Modern masonry paint removal
By: admin | Posted on: May 20, 2020
Modern masonry paint especially if it hasn’t been kept in good decorative order, and painted to the floor can trap in any rising damp, or any penetrating damp. Unfortunately many older buildings have suffered from the wrong types of external masonry paints over years where subsequent paint continually gets applied every few years that will eventually restrict evaporation, and tip the building moisture balance. Over many years soft red bricks start to spall and some limestone will also spall. Years ago, and dare I say now contractors often specified sand and grit blasting to remove modern paints, and this can actually cause more damage to the masonry. We purchased a ThermaTech Super heated hot water system a few years ago due to the repairs we carry out on traditional and listed buildings.
The ThermaTech modular system Since its introduction, ThermaTech® has quickly become established as a frequently named and specified cleaning and restoration method, being used in a number of important and notable projects. To date, it has been used on Royal Palaces (including the Palace of Westminster), Cathedrals, prestigious landmark buildings like Tower Bridge, as well as a wide range of other heritage structures. ThermaTech is a modular range of equipment producing superheated water at temperatures up to 150ᵒC, for the purpose of masonry cleaning, paint removal and coatings removal on heritage and other structures.
We now have the ability to combine the use of a superheated water system, with an adjustable and effective abrasive flow, is now viable and available through an optional abrasive attachment for ThermaTech® systems. innovative and ground breaking combination is actually able to create a pressurised mixture of hot water and abrasive medium, whereas in the past, superheated and steam systems would have had limited success with NON-Temperature responsive coatings (such as cements/ lime based paints, carbon sulphation, lime effervescence etc).
Coatings or deposits that remain brittle at 150° can however often yield to the application of abrasive, giving a ‘mechanical’ advantage and this combination of ThermaTech® with this attachment will now provide even more distinct advantages over the many other commercially available superheated and steam systems.
Our light abrasive attachment kit is specifically designed to connect the ThermaTech® gun, and can be used up to 100°C temperature. This game changer has made life much easier for us with a more potable kit, and makes life also easier for when we carry out test patches.
The ThermaTech system about to be put to the test with this masonry paint removal job.
We’ve had some external decoration carried out with new masonry paint last year on our property. The firm seemed very reputable and trusting, but I’ve now found out they painted over the lime wash and now the bottom of our walls inside the house are damp with patches of damp in nearly every room. They don’t want to take responsibility, and we Need this fixed. It seems this could be a coincidence, but our neighbour who you’ve worked for a few years ago had paint removed by you with the fancy steamer and it solved her issues. I appreciate there’s a cost to do damp surveys and paint removal test patches so can we get something in the diary please?
This is certainly something we can help with. We can give you the diagnosis regarding the damp using the set out methodology in BRE DIGEST 245, and remove the paint with the ThermaTech if needed. Drop us an email at enquiries@completepreservation.co.uk and we can give you a ring to discuss