Stone restoration is a specialised process involving the careful cleaning, repair, preservation or replacement of stone elements on a building, enhancing its appearance and extending its life whilst maintaining architectural, structural and historical integrity.
Stone restoration can include complete replacement, indents, in situ restoration and consolidation.
If an area of stone is defective and needs to be replaced, new pieces of carefully matched stone can be indented into an existing structure. We will return to the original bed of stone where possible; the UK has significantly less quarries nowadays, but we have built up a comprehensive library of stone, so we are able to closely match to the original in terms of colour, type, texture and weathering characteristics.
If a whole block of stone need replacing, then we use timber to produce a profile and carve from the nearest bed of stone as possible to match the original. Stone replacement and indents can initially look quite obvious as the new stone has been in a different environment to the building but once it has settled and weathered, it will become indistinguishable.
Using stone repair mortars we can recreate original profiles of lost detailing in situ, which is both sympathetic and economical. These repair mortars have a similar chemical build up to natural stone so will weather in the same way and blend seamlessly into the building. This approach allows us to retain much of the original fabric.
Consolidation is ideal for areas of unstable or loose stonework with the main aim being to stabilise the friable material whilst still allowing weathering to take place at a natural rate as a result of natural processes. Consolidation solution is water based and is applied to the stone by roller or brush. It binds the masonry together, producing, in effect, an invisible repair. Pinning can be used to fix loose pieces of masonry to the main structure and improve the stability of the substrate.
Complete the form below to tell us about your survey requirements or call us on 01606 330 888 to discuss your project with one of our team.