Stonehealth Company Profile
Stonehealth provides a broad range of products and consultancy services for sensitive stonework restoration and conservation. The company has built up a strong reputation with architects and building restoration businesses throughout the UK for the design and manufacture of cutting-edge, effective and efficient stone cleaning and masonry restoration products. Staff travel across the country and to Ireland on consultations and Stonehealth has supplied its systems and products as far afield as Australia and Canada.
Stonehealth was established in the 1980s as a supplier to the construction, conservation and restoration trades. One of the first products was the innovative JOS system, which has now been superseded by the more effective TORC system. TORC is extremely effective in removing carbon sulphation, limescale and cementitious and lime-based paints. The company has also developed the DOFF system, which removes most paints, coatings and bacterial growth. Stonehealth also supplies alternative stone cleaning and repair products including ‘safe to use chemicals’.
Services
Stonehealth manufacturers and delivers masonry and stone cleaning products to building restoration contractors and provides support throughout training in the use of the specialist systems and maintains an approved list of those companies and their staff, who carry out work responsibly. The products and systems have been specified for a number of high profile buildings including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Harrods, Blenheim Palace and many more.
Consultancy Services
The consultancy services are designed to provide support to architects, surveyors, conservation officers and other specifiers with trials, testing, feasibility studies and CPD. Stonehealth has been delivering systems and consultancy to the building conservation and restoration industries for more than 20 years and provides appropriate and sensitive advice for methods of cleaning and restoring stonework. The team has a register of approved stone cleaning contractors who have undertaken Stonehealth’s training programme and are using Stonehealth equipment. A team of engineers are employed to maintain and service the stone cleaning systems, either on-site or within the company workshop. It is recommended that the systems are checked and serviced regularly.
Products for Stone and Masonry Cleaning
Stonehealth has designed and manufactured a range of sensitive and effective cleaning systems for brick masonry and stone. The innovative, industry-leading products include:
TORC System
The TORC System is a comprehensive stone cleaning system which is designed to remove carbon sulphation, lime and cement based paints, paint residues, and certain oil based paints, bitumen and limescale. The system works by creating a gentle swirling vortex using a mixture of low air pressure, water and a fine granulate. The removable nozzle cone can be changed for a larger cone for cleaning vast areas and for more intricate details, a smaller cone can be used.
DOFF System
The DOFF System is a steam-based stone cleaning system which is capable of achieving temperatures of 150 degrees centigrade at the nozzle end. The temperature and pressure can be varied to remove numerous types of paint, bird mess, wax coatings, graffiti or biological matter such as algae, fungi and spores. This system eliminates the need for chemical biocides.
Clean-Film
Clean-Film is a latex paste which is applied to interior surfaces to remove, dirt, smoke stains and soiling and carbon pollution. The paste is applied using a brush or spray and is then left for 24-48 hours, in which time it soaks in all the dirt and stains. When ready, the latex is then simply peeled off and leaves no residue on the stone surface.
Other products include:
- Nebspray: Nebspray is used to remove carbon sulphation, dirt and grime and can be tailored to suit particular requirements for versatile booms, automatic timers and flow-meters.
- Stone Repair: Stone Repair is a non-cementitious repair product manufactured from limestone granules and can be placed or cast to full thickness in a single application.
- No.6 Paint Softener: No.6 Paint Softener is pH neutral and free from chlorinated solvents and is used to soften plasticised paints.
- Oilrid: Oilrid is used for biological cleaning detergent used to remove oil and associated staining.
- Ferrid: Ferrid is a ready-to-use poultice product for removing ferrous iron stains from porous surfaces.
- B-Wax: B-Wax is a semi-permanent anti-graffiti coating which protects surfaces from graffiti and pollutants. Offering minimal visual change, B-Wax is resistant to ink, paint and graffiti which is easily cleaned off using hot water.
- No.7 and 7S Paint Softener: No.7 and 7S paint softeners are ideal for use on oil-based and polyurethane coatings such as gloss, lacquers and varnish.
- Prevosil Range: Prevosil is a range of surface treatments which are vapour permeable, yet liquid impermeable. The products are ideal for protecting interior and exterior surfaces against staining.
- Cuprid: Cuprid is a poultice product used for the removal of copper and bronze staining from porous surfaces.
- Complexon: Complexon is a multi-surface cleaner which utilises EDTA to remove limescale, nicotine, soot, rust and other metal deposits.
- Go-Gum: Go-Gum is an eco-friendly protective treatment which stops chewing gum and other pollutants sticking to porous surfaces. Go-Gum can be used on concrete, terrazzo, limestone, sandstone, bricks, pavers and slabs.
- Calcimex: Calcimex is used for the removal of metal oxides, calcium deposits and residues from surfaces.
- Artex Remover: Artex Remover has been developed to soften and remove unwanted textured Artex finishes.
- Viamond: Viamond is a cleaning solution which removes grease, oil, mascara, lipstick and paint residues. Viamond is also suitable for medical and food environments as it will remove viruses and bacteria.
- Felt-Tip Pen (FTP): FTP is used for removing difficult graffiti stains from surfaces.
Stonehealth is committed to providing a broad selection of cleaning, restoration and protection products for stone surfaces. The company is continuously researching and developing the product range and offers innovative solutions for a wide range of applications. The professional and experienced team can provide in-depth advice and information across the range of products and services available.
Stonehealth operates a List of Approved Contractors. This list consists of contractors who not only use Stonehealth equipment, but who have undergone full training by the company and keeps its systems fully serviced by Stonehealth. This list is then provided on request to those looking for a contractor to carry out cleaning or restoration works. This is an attractive service to both the contractors who purchase the systems, as they are referred work, and the regular specifiers (architects, National Trust and English Heritage amongst others) of Stonehealth systems, who can be assured the contractor they are using has well trained operators and that their equipment is well serviced. Stonehealth does not take a fee for either listing a contractor, referring work or supplying the list to specifiers.