Stone wall of cottage crumbling?
Question:My cottage date sback to c1650, the walls are made of 18" thick stone. Some of the stones (both original and 25 yrs old) have started to crumble away, more so with the heavy rain hitting them. They are Yorkshire Stone which know is soft, but what quick fix is there available on the market to harden off and stabilise the remaining stone. It's been raining stair-rods and more damage will occur. Also the oak lintel above the window is rotten due to water penetration, any help with hardening that also.
HELPPPPPPP before the wall falls down! and all my underwear IS in public!
Answers:
Something amiss here. Cottage built in c.1650, and stone work has just now began to visibly wear away. If it has stood for over 350years, I would have thought it extremely unlikely that erosion would take place so suddenly and at such a rapid pace that you describe regardless of how severe the weather has been.
However! -------------- If you are so worried about it, there are products available to halt the stone work wear in the 'RONSEAL' range.
As for the oak lintel, you didn't say how big it was, but I have no doubt that in a building so old it will be quite substantial, and therefore quite capable of lasting another 350 years (it's oak). The 'rot' that you see may well be only 'skin deep', and I would bet that little more than an inch under the surface a sample would reveal solid timber.
Again, if you are so worried, there are products from the 'Ronseal ' range that would give you peace of mind
Replace lintel with type d lintel from buiders merchants I did 8 windows and door arches in old cottage with help from 2 friends, replace damaged stone where possible and re-mortar.
Had a 1730's post and beam home in Virginia set on a stacked stone footing. Where the floor sill met the stones was a mess. Termites and sliding stone were the norm. Had to jack up one corner restack the stone and replace the sill. Although the rest was in bad shape, it was level, so I filled all the voids with polyuerathane foam. After it set, I used a knife and trimmed it back to look like morter joints and sill plates.. A freind in the masonary business was so impressed by the idea and its strength that he began using it on tough jobs. RScott
Chances are if it has been standing that long it ain't going anywhere soon.
There are some silicone based products that you can paint on that will stop the water coming in.
But in general if you have an old property use traditional methods to fix it.
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