Stone restoration and stone conservation is a very skilled operation of which we have vast experience. If a stone only has surface erosion, short of replacing the stone piece in question we repair it with a lime based, colour matched repair system called Lithomex.
This type of repair for relatively minor erosions is in line with the current thinking of Historic Scotland, Edinburgh Council etc.
One of our most popular requests at Stonemasons Fife is for the repair of badly eroded sandstone pieces, and to have these either repaired with Lithomex, partially replaced as in a Part Indent or in extreme cases replaced with a new stone piece, expertly cut and shaped by our highly skilled Fife stonemasons.
Where this stone replacement service is required, we take all necessary time to ensure that the new stone fitted is an exact replica of the one to be replaced. We ensure all new masonry pieces supplied match in size, shape, surface finish, texture and colour etc. This is vital to achieve the best possible outcome.
When carrying out Fife stone repairs we first remove with teethed chisels all the soft decayed stone to leave sound stone exposed. Depending on the depth of eroded stone which can be 2” or more, we may elect to fix stainless steel screws/dowels into the affected area to give the Lithomex a better grip.
After the Lithomex has been built up in 2 or more layers to the desired profile, it is left to cure for 24-48 hours, and then sanded down to a perfect finish, replicating the original stone in shape, finish, colour and texture.
Our very switched on suppliers of Lithomex, Masons Mortar in Edinburgh and Fife have large colour charts with which we match a sample of the stone from the building we propose to repair, thus insuring the very best stone colour match.
Once complete, and if required, we can then dirty down new stone repairs to make them even less conspicuous.
Stone restoration Lithomex is formulated so that when dry it breathes and flexes at the same rate as the natural stone and does not trap moisture behind it, as cement based repairs do.
One cannot compare the results achievable with Lithomex to what can be done with cement.
All the Fife stone repairs you see in these example photos were carried out using Lithomex Stone Repair compound.
Get in touch with any questions you may have or to arrange for a free survey and an obligation free quote.
Here we cut out an unsightly and corroded steel beam and replaced it with a more suitable pre-stressed concrete lintel. We then used a colour matched Lithomex lime repair mortar to make the concrete look like stone. Looks superb and very convincing.
In situations such as the above, where the stone is too eroded to be repaired with Lithomex lime repair mortar, our team may elect to carry out a stone repair method called “Part Indenting”. This is where we cut out out the worst of the damage on a particular stone piece, but stop short of replacing the whole stone. Again, results are fantastic and cost effective compared to full stone replacement.