Masonry Restoration Experts
If you have a natural stone structure in need of repair, you should choose a masonry company that has the special training and experience with historical masonry and repairing natural stone. Otherwise, you may cause further damage to your structure and ultimately end up paying way more than you should have.
Historical Preservation and Masonry Restoration experts are trained to properly identify materials originally used in historic structures and which materials and techniques to use in order to restore them back to their original glory. Too often property owners mistakenly assign this task to common masons who may be very good at building new structures but lack the necessary understanding to restore previously built structures – especially historic structures.
Bluestone Structures
Bluestone is a natural stone that has historical significance in the Midwest. It comes in many various solid states and colors. Bluestone was quarried in many areas of North America and world wide. In many areas it has become a common description of rock rather than a specific identifier. It takes experience to identify all the different nuances of a rock when you need to match a single rock to a collection that was quarried decades or even centuries ago. Even experienced common masons (not historic preservation masons) have mistakenly used a Bluestone sandstone to match with Bluestone limestone. The result would be less than spectacular.
Replacing damaged stone
Utmost Renovations was recently working on a project which included restoring a beautiful set of historic bluestone stair steps. The steps had seen better days but with a small amount of attention they were returned to their original luster.
One of the stones had a deep crack which, if repaired, would compromise both the aesthetic and structural integrity of the stairs. Therefore, the best way to fix the crack was to replace the stone.
Our experienced masons were able to find an exact replacement for the damaged step. They removed the old stone and replaced it with the new stone. Then they carefully matched the mortar which bonded the stones together and tuckpointed around the stones.
The stairs were then cleaned with a specific chemical not harmful to the natural stone and then power washed to reveal the stone’s natural blue color. To prevent future damage to the stairs, we used a high-grade commercial urethane sealant in areas that were susceptible to retaining water. Sand was incorporated into the caulking to create a seamless match with the stairs mortar joints.
The property owners are now confident of the stability of their historic structure and are able to relax and enjoy its original beauty and craftsmanship.
