11840 Maintenance of interior exposed stone walls

In my previous house, which had sound exposed stone walls, I removed all the dirt and loose material with a stiff brush then applied an invisible fixative. This worked well - didn't change the appearance of the walls but stopped them from shedding grit and made them easy to keep clean. Where I'm living now, the exposed stone walls on the lowest level are in bad shape - some bricks and one type of stone are flaking badly. Any suggestions on what, if anything, can be done? Would a fixative have any effect?

Category
Building/Renovation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 13:54

I have the same problem. I hope someone replies. I was thinking of using a piece of wood with a nail in it & scraping out the old stuff. Then inserting cement.

It may look ugle, so I hope there are better ways out there.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 14:25

I'm no expert (far from it), but if the brick/stone and mortar are crumbling, it sounds as if you may have a damp problem, which will need to be resolved, before applying any sealant. Otherwise the problem will move elsewhere as the water seeks to evaporate from somewhere else.

Our walls and vaulted ceiling were in pretty bad shape, but after a lot of painstaking work, including some replacement, they've come up a treat.

However, we did use builders that were very familiar with this type of work.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 14:59

Hi Russ

I dont think there seems to be a damp problem.

Here is a link to the house pictures.

[url=http://www.clausenclan.com/documents/160.html]INTERNAL PICTURES OF STRUCTURES[/url]

Im hoping that we can get away with a false stone wall on the outside of the origional one. Is this possible?

Richard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 16:50

Hi Richard,

I've looked at the pictures and let me first say how fantastic the property looks.

As I read that the original part of the property is around 600 years old, it's no wonder that parts are in need of some TLC!!. Being on a slope and seeing that section of concrete that you've questioned, I'd say it definitely looks load bearing (given the angle) and may well have been put there to prevent further movement that inevitably occurs.

You do have a big project on your hands, but with the right help and advice, I feel sure this place will be fantastic when it is fully restored.

If you haven't already had a full structual survey (by a qualified engineer - don't be fooled by some who will profess to be "qualified" and happily take your money), get one [B]before you do anything at all[/B].

Be prepared for the cost of restoration, as work on this type of place will not be cheap. There are plenty of people on this forum that will be more than happy to offer you help and perhaps point you in the right direction of trustworthy contacts and contractors.

Do lots of research, get recommendations from satisified customers and go and see their work. Pay as little up front as possible and hold as much back as you can until each phase of the work is completed and you are happy. I speak from several bad experiences.

Good luck with everything and I look forward to seeing how the place gets transformed over the next few years.