Masonry Repair to London Shop

Twistfix-registered contractors Newman Building Solutions carry out a wide range of repair and renovation projects using products from our extensive portfolio. A recent project involved diagnosing and rapidly repairing the cause of bowing and cracking walls at a small shop in London, which needed the renovation completed within a 3-day time span.

The owners of the property, which housed a shop-fitting contractor, regularly employ Newman Building Solutions to work on a range of buildings in the London area. In-house surveyors from the company carried out a full structural survey, which revealed a host of structural defects including bowed and cracked walls, lintel failure and extensive spalling and pointing damage to the brick faces of the front elevation. The bowing walls and lintel failure to the gable elevation, which had become separated from the front elevation, had been caused by minor foundation settlement, while the damaged brick faces were due to the freeze/thaw cycle.

Technicians from Newman Building Solutions used Twistfix bed-joint reinforcement to strengthen the brickwork above the failed lintels, effectively creating new brick lintels within the masonry. Combined with 450mm vertical pinning ties and crack stitches, these new lintels are now able to carry the applied loads without risk of further cracks appearing in the walls.

To restrain the bowing walls, Twistfix Lateral Restraint Ties were mechanically fixed into floor joists and chemically anchored to the brick walls at 600mm centres; securing the masonry facade to the structural floor diaphragm . This process was achieved incredibly quickly and with minimum disturbance thanks to the easy installation method required; traditional retrofitted 'bat-strap' methods can take up to 4 days to complete compared to just a single day when using Twistfix Lateral Restraints.

Repointing took place with the use of specialist lime mortar before the damaged bricks were refaced with a durable rapid-setting mortar. When this process was complete, brick tint was expertly applied to almost completely hide any evidence of repair. To keep the new brick faces in top condition and prevent further spalling, Damp-Seal Masonry Protection Cream was utilised, providing a permanent and breathable barrier against water penetration, resilience against dirt and pollution staining and an improvement in the overall thermal performance of the wall.

The repair job is now fully complete and the renovation work on the shop can continue. As registered Twistfix contractors, Newman Building Solutions are able to offer an unrivalled level of quality in their work while saving time and money due to not having to use traditional remove-and-rebuild techniques. Twistfix have a long-standing relationship with Newman Building Solutions and are proud to supply our products to such a reputable contractor.

For more information on Twistfix damp proofing and crack repair products or about our registered contractor scheme, please contact us on 0845 123 6006 or email sales@twistfix.co.uk.