PL12: Saltash, the Tamar valley and hard-water staining
PL12 is a market town with a long tail of river villages behind it. Saltash and Burraton are mostly render and concrete tile; go north along the Tamar to Cargreen, Landulph and St Dominick and it becomes granite, stone and Cornish slate on lanes that were laid out for horses.
PL12 covers 21 places we work in, 4.4 to 9.9 miles from our base at 58 Reddington Road, Plymouth (Cornwall, Cornwall Council) - all inside our 20-mile radius of Plymouth.
Towns and suburbs in PL12
Villages and neighbourhoods in PL12
- Bealbury - wall softwash
- Trerulefoot - wall softwash
- St Mellion - wall softwash
- Hatt - wall softwash
- Botus Fleming - wall softwash
- Burraton - wall softwash
- Forder - wall softwash
- Treluggan - wall softwash
- Wearde - wall softwash
- Notter - wall softwash
- Trematon - wall softwash
- Pillaton Village - wall softwash
- Landrake Village - wall softwash
Granite does not stain, mortar does
A granite wall is effectively impervious. What discolours on these buildings is the lime mortar between the stones and any painted band or render patch, which is where growth takes hold first.
Treating the whole face rather than chasing the visible marks gives a much more even result, because the growth in the joints is what feeds the rest.
River valley damp and shaded lanes
The lanes down to Weir Quay and Cargreen are tree-lined and hold moisture into the afternoon. Walls facing into them are permanently in the damp shadow of a hedge bank, and they green up faster than anything in the town.
Cutting back a hedge or a branch often does more for the wall than cleaning it a second time would.
Saltash town and modern estates
The newer estates around Burraton and Hatt have modern render and interlocking tile. Standard softwash and moss treatment work well and results are quick, because the surfaces are smooth and sound.
Reached via A38, Tamar Bridge, local lanes off A38, local lanes off A388. Recorded wall finishes: painted render, stone, granite. Roof coverings: slate, Cornish slate, concrete tile.
Questions we get asked in PL12
- Will cleaning damage old lime mortar joints?
- Not at low pressure. It is the pressure lance that scours out soft mortar, which is exactly why we do not use one on stone.
- My wall greens again within a year - why?
- Usually shade and overhanging growth. If nothing changes above the wall, nothing changes on it.
- Do you cover the river villages north of Saltash?
- Yes - Cargreen, Landulph, St Dominick and Pillaton are all inside our radius.