Traditional lime harling
For centuries many of our traditionally built structures were coated internally and externally with lime plasters, renders or harling. These decorative coatings proved to offer not only an aesthetically beautiful textured finish but the best protective solution to masonry. This is one of the reasons we are still able to enjoy some of our finest built heritage that has stood the test of time.
Time after time Laing Traditional Masonry are called upon to troubleshoot poorly performing buildings all too often caused by vulnerable architectural detailing. We always ensure correct preparation, material specification and application.
Whether patch repair, wholesale renewal, mechanically applied or traditionally hand cast you can be assured of consistent high quality transformation.
Traditional lime pointing
If your building is suffering from internal dampness and stone erosion more often than not it is the cause of modern cement mortars that coat or form the pointing between the stonework joints. No matter what type of stone, the cement is sure to be incompatible and cause detrimental and irreversible damage to the stonework.
Laing Traditional Masonry's success using traditional lime pointing starts with the degree of preparation to the substrate. Cement mortars are sensitively removed back to existing sound lime mortars with minimum damage to the surrounding stonework using a wide variety of masons' chisels. Existing pinning stones are retained where possible and stonework is sympathetically cleaned only where necessary.
Our team of skilled craftspeople are trained to ensure new mortar specifications should consistently match the original as close as feasibly practical. Large voids are deep packed and pinned with existing pinning stone where achievable. Replacement stones are honest, compatible and built as per existing detailing.
Finish lime pointing on external masonry should be sealed flush with surrounding stonework allowing no ledges for water to pond and be left open textured and controlled drying executed to promote good carbonation of mortars.
Time after time Laing Traditional Masonry are employed to advise and repair buildings with eroding stonework or internal dampness.
For too long the building industry has accepted modern materials applied with modern practice on traditional structures and this needs to be addressed.