Stone Cleaning – Keepers Cottage

Following the completion of an ambitious expansion project near Cheltenham, which saw a 19th century Cotswold stone building extended to twice its original size, the existing aged stone contrasted terribly with the newly built walls.

It would take over 20 years of weathering for a newly build Cotswold stone wall to blend with the older stone. The only way to merge the two tones immediately was to clean the dirt and grime from the original building to match the newly laid stone.

 

Caution when Stone Cleaning

You need to be cautious when cleaning Cotswold stone, as it is exceptionally porous and fragile.

Traditional stone cleaning methods such as sandblasting could damage both the stone and the mortar, while pressure washing could make the stone waterlogged. Indeed, the planning conditions of this project did not allow the use of any blasting method that might damage the building.

With particular expertise in the cleaning of historic buildings, EcoLogic used a non-abrasive, natural compound that disintegrated on impact without scouring the stone substrate. This system successfully removed centuries of grime from 160 meters squared of outer stone wall in under two days, revealing the natural rainbow of colours inherent in sandstone. The new walls are now perfectly matched with the old building.

If you have an enquiry related to stone cleaning, please use the enquiry form below or call us on 0845 680 2031