Masonry
Grouting, Consolidation & Reinforcement
Masonry structures can become weak and unstable overtime, this can be addressed in a number of ways.
Wall heads experience heavy weathering over time which weakens the top of the structure and allows for moisture ingress. A form of head consolidation can be achieved by hard capping typically with a bed of mortar or soft capping which utilizes organic materials such as a build up of soil with a living layer of grass sod on top.
Internal cavities can form in the structure which can be addressed in a number of ways, such as gravity feed or pressure injected grouts which reintroduce the structural integrity to the structure.
Additionally many structures can be retrofitted with embedded structural components to help alleviate structural deficiencies.
Pointing
The joints of a masonry wall are sacrificial and will deteriorate over time naturally. Repointing mortar needs to match that of the original material to ensure the buildings design intent is maintained. This is especially important when working with historical building's, who's main design principle were based on breathability. The introduction of modern material in the form of cement mortar turns what was a flexible, breathable and soft secondary structural element into a non flexible, highly dense and hard primary structural element. This causes a slew of building defects to the far more difficult to repair masonry units, and if not resolved can severely impact the performance of the building façade.
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We have years of experience with the re-establishment of the traditional lime based mortars. There are various different forms of pointing that can be implemented depended on the buildings requirements. We can help determine your needs, implement a method of work to restore your pointing to its original form and get your building back preforming the way it was intended too.
Brick / Stone Replacement & Re-bedding
Traditional masonry walls built of brick and stone are bonded with lime based mortars made from natural materials which deteriorate over time. Typically the jointing material is softer that the surrounding masonry units, this allows for movement and breathability. If the jointing material is not maintained it will eventually deteriorate to a point where the masonry units start to slip and become dislodged. This is bad from a structural standpoint and should be addressed before it turns into a safety concern.
Brick and stone can also undergo numerous defects such as spalling, cracking and crumbling - sometimes the existing material can be reused and sometimes the extent of the damage can be so severe that full replacement is required. It is important to use like-for-like materials throughout the process to maintain the buildings historical integrity and the design intent of the original builders.
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We provide services to deal with all types of brick and stone replacement and re-bedding.
Stone Building
Stone is one of the oldest and most durable types of building materials used in Irish construction.
Look no further than the +5000 year old Neolithic passage tomb Newgrange - which outdates Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids - built total out of locally sourced sandstone, quartz, and granite.
There are many different types of stone, all with their own unique characteristics and properties.
We provide stone building services for new structures and for the rehabilitation of existing structures, in the areas of dry stone walling, rubble stone walling and dressed stone walling.