Building Surfaces
Stone Cleaning
As an owner of a stone building you are faced with a dilemma - to
clean or not to clean. If you don't clean your stonework, your building will
continue to look unkempt and could even be damaged by the algae, mosses, lichens,
bird lime and pollutants that have accumulated over the years.
On the other hand if you do have your stone cleaned you will want
to know that it is being done properly using environmentally sound and
appropriate methods. At one time the use of abrasive discs, aggressive
chemicals, high pressure washing and grit blasting (sand blasting) were the
only options. These methods have caused incalculable damage to the stone
buildings of the UK. APT use mainly two methods for cleaning large areas of all
stone and brick masonry surfaces: Eco soda blast cleaning and the hot box low
pressure high steam cleaning system.
Stone Cleaning using Soda Blasting
Towards
the end of the 20th century, vortex stone cleaning systems were developed - you
may have heard of them as the JOS and TORC systems. These use a swirling vortex
of low pressure water with a light abrasive content to gently remove the
surface contamination. But now there is soda
blasting, which is one of our preferred stone cleaning techniques. Using a
vortex II Blast head to deliver controlled amounts of compressed air to carry
specially graded sodium bicarbonate crystals, soda blasting will remove almost
any unwanted surface coating:
·
-Efflorescence and cement based residues
-Efflorescence and cement based residues
· - Graffiti and paint residues
· -Carbon and bitumen
· -Lime scale
· -Algae & micro-organism blooms
· - Bird fouling
….Plus many other types of surface contamination. Soda blasting does not
damage the substrate and is completely environmentally friendly.
APT are the leading Soda Blasting contractor in the UK.
We safely clean all stone and masonry,
marble, terrazzo, sandstone, Bath stone, York stone, Portland stone, slate,
granite and even limestone safely.
Neil
Daniels – CADW
“Dear Nicola,
Andrew and the staff at APT, I would like to thank you for carrying out the
stone cleaning programme and surface cleaning testing. Both myself and Richard
Turner were very impressed and have no doubt in calling upon APT for future
work on CADW projects.”
Stone Cleaning using the APT 'Hot Box' Method
During the early 1990s, the DOFF steam cleaning system for stonework was
developed. This is a low pressure and high temperature steam system that has
many advantages, four of the most important being:
·
Quick drying as the steam is superheated and the
low volumes of water needed to create the steam leaves very little water on the
surface
·
Can be used in all seasons as it operates at low
pressures so no water droplets are forced into the stonework's pores and flaws
reducing the chances of freeze-thaw damage
·
Low surface pressure prevents damage to soft
stonework
·
High temperatures kill the spores of mosses and
algae meaning that no chemical inhibitors need to be used either before or
after cleaning to retard re-growth
APT improved on the already very efficient DOFF system with our 'Hot
Box'. It was designed by our site operatives working with engineers and it has
the best attributes of the DOFF cleaning system but uses added higher steam
values, has extra control and a more consistent delivery of steam over longer
hose runs. It is efficient and cuts down on labour costs making it is a more
cost-effective option for our clients.
Stress Free Stone Cleaning Services ...
We will provide everything required to minimise disruption and
inconvenience to your daily routine, including 'out-of-hours' working where
necessary. We carry out a full risk assessment and ensure that the project
conforms to Health and Safety regulations. We follow a strict environmental
policy that covers all aspects of your cleaning project from the chemicals we
use to the disposal of packaging.
why not call us
now free on 0800 0723 773 and let one of our experts discuss your new project
or go to www.apt-icc.co.uk
