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How Stonemasons Can Help With Historic Masonry Restoration

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For a definition of “historic masonry restoration,” as well as to find out more about how a professional stonemason can help, read the following post. Historic masonry deserves to be treated with the utmost care and as such, any restoration work should be finished to the highest of possible standards. Because of this, there are specific guidelines that must be taken into consideration.  Contact a professional masonry team if you have a restoration project in mind.

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What is  Historic Masonry?

The federal government and regional municipalities designate certain buildings and places as historic sites. These are places are agreed to have historical significance. For a list of historic places in the regional municipality of Waterloo, click here.

Municipalities which have historic buildings generally have guidelines for their care. The City of Kingston has a policy regarding masonry restoration in heritage buildings. The policy states that it “is intended to guide the restoration of masonry in both public and private heritage buildings in the city.” Click here to read the full document.

Unique Challenges Of Historic Masonry

Restoring historic buildings brings with it unique challenges. For example, in the document, Standard And Guidelines For the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, the purpose is stated to be “an essential tool to guide decisions that will give historic places new life while protecting their heritage value.” This guideline has been adopted by municipalities across Canada. It includes standards like: (a) To conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when creating any new additions to a historic place or any related construction. (b) To make the new work physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to, and distinguishable from the historic place.

Guidelines For Historic Restoration In Waterloo

The Region of Waterloo has produced a work entitled the “Practical Conservation Guide for Heritage Properties.” This document is full of useful information such as the following:

“New mortar should meet the following criteria:

  • Must match the historic mortar in colour, texture and tooling.
  • Sand must match the sand in the historic mortar
  • Must have greater vapour permeability and be softer than the masonry units.
  • Must be as vapour permeable and as soft or softer than the historic mortar.”

Don’t take chances with a property that has been designated of historical significance. Mistakes can be catastrophic for the property and its preservation for the generations to come.

The Royal Edge

A seasoned team of professionals operates Royal Masonry in historic Kitchener-Waterloo. You can rely on us to care about your property as much as we care about our craftsmanship and reputation. If you require any type of historic masonry restoration and are unsure about the standards required, we are ready to offer our advice. Don’t hesitate to call us for a quote. We will complete your project to the highest of standards and follow all necessary guidelines for additions and restorations to your property.

Sources: 

List of Historic Places in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo

Practical Conservation Guide for Heritage Properties

Standard And Guidelines For the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada

City of Kingston Policies and Procedures