300 Year old Listed Building Cleaning Case Study: Synagogue Clean
Listed buildings by their nature often contain fine detail in the stone or brickwork which has architectural interest and looks very impressive. It’s important when cleaning and restoring historic or listed buildings that the correct cleaning methods are chosen. Often The DOFF or TORC systems by Stonehealth are recommended for such projects. The important thing is not to use high pressure or strong chemicals that may cause irreversible damage to the buildings material.
LBC had the pleasure of completing this beautiful listed building clean of a synagogue in the Stamford Hill N16, North London area.
Ahead of a special visit from the Rabia all the way from New York, the Bobav community understandably wanted to spruce up their impressive building ahead of the special day and the LBC team were on hand within a weeks notice to help with the project.
The Bobav Synagogue has been in existence for almost 300 years and is fully listed. It currently rests in N16 however the building existed in two separate locations over the past 3 centuries and was most recently rebuilt brick by brick.
What is a listed Building?
A building is listed when it has special architectural or historic interest considered to be of national importance and therefore worth protecting.
The columns of the building extend proud into the sky about 25 metres high at their peak so we had to use a relatively large hired in cherry picker to access the higher stone areas for this project.
Steam Cleaning Stonework on a Listed Building
Starting from top to bottom we steam cleaned all the stonework to remove any organic staining which had built up over the years. Being careful to use high temperature and a lower controlled pressure to ensure no damage to the substrate.
The overall cleaning results were very good and the only factor that limited the level of aesthetics that were achievable, was the fact that all the stonework had previously been painted.
Some paint was more worn and faded in some areas compared to others, like for instance the bottom of the columns where people may have been brushing up against them.
This was spotted early in the clean and brought to the attention of the client.
Should you paint Stone?
In our humble opinion the answer is no. Natural stone is beautiful as it is and it should be left so that it can breathe and release moisture where needed.
Painting stone is a task that would need to be repeated every year or so to maintain the initial results and if the wrong paint is selected it can lead to major issues. Rather than painting stone why not consider a clear, breathable sealer which will keep the stones natural beauty on show and also add a protective coating which will make ongoing cleaning and maintenance easier.
