Whatever the cause‚ a lack of maintenance, natural weathering or vandalism‚ stone or brick may need to be repaired or replaced. Perhaps alterations to a building require doorways or windows to be added or removed, yet the finished look must be 100 per cent original. Whatever the stone repair, however complex and demanding, Maysand has the knowledge and the practical ability to deliver the best possible result.
We are masters of the art of stone masonry restoration. Our techniques may involve dressing back and rebuilding eroded surfaces using carefully matched conservation mortars. Or we may carry out full-scale re-pointing. Whatever the job, we go to fantastic lengths to replicate traditional lime mortars using a whole host of techniques and ingredients to match, as nearly as possible, the colour and texture of the original stone. And we excel in identifying and finding replacement or additional masonry bricks or stone to suit each individual specification, tracking down reclaimed materials or special hand-made bricks where necessary.
When there is a need for masonry stabilisation, we do that too ‚ generally using the Thor Helical and Cintec ranges of reinforcing ties with application methods that are cost effective, concealed and non-disruptive.
At Maysand we offer an in-house stone masonry service which covers everything from survey through to stone masonry design, supply and fix; from producing working drawings to the final setting out‚ all undertaken with Maysand dedication and care by our own directly employed, skilled people.
With such an all-encompassing, high quality stone masonry service, it’s no wonder that our work has taken us from the intricate repair and renovation of listed historic buildings to multi-million pound, new build developments designed by some of the country’s leading architects.
By adopting a sensitive approach to this, sometimes controversial, form of conservation, we have established Maysand at the leading edge of specialist masonry cleaning.
Our experts constantly review and research available masonry cleaning techniques and products so that we are confident of offering a full range of tried and tested methods. From there we make sure we select the most appropriate for each building, location or material. And, naturally, we are totally committed to using the best, most conservation-friendly techniques to deliver, whatever the size or scale of project.
Maysand cleaning methods
washing
mechanical/abrasive
chemical
special poultice
When it comes to special media like terracotta and faience, we have the technology and skills to restore or repair using a variety of methods, either working in situ or by supplying and fixing new material.
Any conservation project demands meticulous planning and research; and working with clays and plasters such as terracotta and faience is no different. Matching new blocks to existing materials is a very exacting science and since there are few suppliers out there, just sourcing new terracotta can take anything from eight to twenty weeks before site fixing can even begin.
Our reputation in this incredibly specialist field of terracotta and faience repairs has brought us commissions on such notable and prestigious conservation projects as the Harvey Nichols / Debenhams’ building and surrounding Victoria Quarter in Leeds; the listed facade of St Mary’s Gate, Sheffield; and 76 King Street in Manchester, now home to big-name fashion houses DKNY, Jigsaw and others.
Nor do our talents end with stonework. We employ the same, unique Maysand approach to timber repairs, treatment and engineering to provide another complete solution, from initial survey to finished project.
Timber can be affected for a whole variety of reasons. Insects, fungal decay, structural defects and mechanical wear are just a few, so identifying the cause of each problem is crucial, demanding detailed inspection by people who really know their business. Based on these expert analyses, we will then select the most appropriate method of timber repair such as woodworm treatment; fungal decay eradication; traditional or resin repair. And then that’s what we do.
Alongside this timber repair work, our professional services also include general remedial treatments for buildings such as DPCs and tanking to prevent water penetrating masonry at ground floor and basement levels.
Check out the services Maysand offers. You may be surprised by the extent, breadth and quality of our knowledge and capabilities.
Of course if you want to talk detail, just call us on 0161 621 5860. We’d be happy to hear from you.
Practically every project requires us to do something above and beyond the call, but more and more often we are being called in for ‘special projects’ and by that we mean works outside our core areas.
Project managing an £850K church contract, for instance, to include reroofing, leadwork‚ some very complex stained glass, joinery,dry rot and stonemasonry.
Or Plas Newydd in North Wales. Home of the Marquess of Anglesey, it’s also a National Trust property and another Maysand-managed project. Here we handled reslating, renewing and realigning lead gutters, overhauling sash windows, repointing the parapet walls and using specially designed Haki roof system to protect the building during maintenance work.
Then there are contemporary projects like the £750,000 modern extension to a Georgian house in Wetherby for a private client. Maysand was the main contractor working with Manchester architects OMI. The impressive result, featured in RIBA’s Houses and Housing Review, was described by the RIBA judges as ‘brilliantly simple’ and ‘satisfyingly complex’.
Building restoration and preservation can be a delicate business, so it pays to know exactly what needs doing and when.
Maysand offers a surveying service which plots the best course of action to keep a building safe and looking at its best.
Maysand have tackled some pretty big buildings over the years and have the equipment and know-how to bring anything down to size through its specially tailored access arrangements.
That might mean the erection of scaffolding or cherry pickers and, in a recent survey of Sheffield Town Hall, the use of specialist teams of steeplejacks capable of scaling the full height of the 200-feet tall clock tower.
And once up there, our specialists will identify what work is required through detailed reports, categorising defects to allow the production of a maintenance programme, and highlighting any need for specific maintenance or restoration to stone, brick or timber.
