Baydon, Wiltshire - Flint Repair

Flint Repair & Lime Re-pointing 

When non-porous, impervious flint is re-pointed with a dense and non vapour-permeable cement mortar, both materials have stiff and brittle characteristics thus they can fracture and crack; any 'bond' that may have been achieved is really defective once the cement has set, so it is no surprise that solid flint masonry walls that have been re-pointed in cement, retain and harbor moisture within the substrate - decaying the internal mortar, embedded timbers and internal fabric.

After conducting a survey on this wonderful period home and analysing the design, construction methods and the materials, we saw that there were unusually high levels of mould and damp on the internal gable-end of the property. So by taking the orientation into account and judging from the condition of the external mortar we could definitely argue that this exposed South-west gable-end was becoming more wet than it could dry out - considering the amount of vegetation growing out of this elevation!

There had been, in our opinion at many stages of the buildings history, varied attempts to re-point the walls and repair some areas; this could be seen by staining and white patches of mortar, more orange and sandy colour cement and some different types of lime mortar.

• We repaired the bands of flint and re-pointed them with a pre-mixed and supplied lime putty mortar.