Cleaning timber and stone

Removal of paint and graffiti from almost any surface is a breeze. The SoftClean unit allows us to use very low air pressure and delicate abrasives to gently tease paint and tar deposits from old timber.

We are able to remove paint from window frames without even damaging the glass - this is especially valuable when cleaning paint and rust from cast iron windows. Conventional sandblasting equipment is far too abrasive, and damages historic timber - we have been working with the manufacturers of the equipment to ensure that we have complete control over how much material is removed, and to minimise any damage to historic fabric.

Some of the abrasives we use include sodium bicarbonate (baking soda!) and calcite (very soft material which is softer than the oak timber we often clean - so minimises any abrasion to the surface) It has been a big investment for us, but we are already achieving spectacular results. We will add some case history photos shortly.

A recent demonstration, at which a Conservation Officer was closely involved, resulted in her request for help with her own home. So - if you were thinking about sandblasting oak beams, or sandblasting paint off a brick wall, give us a call, and we will show you how this can be done with minimal damage to historic fabric.

If you need blasting work done, we can recommend very good operators to do this - email peter@heritage-house.org and we'll make appropriate introductions!