation, ensuring precise slab placement and optimal drainage. Additionally, a rubber anti-shock pad fitted onto the headpiece enhances grip, reduces noise and vibration, and simplifies the installation process for decking applications.

Tailored Heights: Catering to Diverse Project Needs

Recognising the diverse requirements of construction projects, Wallbarn offers a comprehensive range of fixed and adjustable pedestal heights, spanning from a mere 5mm to an impressive 1,020mm. This extensive selection enables precise height adjustments, ensuring a completely level upper surface and accommodating various project specifications with ease.

A Closer Look: Specialised Pedestal Solutions

Class A1 Fire-Rated Paving Pedestals: Safety at the Forefront

Designed with safety as a top priority, Wallbarn’s Class A1 Fire-Rated Paving Pedestals are specifically engineered for high-rise balconies, terraces, and flat roofs. These non-combustible pedestals comply with the stringent BS EN 13501-1 fire classification for construction products and building elements, ensuring peace of mind in demanding environments. Crafted from 100% class A1 thick galvanised steel, these pedestals feature a self-levelling headpiece offering up to 5% movement in all directions, as well as a solid stem for superior weight tolerance.

Mega Balance Pads: Stability and Versatility Combined

The Mega Balance pads are an integral component of Wallbarn’s cross-rail system, providing exceptional stability for both paving and decking surfaces. These pads can be used to join two separate rails, offering a seamless and secure connection that enhances the overall integrity of the installation.

Balance Pedestals: Adjustable Elegance

Wallbarn’s Balance pedestals are designed with a telescopic stem that can be adjusted by hand to create a perfectly flat upper surface. These pedestals feature a suspended system where the weight of the slab secures everything in place, allowing rainwater to flow freely between and under the slabs. This innovative design eliminates standing water on the surface, reducing slip hazards and improving safety. Additionally, the pedestals can conceal unsightly cables, water pipes, and drainage outlets, enhancing the overall aesthetics and optimising the building footprint.

Multifunctional Excellence: Fixings and Connectors

Seamless Integration: Connectors for Diverse Applications

Wallbarn’s pedestals are compatible with various rail heights, enabling the support of both paving and decking surfaces on the same substructure frame. The Class A MetalPad – EX Starter Fixing Clip is a specialised component designed to effortlessly fix rails to both the pedestals and themselves, facilitating the construction of multiple levels of rail or perpendicular frameworks.

Connecting Brackets: Enhancing Structural Integrity

To further bolster the structural integrity and stability of long rail sections, Wallbarn offers a range of connecting brackets, including straight, right-angled, and 45° angled options. These brackets facilitate the construction of cross-bracing formations and solid frameworks, proving particularly useful for ultra-low height thresholds.

Fixings for Paving and Decking: Tailored Solutions

For paving applications, the paving lug headpiece plays a crucial role in securely holding tiles in place and ensuring uniform spacing on the plate. Complementing this, the paving starter/end plate ensures consistent gaps around the perimeter, contributing to a polished and professional finish. In the realm of decking, Wallbarn offers the 4 Hooks hidden clips, a non-combustible fixing system, with a burnished steel option that prevents glaring silver colours from appearing beneath the deck boards.

Installation Simplified: Wallbarn’s Pedestals

The installation process for Wallbarn’s pedestals is remarkably straightforward and requires no mechanical fixings. The pedestals are simply placed on a flat, hard surface or membrane and are loose-laid, with the weight of the slabs or decking holding everything securely in place. This innovative approach ensures that the membrane remains uncompromised. For decking applications, the boards are fixed to a joist grid, which can rest atop the pedestals. Additionally, the pedestals can clip into an integrated rail system, connecting to a 2m long aluminium rail to support tiles or decking, further enhancing versatility.

Frequently Asked Questions: Addressing Common Concerns

What are pedestals used for?

Pedestals are primarily utilised in the construction of hard landscaping areas, including concrete paving slabs, porcelain tiles, natural stone slabs, and timber, composite, and metal decking for terraces, balconies, flat roofs, and podium decks.

What are the advantages of using pedestals?

The advantages of using pedestals are numerous, including improved drainage, ease and speed of installation, protection of the surface beneath, and future-proofing, as they can be lifted at any time for maintenance. Additionally, pedestals help lengthen the life of timber joists by elevating them above standing water.

How many pedestals will I need?

The number of pedestals required depends on the tile size, the area to be covered, and the desired heights. Wallbarn’s team can provide guidance on the correct quantity and type of pedestals needed based on the specific project requirements.

How are pedestals installed?

Pedestals are installed by simply placing them on a flat, hard surface or membrane. No mechanical fixings are required, as the weight of the slabs or decking holds everything in place.

What subsurface do the pedestals work on?

Pedestals are suitable for use on structured surfaces such as concrete or rigid insulation. However, they are not recommended for direct placement on non-compacted earth.

How long will the pedestals last?

Wallbarn’s pedestals are made from virgin plastic and are warranted for 15 years, ensuring long-lasting durability.

How do I maintain a level surface on a slope?

Wallbarn’s Balance self-levelling pedestals can help provide a level finish for new decks or paving installations, accommodating slopes of up to 5 degrees. For projects involving heavy-duty Megapads, slope correctors are available.

Do the pedestals need to be fastened to the deck?

No, fastening is not required. Wallbarn’s pedestals are part of a suspended system, where the weight of the slabs or decking holds everything in place, ensuring that the membrane remains intact.

Can I place my decking boards directly on top of the pedestals?

No, decking boards should not be placed directly on top of the pedestals. Instead, they should be fixed to a joist grid, which can then rest on top of the pedestals.

What additional support systems can I use with pedestals?

Pedestals can be integrated with Wallbarn’s rail system, connecting to a 2 m-long aluminium rail to support tiles or decking.

What height range do the pedestals come in?

Wallbarn offers a comprehensive range of fixed and adjustable pedestal heights, ranging from 5mm to an impressive 1,020mm, catering to diverse project requirements.

How much gap should I leave between my paving slabs?

As a standard, Wallbarn’s heads are fitted with 2mm spacing, but 4mm spacing options are also available.

How much weight can these pedestals support?

Even Wallbarn’s standard Universal and Balance ranges are designed to support up to 680kg. For commercial projects involving large planters or heavy objects, the Megapad range can withstand up to 2 tonnes.

Can the pedestals break?

Wallbarn has never encountered a pedestal failure when installed correctly since the range’s launch in the UK in 2003, a testament to its durability and reliability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Wallbarn’s pedestal range represents a revolutionary solution in the construction and landscaping industry, offering a robust, versatile, and efficient support system for various surface installations. With their unique features, ease of installation, and adaptability, these pedestals are an ideal choice for a wide range of projects, from residential to commercial applications. By embracing Wallbarn’s innovative pedestals, architects, contractors, and homeowners alike can create stunning and durable outdoor spaces that stand the test of time.