Question for Zigs.

This is a picture of the bottom of the wall at the back of my cottage, why is the stone kind of flaking away?



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It's either salts being drawn up from the ground and crystalising out in the stone or frost doing the same thing. Very common at low level, worse near roads that get salted in the winter.

I see the pointing above is cement, the salts and water were meant to come out thru the old lime mortar pointing, the pointing can fail thru salt & frost, but its cheaper to re point than to replace the stone.

 

The surface feels kind of hollow and if I tap it hard it just falls away. Not sure what to do about this.

Val

 

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Val, that stone is shot away, needs replacing.

Rip out what you can of the cement pointing, it will probably come away quite easily looking at what its done to the stone.

An open joint is better than one blocked up with cement, at least it can breathe

 

When I moved here there was a large climbing rose all over the wall I don't think that helped, since I took it down I can now see the bricks!! The walls here are over a foot thick and this is a Grade 11 listed building. Hmmm.............!!

Val

 

Whoever put that cement pointing in is liable to an unlimited fine and/or a year in prison if he did it without listed building consent, and I can't see a conservation officer allowing cement pointing. Its that that's speeding up the damage by not letting the wall breathe properly.

In reality, they usually just charge the builder the cost of putting the work right.