Earlier this year Stonehealth Directors James Diamond and Phil Ellis took a trip across Europe. They were looking for innovations that would take the company that makes the DOFF and TORC cleaning systems into new areas of stone and building cleaning.
They returned full of enthusiasm for some of the products they had seen, some of which James said would be good for the planet as well as buildings.
The company’s DOFF superheated water cleaning system and TORC gentle abrasive cleaning system have saved the planet from the misuse of some nasty chemicals over the years as well as smartening up a great many important heritage buildings, including Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court and various parts of the Palace of Westminster (otherwise known as the Houses of Parliament).
But Stonehealth has moved into new, larger premises in Dursley, Gloucestershire, that give it the capacity to expand production relatively easily and it is looking to use that capacity to move into new market sectors for cleaning, new geographical areas and to introduce new products.
The latest product launch is the Edison Coatings’ Terra Cotta Repair System. It is an integrated system of compatible repair mortars, adhesives and glaze replacement coatings designed to produce durable aesthetic repairs for terracotta, faience, glazed brick and ceramic tile.
Not for use with stone, admittedly, but a lot of conservation companies turn their hands to the repair of the full range of building materials used over the centuries.
With a successful performance history of more than 30 years on thousands of projects in North America, where the products are made, Edison Coatings’ Terra Cotta Repair System is thoroughly tried and tested under some pretty severe climatic conditions.
Through the custom colour-matching of the system’s components, even the most complex glazed masonry surfaces can be matched and repaired effectively at a fraction of the cost of replacement and without disturbing adjacent masonry.
Stonehealth already exports its products in a small way and has a foothold in the Netherlands which it hopes to use for a push into the rest of mainland Europe. It has also had enquiries from North America. It has sought the help of UK Trade & Investment, the government body that helps companies move into export markets, and now has its own international trade advisor guiding its move overseas.
In the UK and Ireland it is busy. Notable projects it has been involved in have included CRL Restoration’s clean of the Durbar Wing at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and Edwards Brothers’ Adare Manor overlooking the River Maigue in Adare, County Limerick, in the west of Ireland.
Stonehealth runs a Rosette scheme to identify operatives who have been trained in the use of its TORC and DOFF systems and it encourages architects and clients to make sure they see the Rosettes before work commences. Stonehealth frequently holds training days for operators so they can gain the Rosettes.
CRL Restoration and Edwards Brothers Ltd are both Stonehealth approved contractors.
The Osborne House project on the Isle of Wight involved cleaning the entire building, stucco render repairs (lime), removal and replacement of the slate roof, new leadwork, crack repairs and stitching, timber repairs, lightning protection works, lime wash coatings and general re-decorations.
The house was built to provide Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with a private family home away from court life in London and Windsor. It had not been properly cleaned in recent history and, in order to apply the limewash coating, all algae, moss, fungi and other biological matter had to be removed. After some trials, Stonehealth’s DOFF system was selected.
Ben Lawson, Senior Contracts Manager on the project had this to say: “The extremely low volume of water used by the DOFF system meant that the risk of damage to the (priceless) Royal Collection housed inside the Durbar Wing was mitigated. The curators were nervous at first, but were quickly impressed by the high level of cleaning attained with the low volume of water run-off.”
CRL Restoration were originally awarded a contract programmed for 20 weeks and worth £595,000. However, the scope of the works increased with the final duration being 28 weeks at a value of £1.05million.
In Ireland, both DOFF and TORC are being used by specialist conservation and restoration contractor Edwards Brothers for the 18-month renovation of the 19th century Adare Manor that is expected to re-open in September next year. The project has revealed unsuspected stone polychromy where the masons used a palette of blue-grey, black and pinkish limestones to embellish the facades.
The main contractor on site is John Paul Construction, the conservation architect is Consarc Design Group and the engineer consultants are Punch Consulting Engineers.