Stone repair and restoration solutions

As with any construction material, however, stone can become damaged over time, while its restoration is not always straightforward. In older buildings, weathering is a problem, and what were once sharp lines carved in to the surface of a window lintel or mullion, for example, become indistinct. Anyone looking to repair the stone in an older building will also have the problem of colour matching a substrate that has mellowed.

With both new and old buildings, the freeze-thaw cycle of water lying in the seams or detailing of stone inevitably causes fragments of it to break away, leaving behind elevations that can look dilapidated and uncared for as a result.

Pollution and graffiti are also problems seen on stone that, even if removed, can leave the treated surface looking completely different in hue to the untreated stone.

For newbuild specifically, damage inevitably occurs on site, but in these austere times, repairing rather than replacing is obviously going to be the most cost-effective solution.

So we see several problems connected with restoring stone, with both newbuild and older premises, which is why, as a repair specialist, Plastic Surgeon has developed a range of techniques over 20 years to do this effectively.

For example, Plastic Surgeon’s innovative stone repair system, which involves two stages. In part one of the process, the company’s finishers use a new filler, which is significantly stronger than previous products. This results in yielding better adhesion, but significantly, it can be used in wet conditions, on wet as well as damp stones.  Thus meaning that work can continue, even in the worst of British weather, to ensure that Plastic Surgeon’s clients meet deadlines and avoid expensive time penalty delays.

Such are the skills of Plastic Surgeon’s Finishers in colour matching and replicating just about any surface, that the company has had the confidence to develop a stone coating system that can be utilized over materials such as plastic and hardboard, or other formers, to replicate stone exactly. Which is great news, especially for organisations such as housing associations, looking to keep their costs down as they build new social housing or refurbish existing stock.

The low maintenance coating is durable and robust, making it suitable to be used over window surrounds, profiles and door canopies, as well as cills and fascias. Additionally, the composite wears better than natural stone, being that it does not stain or weather.

General stone repair is nothing new to Plastic Surgeon, and as a specialist, the company can repair virtually any type of stonework ranging from bricks and blocks to reconstituted products and granite, as well as other natural stone types.

But the firm does not work just on the external fabric of a building. Indeed, it has for years been repairing granite and marble kitchen worktops, as well as stone fireplaces and hearths, stone and slate flooring, and even the internal mullions, window ledges and grand columns found in many of the UK’s older buildings.