Residents of a 12-storey tower block on
the Essex coast are now enjoying damp-free conditions and unspoilt interiors
after contractors waterproofed their building with Stormdry Masonry
Protection Cream from Safeguard Europe – the UK’s leading
specialist in damp-proofing and waterproofing technology.
Within a few months
of Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream being
applied, both the building owners and the residents reported walls
drying out and the damp patches receding. They should also find that their
properties become more energy efficient – bricks have twice the thermal
resistance when dry than when wet, making them insulate more effectively.
Penetrating damp had
been an issue for those living in the 1950s block in Frinton for some time as
they suffered damp patches and spoilt décor on their weather-facing interior
walls, so the owners had called in Anglia Décor, an industrial and commercial painting
contractor based in Rayleigh.
Anglia Decor
surveyed the building, which is a standard fletton brick cavity-wall structure
with a resin-bonded bead cavity insulation and found that the issue stemmed
from a combination of materials, build type and location – next to the sea and
heavily exposed to wind and rain. Anglia concluded that high brick porosity
permitted a significant level of rainwater absorption, compounded by pointing
failures, allowing rain to bridge the cavity insulation, resulting in
penetrating damp to the interiors.
To solve the issue,
the brickwork needed to be repointed completely and then, once the mortar had
cured, coated with Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream. “We were very happy to
see Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream on the specification. We like the 25-year
lifespan and we always see it get positive reviews.” says Steve Massey,
Managing Director at Anglia Decor.
The cost of the
scaffolding required for the whole height of the tower block was kept to a
minimum because Stormdry is fast and easy to apply by either brush or roller and cures colourlessly to the original
finish of masonry in just 12 hours.
Stormdry is
particularly suitable for such applications as it leaves the appearance of the
surface unchanged and the treated wall still 90% as breathable as an untreated
wall. The treatment prevents future water penetration yet allows water vapour
to leave, so that any residual moisture can evaporate from the building. In
this case it meant that the wet insulation could start to dry out, restoring
its performance and driving out the damp patches.
With an active
ingredient level of 40% – compared to concentrations as low as 2.5% for some
competitors – Stormdry is both more effective at excluding moisture from
masonry and has a significantly longer life expectancy at 25 years, as
certified by the British Board of Agrément (BBA). It subjected Stormdry to
accelerated ageing tests and other performance criteria including: water
repellency, condensation risk, freeze/ thaw resistance and UV resistance.
The cream also
penetrates far more deeply than other water repellents – up to 12 mm in fletton
bricks – so that it can also bridge cracks and better keep out moisture. This
depth of penetration also contributes to the effectiveness of Stormdry in
improving the energy performance of buildings, which the Energy Saving Trust
recognised when it categorised the product as ‘verified’.
The trust operates a
verification scheme that provides independent evaluation of performance for
energy-efficient products and, after considering peer-reviewed scientific
papers and the results of extensive long-term testing, it declared Stormdry
‘verified’. Stormdry is also classified under
VAT Notice 708/6 as an energy-saving measure that qualifies for a reduced VAT
rate of 5%.
Safeguard Europe
also provides comprehensive technical support and advice from its highly
qualified and experienced staff on Stormdry applications.
