Stornoway Lime & Restoration Ltd is dedicated to providing customers with high quality craftsmanship using the traditional skills and materials appropriate for period properties. It is small business owned by myself, Mark Truman, which provides customers with a personal and friendly service whilst also ensuring the work is undertaken to the highest standard. The services Stornoway Lime & Restorati
on specialise in are:
- Lime pointing, brickwork, plastering, rendering and limewash
- High quality interior and exterior decorating
- Sash window repairs, restoration and decoration
- Roof repairs
- Full chimney restoration including lime repointing, stack rebuilding and lead replacement
I specialise in the rare and age old craft of using lime mortar, for lime mortar re-pointing, plastering, rendering, brickwork and applying limewash. With my knowledge and understanding of lime mortar built properties I can identify and rectify the causes of issues such as damp, condensation and leaks, masonry and structural damage. I can advise on issues caused by the use of modern materials such as cement, which is harmful to older properties built with lime mortar. I also provide high quality interior and exterior decorating services including sash window repairs, restoration and painting. With extensive experience of undertaking full restoration of chimneys including lime mortar re-pointing, lead replacement and stack rebuilding. I am regularly contracted to undertake work on listed properties, working closely with historic property surveyors and conservation officers to ensure all works are of the specification and quality required for listed buildings. Whether you have a historic building, Regency, Georgian, Victorian or early 20th century property please feel free to message. Thank you for visiting the Stornoway Lime & Restoration page. Kind Regards
Mark
A little information about lime mortar properties....
Masonry properties built prior to the 1930's, before the introduction of modern cement, were built with lime mortar which worked in conjunction with the surrounding brickwork to protect the building. The essential function of lime mortar is to allow the property to 'breathe' by being softer, more permeable than the surrounding masonry. By being more permeable, the lime mortar will absorb any moisture ingress and also allow it to evaporate, ultimately protecting the external masonry from becoming saturated with moisture. This will prevent freeze/thaw damage to the masonry externally and prevent damp penetrating the walls internally. Lime mortar also has a degree of flexibility to better deal with thermal expansion, preventing cracking. It really is essential to replace a lime mortar building with lime mortar when necessary as the use of modern cement on such a building will inevitably result in masonry damage and possibly internal issues such as damp. It is also essential the work is undertaken by a person thoroughly experienced in using lime mortar. It is a genuine craft and choosing the correct type of lime (there are several), the correct strength of lime (there are also several), the correct aggregate (there are hundreds) and the correct mix ratio is determined by understanding the type of masonry and the conditions the masonry is subject to. Newly applied lime mortar is easily affected by the weather conditions at the time of application and can easily fail if the masonry is not prepared properly, if it is not mixed or not applied correctly or if not protected from the elements whilst setting. I hope this information helps and please feel free to contact me if you need further advice.
