Stone Federation held its Stone cleaning: The facts and the fiction seminar on 6th May at The Strand Palace Hotel in London.

The question of whether to clean a building or not can be vexed.  There are a lot of myths and spurious received wisdom flying about regarding this topic and this seminar set the record straight and provided delegates with the information they needed to
successfully run a stone cleaning project.

The seminar was opened by David Priestman, Chairman of Stone Federation Stone Cleaning and Surface Repair Group.  He launched the Guide to Best Practice on the Cleaning of Internal and External Masonry Surfaces and gave the delegates guidance on how to correctly specify a contract including stone cleaning and/or surface repair.  He also gave an overview of the different cleaning methods available.

Graham Negus, Managing Director of Ken Negus Ltd, then gave an indication of how he works with a client to provide a successful contract showing examples of projects he has completed over the years.

Darren Millis, Managing Director of Archer Stone Restoration Ltd, gave a case study on the Mote House project and illustrated how he undertook the work.  It is a grade II* Portland stone and brick faced building built between 1793 and 1801.  It was cleaned using the Doff and Torc systems.

David then illustrated the importance placed on using a trained workforce who are part of the Federation and explained the courses available and what clients should expect from their operatives.  The whole event ended with a carvery lunch.

Delegates received a free copy of the Guide which covers all aspects of cleaning external and internal masonry surfaces, including stone, brick, terracotta, concrete and faļence.  It is available to clients, architects, specifiers and Stone Federation members only.  The code is currently available at an introductory price of £30.00 (£15.00 for Stone Federation members).  Please visit our publications section for more information.