Stone buildings around Plymouth and the South Hams are often older than the mortar holding them together. Cleaning them is as much about protecting the joints as brightening the face.
The mortar is the weak point
Lime and soft sand joints wash out under pressure long before the stone shows any change. Once a joint is opened, water gets into the wall core, which is a far more expensive problem than a green wall.
This guide sits under our Wall Cleaning & Softwash work, covering 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Different stones, different limits
Granite is hard and forgiving; limestone and soft sandstone are not, and can be etched by both pressure and the wrong chemistry. We identify the stone before choosing a method.
Accepting patina
Old stone is not meant to look new. We aim to remove growth and heavy soiling while leaving the weathering that gives the building its character.
Questions we get on this
- Can you clean a listed or historic building?
- We work on older stone properties with a conservative, low-pressure approach, and will advise where specialist consent may be needed.
- Will the mortar need repointing after?
- Cleaning can reveal joints that had already failed. We photograph them rather than paper over them.
- Do you clean stone garden walls too?
- Yes, along with steps, piers and copings.
Related reading
- Porcelain paving: low maintenance, not no maintenance
- Solar panels, roof access and cleaning around them
- Flat roofs, valleys and where water actually goes wrong
- Chimneys, ridges and the growth nobody can see