Fighting Frost and Floods with Hessian

With winter fast approaching and the weather deteriorating by the day, it's time to start thinking about protecting properties, building sites, tools and more from the damaging effects of rain, snow and ice. As the old saying goes, prevention is much better than cure!

Hessian, an extremely robust material made by weaving coarse, strong fibres tightly together, is especially useful in this regard. First exported from India during the early years of the 19th century, hessian was traditionally used as a backing for floor coverings, a practice that continues to this day. The material is particularly breathable, helping to reduce the potential for condensation damage to the materials beneath; this quality has seen it widely used for temporary protection of newly-laid cement and concrete.

Protective Hessian Covering

Unlike the majority of liquids, water expands during the freezing process. When water enters capillaries and cracks in masonry components like walls, patios or window sills and then freezes, this expansion causes the cracks to widen. A greater amount of water can then enter these cracks and freeze, causing even further widening. Covering such materials with hessian helps to protect against this freeze/thaw effect.

When materials and structures are damaged due to the freeze/thaw effect, they of course need to be replaced or repaired, necessitating a financial outlay that could easily have been avoided. In the field of construction, this also means unnecessary downtime while waiting for replacement or repair, further impacting productivity and cost.

Greengate's, your local builder's merchant, can supply frost-protection covers made from top-quality hessian. Each cover is a massive 46 metres in length with a width of 137cm and can be easily cut to size using standard scissors or blades.

Hessian Sand Bags

There have been extremely heavy rainfall across the UK in recent weeks, leading to severe flooding in many areas.

Hessian bags filled with sand can help to protect property, allowing excess water to be absorbed by the sand inside.

Our high-quality hessian sandbags measure 33cm x 76cm and, like all of our products, are brought to you at the most competitive price.

You can find out more details about these products on Greengate's website.