"Cleaning Without Causing Damage"
For over twenty years these have been our company watchwords.
External Work - You may be thinking of having your home or other building cleaned to remove the dirt or atmospheric staining that has built up on the masonry over the years but are uncertain about what that involves. Older properties do benefit from cleaning both from a practical viewpoint and aesthetically but it is most important that any cleaning work is carried out as carefully as possible. It is very easy to “over clean” masonry and if the fired surface of brickwork in particular is damaged that can reduce its weatherproofing capability. If you have an older property it is very often important that cleaning does not leave it looking “brand new” something which may put it at odds with its surroundings. So to ensure a successful outcome we have trained experienced operatives using specialist equipment to clean to the level you desire without damaging the fabric of the building.
Internal Work - Other elements of building fabric we clean and repair are internal architectectural features, stone flooring and fire surrounds. Exposed structural timber beams, posts and staircases. wooden flooring.
The methods and equipment we use are:
Steam systems -DOFF and Aquilla to remove dirt and light atmospheric staining and also for stripping paint. For internal work such as cleaning floors where water run-off needs to be contained we have a vacuum recovery steam system.
Micro abrasive equipment -JOS Std, (Piccolo for fine detailed work), TORC and Flirok all to remove dirt and heavier deposits of carbon and sulphates.
Poultices - Example Clean-Film latex paste applied to the surface and used to remove dirt, soot, nicotine and other soiling from internal surfaces including stone, stucco, wood and synthetic materials. It is applied by brushing or spraying and can also safely be used on sculpture and other works of art.
Click here to see examples of the above.
January 5th, 2007
Posted by
Avril |
Cleaning Masonry |
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WELCOME! to our website aimed at providing you with information about how we clean and repair stone, brick, timber and metal. We've kept the technical bits fairly brief but trust it there is sufficient information here to encourage you to contact us about your own project. To see exactly what we do just click on the various Categories opposite.
Selecting tradespeople to work with is not easy. We all have the same problem and so we,ve posted some of the comments and awards our work has received. We believe our approach and the quality of the work we've done demonstrates we are one company you can trust. Our work contributes to awards two years running! To view please click the Awards & Comments link opposite.
We are proud to enjoy a reputation for consistently producing high quality work which we always endeavour to maintain by following the same reliable procedures irrespective of the size or type of your project. Doing this helps us to achieve the quality you are looking for. To see how we will apply ourselves to your job click on our Work Procedures here
We also have a Photo Gallery where you will find examples of some of the cleaning and repairs we have undertaken to stone, brick, timber, bronze and other fine metalwork. From small patios to city centre paving and cottage garden walls to historic mansions. No job is too small - No project too difficult. We do not charge for advice or to provide you with a written quotation so get in touch with us today!
Philip Wright - Kimbolton Restoration Ltd
January 5th, 2007
Posted by
Avril |
Home Page |
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We are mostly asked to strip paint from bricks, stone, renders, timber and metal. To see photo examples of these please Click here.
Below is our guide to stripping paint from masonry and some brief technical information.
Painted External Masonry
Masonry is most often painted as protection against our great British weather. Sometimes painting is carried out because its fashionable but all too often it is done to avoid tackling what's perceived as a more difficult or costly job and so hide something. Where this has been done problems can become more serious because you can't see what's going on. This is particularly true of older buildngs with solid walls which rely on the ability of the masonry to efficiently allow the passage of water vapour. This process is often described as allowing the building to breathe. Virtually all masonry construction will absorbe a percentage of the water it receives by way of inclement weather. To what extent depends on several factors including the condition of the mortar joints and the porosity of the building material. In older buildings with solid wall constructions (without a cavity) water and water vapour will permeate through the masonry and as drier conditions prevail externally it will evaporate. In these circumstances it is a matter of balance and the cycle of wetting and drying out is quite normal. Problems only occur when something interferes with or prevents this process. Here we are considering the problem is layers of paint. Relative to the life span of a building paint systems do not last long. Coming under attack from sunlight (UV) temperature changes and air pollutants they soon lose the characteristics such as good adhesion, flexibility and impermeability for which they were originally selected. When this happens a paint systems ability to prevent water absorbtion is much lessened and more importantly any water that does get behind the coating can remain trapped there. One of the first signs that anything is wrong may be dampness on an internal wall. If you have this problem and your home is properly damproofed check there is no water pentration from the likes of leaking downpipes and if not and your external walls are painted then it's worth taking a closer look at this to see if the paint film is sound.
