Exterior Porch Refurb - Lime plaster, replacing Capitals & paint

[L&L_Chiswick]

Hi all,

I am renovating my Edwardian house porch. It is one of the nicest things about the exterior of the house and had started to look a bit worse for wear. While I have been removing the old layers of paint it is clear that previous attempts at repair had been poorly done and there are parts of that came away from the crumbling lime plaster.

There are a number of areas of this that I would like to ask for ideas and advice:

1 - Should I try and remove all of the paint or leave paint that is well adhered and stable to stay? I am leaning to try without total removal but that may be something I will regret.

2 - Replacing the Capitals - The Capitals are crumbling and really need to be replaced. The smaller rectangular capitals should be easier to replace but I am struggling to fine replacements in UK - could anyone recommend good quality sources pls.

3 - The main capitor on the column will be trickier to replace since it must be load bearing. I am nervous about trying this myself and may just patch up the existing one. There are also circular peices on the column that are crumbling away. Is it possible to buy these rather than try to sculp them from the plaster?

4 - Lime plaster repair - I have read a lot on using lime plaster and the various mixes and types. Would you have any advise on what would be best? What techniques could I use to repair the damaged edging on the decorative top of the porch? (just use wood barriers to set the plaster or are there better methods?)

5 - What paint is best to use on such a structure? I am leaning towards a silicone or silicate resin paint but have not looked at what manufacturers are best.

6 - Would I be better biting the bullet and getting a builder in?

Many thanks

Les

 

[aockenden]

On the paint stripping, you could go on a surface-by-surface / face-by-face basis. Either remove ALL the paint on a given surface or remove none of it. If you only remove some of the paint on a certain face of a stone then you would probably see a seam / line between the places you stripped and the places you didn't. Or you'd maybe get away with sanding the edge between the remaining layers of paint and the stripped sections to "feather them in" and make it look seamless once you paint over top.

 

[mardinor]

The answer to Qu 6 is always a resounding 'no'.

 

[Stevers]

I always come back to the question why paint 'stone' trims white? It always ends badly, and is a tradition in towns that needs to be broken.

 

[a twig]

Or at least use limewash or silicate if you must do it!

 

[a twig]

In response to OP:

1) Remove as much as possible, strippers are probably the answer - many of us have used the support of these people to find the appropriate product

2) Assuming they are stone - reclaimed or pay a fair wedge to a stonemason to make up new ones are the only real options

3) If the details really are done in plaster then zero experience - apologies, can’t help.

4) As above, sorry!

5) Limewash would be best - if that really doesn’t appeal then an exterior silicate paint, Keim have had good things said about them on here

6) Absolutely no to a builder - a stone mason or a specialist in historic exterior mouldings might take on the job but £££

 

[Stevers]

A Plastic Stone Repair using a mix of Natural Hydraulic Lime and sand with stainless or brass reinforcement to tie the new into the old is an option. A yellow sand with a bit of ginger sand might be a match for whatever sort of masonry that is.

This is a repair I made to a fireplace surround, but I've done the same sort of thing on the front of the house:
https://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/threads/basement-chimney-breast.17787/post-241256

In this case I had already joined the two halves together with epoxy and threaded stainless bar in an earlier post.