On older stone houses, exposed gable ends and chimney stacks take the worst of the driven rain. When the joints open, the water goes into the wall and shows inside as a damp patch after rain. On newer brick homes the usual fault is failed sealant around windows and doors.
The first question on an older stone house is what mortar the wall was built with. Pre-1920 stone was almost always laid in lime. Where it has since been pointed in hard cement, moisture is held behind the joint and the stone face can spall in frost. We check the existing mortar and the stone before we specify anything. Where a wall needs lime, we do not quote cement.
Our Guiseley, Yeadon and Menston services
NSJ approach in this area
Diagnose the water route first, then specify the repair. A damp patch inside a Guiseley, Yeadon or Menston home can come from failed pointing, a failed window seal or a cracked stone. Treating the wrong one solves nothing. Find out about building leak and water ingress inspections.
Older stone is usually lime mortar repointing. Later brick and post-war housing is usually cement mortar repointing. Where stone faces have spalled, masonry repair comes before the pointing. Failed seals around windows and doors are dealt with by external sealant replacement, and bathroom and kitchen silicone by internal sealant replacement.
We also cover Burley-in-Wharfedale. Nearby areas we cover include Otley, Ilkley, Baildon, Shipley and Leeds. Renting out property here? See our page for landlords and letting agents.
Seeing mortar coming out of the joints or gaps between bricks? Read about mortar falling out between bricks.