Paint removal?
Removing unsound or unwanted paint without damaging the surface often requires a combination of methods. We always start by using the least aggressive or intrusive method working up the scale as may become necessary. We need to consider many points and although we are talking about stripping paint from masonry the following questions apply equally to any surface brick, stone, wood, or metal where there is a need to ensure the surface is not damaged.
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The Paint System - What type of paint is it? Oil based, water based, natural or synthetic resin based? The list is a long one. All of them can be removed however some are much more difficult than others. Interestingly one of the most difficult to remove is sound limewash which is arguably the least intrusive to masonry as this does allow the transmission of water vapour. We often find limewash under modern masonry paint on older buildings and always test to see if that is the case. Masonry paint should not be used over limewash as adhesion is always poor and it will eventually become detached.
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What material has been over painted? Stone,brick, plaster, timber, metal? Can it withstand any type of paint stripping process? Is the surface likely to be damaged by the use of hand or mechanical tools? steam? pressurised water? paint softening chemicals? abrasives?
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Any practical and logistical problems? These affect the how the paint can be removed including whether the work is internal or external. Is it in an area that can tolerate any proposed stripping process?
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Methods of stripping? After considering the above we can then choose the most appropriate method.
Successfully removing paint particularly from masonry often requires one or a combination of these methods:
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Chemical Stripping Agents - Pastes, poultices and gels applied to the surface of the paint and allowed to react with the paint film usually to soften it and make it easier to remove. In recent years we have thankfully seen an increase in the availability of products that do not include hazardous solvents making them safer to use and more environmentally sound.
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DOFF & Aquilla Steam Systems - These are not the same as the hot water pressure washers you can hire at your local DIY store. They operate at considerably higher temperatures producing steam at high pressure through a lance and should only be available to contractors whose personell have been trained to use them. They can strip certain types of masonry paint without the use of any chemicals.
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Micro Abrasive Systems - We coined this phrase a number of years ago and it's now commonly used to describe air powered systems that fire very fine granules at the surface of the paint to break it down. Most incorporate the use of water to suppress any dust created. All are designed to operate at very low pressures 0.5 - 2.5 bar. The JOS, TORC & FLIROK systems we use are recognised leaders in this field.
Sandblasting Equipment - Most people have heard of this. Regrettably some people still use it to strip paint from or to clean masonry. We have included it here solely to discourage that. It is not the same as any of the micro abrasive systems mentioned above and unless your building is made of engineering bricks sandblasting will almost certainly cause irreversable damage to your brickwork or stone masonry and the mortar joints. We also have blast cleaning equipment but only use it for it's proper intended purpose -The cleaning of Iron & Steel!
Philip Wright - Kimbolton Restoration Ltd. 2007.
January 5th, 2007
Posted by
Avril |
Paint Stripping |
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Masonry Cleaning by Kimbolton Restoration on behalf of Main Contractors E Bowman & Sons.
The following is an extract from The RICS Awards October 2006.
The Winners…
Building Conservation – Commended Radcliffe College Oxford
"This is an outstanding piece of conservation. It has put the building back in the public domain, and is now an instantly recognizable feature of the Oxford skyline, known to all”.
Debbie Dance, Judge
"Radcliffe Observatory is an 18th Century Grade 1 listed building, located at the centre of Green College in Oxford. An icon of the neo-classical movement, the observatory contains a rare collection of sculptures by John Bacon and J F Rossi, which were in need of urgent conservation".
"The tower of the observatory is surrounded by bas-reliefs by Bacon depicting the Winds. These were particularly fragile and required specialist cleaning using scalpels and localised poulticing. Hand-washing, micro air abrasive and chemical poultices were used to restore Rossi’s Coade Stone sculptures to their former glory".
January 5th, 2007
Posted by
Avril |
Awards & Comments |
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