Want to ensure your property’s parapet walls are protected from the elements for years to come?
If you’ve not already, why not consider wall coping?
Regardless of whether you’re a keen renovator, business owner, or simply a homeowner trying to enhance their property, wall coping, also known a capping, is a useful and often necessary addition.
To help you work out if your property requires wall coping, the team at Rainclear Systems has created this guide to aluminium coping for walls.
Alongside providing a clear answer to ‘What is coping on a wall?’, we also explore the different types of wall coping available and answer the most important related questions.
What is wall coping?
Put simply, wall coping can be flat or sloping in design and is installed on the top of parapet walls.
Ideal for solutions at both residential and commercial properties, its primary function is practical, but it can also be used to create an eye-catching finish.
What is the purpose of wall coping?
The primary purpose of wall coping is to provide protection from the elements.
Doing so helps exterior walls maintain their structural integrity and appearance for years to come by effectively channelling rainwater away from the wall’s material while protecting its internal fabric.
Sloping aluminium coping supplied by Rainclear directs water from the top of a parapet wall onto a flat roof (or into a trough where a pitched roof and parapet wall meets) and into a hopper (or down an outlet if the downpipes are hidden).
The secondary purpose of wall coping, however, is usually aesthetic.
When considering which coping solution is best for your property, its appearance is likely a factor that influences the decision.
Things to consider when buying wall coping
Before we jump straight into the different types of wall coping on the market, it’s important to establish criteria you can use to determine which is the best choice for your specific project.
This includes the cost of the wall coping material as well as the time, effort, and money involved in installing it.
Practicality
The type of wall coping that is best for your property will depend on the type of wall that requires capping. For example, boundary walls (that are constructed around the edge of your property) typically require stone coping. Parapet walls (like those on a flat roof extension), on the other hand, often suit aluminium coping or a similar solution.
Aluminium coping is a better, and longer lasting, solution than stone coping or brick as a cover to ensure water doesn’t find a way in through the mortar to lower layers of the building (as occurred with the Swindon HQ of the National Trust which needed to be retrofitted with our aluminium coping to prevent further visible water damage).
Method of installation
If you plan on installing your own wall coping, we recommend opting for a material with a straightforward installation method, such as aluminium. It is lightweight and user-friendly, meaning jobs can be completed quickly with a minimum of fuss.
Appearance
While the primary purpose of wall coping is to provide protection, it can also be used to create a high-quality and attractive finish on the exterior or top of a building. Wall coping can be flat or sloping, giving you the flexibility to pick an option that suits the property. Aluminium coping can be supplied with a factory-applied powder coating in practically any colour (Rainclear’s selection includes 26 RAL shades as standard), allowing you to match existing door, window frame and windowsill paint colours (or blend in with the building’s facade).
Are there different types of wall coping?
Yes, there are many different types of wall coping to explore, so you’re sure to find a solution that can meets both the practical and aesthetic criteria for your property.
Here at Rainclear Systems, we stock aluminium parapet wall coping – standard flat and sloping – in the most popular colour – RAL 7016 anthracite grey – in two sizes for next-day delivery.
Ideal for retrofit and new-build projects, our wall coping solutions are also available to order in more than a dozen sizes, and one of 26 standard RAL colours, to suit your specific building requirements.
They usually have a longer lead time of 10-15 days. Ask a team member for details.
We can also supply any other BS or RAL colour, but this may come with a surcharge.
If you want a wall coping solution that’s corrosion-resistant, has a long lifespan, is 100 per cent recyclable with low embedded carbon and can be ordered in a wide selection of colours to blend in with the façade or match your window frames and front door, choose aluminium wall coping.
Does every home require wall coping?
Not every home or business requires wall coping.
While some walls, like freestanding boundary walls, will benefit from wall coping, it’s not mandatory and/or necessary for others.
However, if you do choose to install wall coping on a parapet wall, there are requirements it must meet as set out in the UK guidance document regarding the safety of masonry parapets.
How do you attach wall coping?
As the installation method will naturally vary depending on which type of wall coping solution you’ve chosen, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
However, we always recommend following the manufacturer’s specific installation instructions because wall coping products are different between brands and sub-standard installation can lead to ineffective wall coping.
All the aluminium coping products on our website are designed to be easy to install.
Keen to find out more about the installation process for a specific style of aluminium coping on our website?
Simply head online to our resources area where you’ll find a collection of comprehensive installation guides for the standard and sloping aluminium wall coping systems.
Shop wall coping solutions
At Rainclear Systems, you can shop from two aluminium wall coping ranges suitable for retrofit and new-build installations alike.
If you’d like to speak to a team member about your wall coping requirements, don’t hesitate to get in touch today. We also have access to the technical experts at our preferred suppliers should we need to ask them anything.
You can either call us on 0800 644 44 26 or use the address [email protected] to submit your enquiry via email.
We also welcome questions submitted using our handy online contact form.
Once we’ve received yours, we’ll make contact shortly to discuss your wall coping project.