We are in the process of having the pebbledash removed from our 1906 SE London Edwardian terrace. We went with the most reputable local firm with track record of this kind of work in the area, and although they aren't 100% specialised in heritage brick restoration, they have many examples locally we went to look at in person, and the work looked good.
The pebbledash is now off - it was a thin layer removed by hand with chisels. Thankfully it apepars the pebbledash wasn't applied to cover up any bad brickwork or structural horrors. But as expected, the pebbledash has come off the london stocks in an inconsistent way (photo attached) and has damaged some of the red rubbers (will necessitate some repairs and replacements as expected).
They are still proposing to 'spin' (sand) the bricks as a next stage to achieve a smoother finish. I've seen various posts on this forum about how this is a bad idea on london stocks beacuse it exposes the inner parts of the brick to the elements. Is this not already the case - somewhat inevitably - through getting the pebbledash off? From the photo you can see the london stocks have a mix where there are chalkier patches exposed in places and a flat layer (could be fire skin/dirt/render/mix of all?) remains in others.
From here, if we want to balance aesthetics with durability, is one 'middle ground' approach to do a light sand (<2mm) to address some of the visual inconsistencies and then seal with some kind of one-way breathable sealant before the lime mortar repointing (still breathable)? Or wait a few years to see how much weathering is a problem before sealing anything? All thoughts welcome especially on any one-way breathable sealant products people may have used in this kind of setting. Many thanks in advance for your advice and expertise.
The pebbledash is now off - it was a thin layer removed by hand with chisels. Thankfully it apepars the pebbledash wasn't applied to cover up any bad brickwork or structural horrors. But as expected, the pebbledash has come off the london stocks in an inconsistent way (photo attached) and has damaged some of the red rubbers (will necessitate some repairs and replacements as expected).
They are still proposing to 'spin' (sand) the bricks as a next stage to achieve a smoother finish. I've seen various posts on this forum about how this is a bad idea on london stocks beacuse it exposes the inner parts of the brick to the elements. Is this not already the case - somewhat inevitably - through getting the pebbledash off? From the photo you can see the london stocks have a mix where there are chalkier patches exposed in places and a flat layer (could be fire skin/dirt/render/mix of all?) remains in others.
From here, if we want to balance aesthetics with durability, is one 'middle ground' approach to do a light sand (<2mm) to address some of the visual inconsistencies and then seal with some kind of one-way breathable sealant before the lime mortar repointing (still breathable)? Or wait a few years to see how much weathering is a problem before sealing anything? All thoughts welcome especially on any one-way breathable sealant products people may have used in this kind of setting. Many thanks in advance for your advice and expertise.