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  • Two buildings in the Kidbrooke estate

    The buildings are largely exposed due to their position in the park area

  • A badly degraded wall

    The mortar and bricks of the walls were badly worn

  • Application of Stormdry

    The Stormdry was applied with rollers. Brushes were used for detail work

  • The set-up for each building

    Using special equipment it was possible to complete one building per day

  • Masonry absorption test

    The wall was tested to ensure that the Stormdry was fully effective

Kidbrooke Council Owned Estate – Stopping Penetrating Damp

This council owned estate in Kidbrooke consists of seven large apartment blocks, which are home to hundreds of people. The apartment blocks are of a 1970s exposed brick construction and are positioned throughout a park area. The park area is large and the space between each building leaves them exposed to the weather.

The Problem

Because each building in the estate is so exposed to the weather, the bricks and mortar have been subject to years of wind driven rain, frost and bio-growth. As a result, the walls were in a bad condition, both the bricks and mortar had degraded to a point where water was able to penetrate through to the interior.

The particularly harsh winter of 2013/2014 with continuous high winds and high levels of rainfall had saturated the walls, leading to decorative spoiling, interior mould growth and a reduction in insulation effectiveness. The council decided to take steps to ensure that the buildings were adequately prepared for any similarly extreme winters.

The Solution

City Heights London were called in as building maintenance and damp-proofing experts to assess the situation. After surveying the buildings, in conjunction with Safeguard Europe, it was decided that the most effective and least disruptive solution was to use Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream.

Repointing was carried out on the areas where the mortar was badly eroded or cracked and the walls were cleaned to get rid of debris and moss. Several cherry-pickers were required to carry out the works quickly and safely because of the size of the buildings. After repointing, it was possible to coat one apartment block per day.

Application was carried out using rollers. Paintbrushes were used for detail work around the windows. City Heights London consulted with both the local council and Safeguard Europe to ensure that all works were carried out to the correct product specifications. 

Masonry absorption tests were performed before and after treatment to ensure the suitability of Stormdry and to make sure that the treatment was effective. Over the next 25 years, Stormdry will stop water from penetrating the brick work, reduce the effect of freeze/thaw damage and help to keep the residents of the apartments better insulated.