Stone Restoration & Conservation
Due to its porous nature, natural stone is vulnerable to weathering and the detrimental effects of water which can lead to stone decay / stone erosion where there has been inadequate maintenance. Our stone restoration & conservation services extend to include careful stone cleaning, stone replacement or consolidation and sympathetic restoration using specialist stone repair mortars. When deciding upon an appropriate stone repair, stone restoration or conservation strategy, we give careful consideration to whether:
- the repair is really necessary; where there are no immediate concerns about safety or the integrity of the structure, stone may erode or decay to a significant degree before intervention is required. In some instances, it may be preferable to celebrate a structure’s battle-scars or their marks of time rather than address minor stone erosion.
- stone decay will continue or accelerate if a repair is not carried out; we look to prioritise replacement or stone repair firstly where original details such as those designed to throw water away from the face of the building have failed.
- the structure’s authenticity would be significantly compromised; where stone work is still structurally sound, buildings of historical importance can be conserved as found by using lime mortar repointing or specific consolidation solutions matched to the type and property of the stone. These consolidation solutions penetrate deep into the substrate and react with moisture, depositing a gel that acts as a reinforcing binder. Importantly, such treatment does not impede water vapour diffusion.
- the structure’s architectural entirety is an important factor; a central tenant of our stone restoration services is that replacement stone must be tooled, colour matched and wherever possible, sourced from the original quarry. Selective replacement and / or re-pointing using historic lime mortar, rather than wholesale substitution of stone, is usually all that is required.
