Top 5 Tips for Maintaining your Sandstone Home
Did you know that Sandstone is highly porous?It provides a good restraint andnaturally offers anti-graffiti and self-cleaning properties. It is therefore the perfect low-maintenance material for your home! However, when things do go wrong, what do you do? Major Sandstone & Roofing Services Ltd have compiled this small list to help you.
Here are our top 5 tips for maintaining your sandstone home…
1. Prevent Soiling
Should the sandstone absorb an excessive amount of water, the sandstone can become soiled you will notice stains. These stains are known as bloom and show up white and powdery – it’s time for a stone cleaning. Begin with brushing away any excess and then use efflorescence remover and perform a spot clean with a sandstone specialist chemical cleanser – be sure to use a brush to help get the chemicals into the porous stone. When finished be sure to rinse off the chemicals and use a dry cloth.
2. Regularly care for it
It is very easy for sandstone to stain. That being said it is also very easy to clean sandstone so long as not too much carbon has been absorbed. Too much carbon from air pollution could cause you to lose the natural appearance of the sandstone and make it appear black. Due to the high porosity of sandstone, it is best to act quicky and spot clean regularly through use of a hoover to remove dirt and dust. It is best to avoid the use of chemicals. If using water to clean any marks, it is best to ensure that the wall dries evenly to prevent water marks later in time.If some parts of the sandstone are too eroded, it may be best to give us a call and we will perform meticulous replacement of sandstone to maintain the aesthetic of the structure with our extensive knowledge of stonemasonry repairs.
3. Ensuring proper drainage
The most common cause of sandstone damage is poor drainage. Poor drainage is caused by water build up which will get into the sandstones many pores and weaken. This can be particularly bad when cement mortar has been used in the construction of the sandstone. There are a multitude of ways to ensure drainage from ensuring enough of a slope, weep holes, using filter fabrics, or ensuring you use the correct pipe. It is more important than any other stone that you get this step done correctly.
4. Sealing the wall
One of the best ways of sandstone restoration is by sealing your sandstone can help bring out the natural colour of your sandstone and also protect it by essentially making it waterproof, which is essential considering how porous the materials. Be sure to brush any excess off the sandstone and apply a plastic sheet to allow the stone to dry. Test the stone for any moisture, if there is come back another day. Once dried prepare a pressure washer on a low pressure and apply the sealer, and be sure to re-apply after a couple of hours.
5. Repoint the sandstone
Previously we had mentioned how not to use cement mortar with a sandstone wall. Were this to happen it’s important to perform a sandstone repointing with a lime mortar. No water should be used in the mixing process and then it is a case of using a small spatula and precisely applying, being sure to not coat the stone and keeping the job clean.
For bigger or more complex sandstone cleaning and repairs we would recommend hiring a specialist. It would be an expensive mistake if you didn’t get it right first time!
For more information or a free quote call Major Sandstone Restoration on 07387 737058.
Major Sandstone and Roofing Ltd have been operational for the past 25 years, and whilst roofing is our core business, we have vast amount of experience in the sandstone restoration in Stirlingshire, Glasgow, Helensbrough and Greenock.
So, what is Sandstone?
SANDSTONE & GRITSTONE
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock type formed of various mineral particles such as quartz, felspar and mica, these minerals are bound together by natural cements such as iron oxides, clay, silicas and calcium carbonates. The natural cements can also determine the colour of the stone.
The UK has an abundance of sandstone sourced mainly from the northern half of the British Isles, we have some of the most beautiful and versatile sandstones available anywhere in the world.
Sandstone is an extremely versatile natural material and has been used as a landscape and building material for thousands of years. Its uses provide a variety of products such as paving, walling, roofing and masonry. Sandstone can be seen throughout the UK, especially Scotland, in many prestigious structures and grand landscape surroundings which form part of our heritage.
There are various grain types and colours of sandstones available, various reds from south east Scotland, Cumbria and Cheshire, pinks and pale buffs from Derbyshire, blue / grey from South Wales and browns, buffs and greys from Yorkshire, Lancashire and the North East, there is also an array of colours available from imported material.
With such a rich architectural heritage, Scotland features building of all shapes, sizes and era. From original sandstone Victorian buildings to modern office blocks.
Yet whether the building is constructed from delicate sandstone, granite or modern brick, there is still a requirement for stone restoration work to be carried out from time to time. This constant wet weather can cause sandstone to become saturated with water. When a building is not properly maintained, a simply issue like a blocked gutter can cause water to overflow onto sandstone wall.
If this is the case, we suggest consulting a professional sandstone repair service providing Sandstone Repair, Restoration in Stirlingshire, Glasgow, Helensbrough and Greenock.
Major Sandstone and Roofing
Major Sandstone and Roofing provide a full in-house roofing and maintenance service with specialities lying in stone restoration work. We have worked on some large-scale historic restoration work in Stirlingshire, Glasgow, Helensbrough and Greenock. There is no limit to our stonework restoration services
Lime Pointing
Stone Cleaning
Stone Repairs
Re-stoning /Re-Pointing
Sandstone Restoration
Stonemason Repairs
Stonemason Restoration
E-mail: [email protected]