Eco Home Centre Blog

[...] render exposes timber issues under cracks One of the other issues that the removal of the cement render exposed was the condition of the wood in the structure. Admittedly the house has a strange [...]

[...] not cement. Again wind driven rain gets into the thinnest cracks and gets stuck behind the cement render. Ideally any cement render should be removed, but at the very least cracks should be repaired [...]

[...] Look no hands! Nine bricks being supported by their edges by a 10mm thick piece of cement render. I was planning on capping the wall that abuts into my house (this was to reduce the amount of [...]

[...] in Cardiff have been re-pointed using cement. Almost every house (that wasn't covered in cement render - don't get me started!!) had cement in a similar condition to the photo. The hard [...]

[...] Welsh Lime Works have finished my house!! Hooray. They have managed to work around the scaffolding and all [...]

[...] risk of de-lamination in the structure So, due to these reasons I have backed the work of Welsh Lime Works as they follow the same philosophy. However, the combination of lime putty and limestone [...]

[...] lime is a much less predicable material than cement and gypsum. Having seen the boys from Welsh Lime Works doing a very professional job on my house you realise that that there is no substitute for [...]

[...] been a follower of Harry Cursham at Traditional Technologies (http://www.tradtech.net/) and Welsh Lime Works (http://welshlimeworks.com/) and so I have been very specific about the type of render that [...]

[...] is because people associate ventilation with increased energy consumption and hence costs. Energy efficiency though is affected by poor ventilation. If walls are wet due to poor ventilation then the [...]

[...] decisions about retrofit measures on traditional buildings, identifying risks and balancing energy efficiency with heritage considerations. The programme will be: 5.30 pm Tea / coffee 6.00 pm. Energy [...]

[...] and so you might be better off with taking those figures. Do I need to have improved the energy efficiency of the house before applying? Renewable heating systems work more efficiently in a well- [...]

[...] the internal environment as well as the external. Our modern 'improvements' and drive for energy efficiency means that people have been sealing up their homes. We are installing windows with no [...]

[...] a palaver! Being a bit of a fuss pot over lime I wanted to check the lime credentials of the lime putty that is being ordered for my render. I seem to have been around the proverbial mulberry bush, [...]

[...] from the solid walled and early cavity walled elements of the house and replaced this with a lime putty / limestone dust render. Finished with a white limewash (applied in a hot mix) 4. I have also [...]

[...] of lime (Natural Hydraulic Lime) and use it with a sand aggregate. The purists will stick to Lime Putty. However, even the purists then disagree with the aggregates that should be used and also on [...]

[...] It traps water in and also ruins the softer brick / stone. Always use a lime mortar (preferably lime putty with stone dust). Rake out to a depth that is double the height, get it wet first and then [...]

[...] Some old houses have partially buried walls Like dealing with solid walls you have a couple of choices here when dealing with rooms that are below ground. Choice 1 - [...]

[...] in the bay. Basically there isn't any. The mullions and walls under the window are generally solid walls. This is not too much of an issue as the rest of the house will tend to be the same. However, [...]

[...] for a replacement concrete floor My house is a very typical Victorian Welsh terrace. Solid walls made from a mix of local and imported stone, bricks around the windows, doors and chimney [...]

[...] such a feature, although there are many reasons against having an injected solution in many solid walls, and we generally assume that they work to a certain extent. So effectively we have a water [...]

[...] that have been poorly sealed? Where does it leave the house? Mechanical extracts? Chimneys? Trickle vents? Windows? Lofts? Housing Associations and others are now wising up to the need for ventilation [...]

[...] means that people have been sealing up their homes. We are installing windows with no trickle vents, removing chimneys, replacing sash windows with casements, fitting draught excluding products [...]

[...] for 500ml Chalk Paint vs Clay Paint: 100ml Chalk - £5.75 125ml Clay - £3.50 (from Eco Home Centre) 1l Chalk - £ 18.95 750ml Clay - £ 12.99 (from Eco Home Centre) 2.5l Clay - £ 28.99 [...]

[...] the all the protection you associate with oil treated products then there is now an answer! Eco Home Centre is selling this new product and you can find it in our Osmo Tints product range [...]

[...] are the Interflush system. More information can be found at http://www.interflush.co.uk/ Eco Home Centre sells the bagged kits and also the Replacement Siphon So basically you can save a lot of [...]

[...] to older solid walls. If you want a good and intelligent diagnosis on damp then give the Eco Home Centre a call and get a true independent assessment, do not rely on 'damp specialists' from damp [...]

[...] Haired lime putty render thrown into deep holes in wall One of the jobs associated with re-rendering the house has [...]

[...] materials / old cracks I have been busy on the house preparing it for its new coat of lime putty render. One of these jobs has been to mesh over any major cracks in the sub-structure and where [...]

[...] . The other important element to remember here is that the cement will be covered with the lime putty render, so this will be effectively buried into the wall and the lime will keep it dry. [...]

[...] left by the last lime company to produce a lovely white house. The final coat to this lime putty render has been the limewash. There are a number of special properties to this covering, firstly it [...]

[...] . Under here is where an old doorway was blocked up using concrete blocks. The first coat of lime render is finding it hard to dry in this area and another similar one. Where it is on bricks and stone [...]

[...] need for a breathable mortar, plaster and render. You will commonly hear people use the term lime render, but do we actually know what it means? Some people use cement and just add powdered hydrated [...]

[...] . This gives a firm enough finish, but it does move when slammed, so what to do with the new lime render, will this get affected by repeated use? Well the thought is that yes the door will effect the [...]

[...] insulated. I have come across a number of houses recently where the wall ties and the use of cement renders has caused damp to find its way into what should be a damp free house. Basically what has [...]

[...] . What if it is not 'Rising Damp', but instead 'Falling damp'? Many walls are covered with cement renders and also suffer from a lack of maintenance by owners leading to cracks and gaps around [...]