Easipoint’s pumpable hydraulic lime mortar will provide an authentic finish for the restoration of ancient walls. Around one tonne of the company’s Restoration Mortar was used during remedial works to the walls of Clitheroe Castle in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. Over 100m2 of sandstone walling was restored at the Norman castle using the lime mortar combined with Trent pea grit. The mortar met the need for a traditional lime-based material and offered the advantage of gun injection, which enabled the filling of substantial voids in the stonework ad joints up to 25mm wide.

An environmentally safe brickwork protection has been introduced by Geocel. The EcoChem silicone brick water seal waterproofs and protects brickwork from damp and frost damage. Available in five litre containers and applied in one coat, it maintains bricks’ looks for allow the bricks to breathe and keep their integrity for years. No safety equipment is required to use the protection – not even gloves – as it is silicone rather than solvent based.

Ecological building product supplier Natural Building Technologies offers a thermally efficient and breathable range of thin bed solid wall systems. The company claims that ThermoPlan offers a faster construction time than any other block based building system.
There are four systems in the range, all of which are based on blocks manufactured using a clay-based material formulated to produce a strong, micro-porous structure. They have been designed as thin bed solutinos, which means each joint should be fast to build. This is because the blocks only require 1mm bed joints and feature dry interlocking vertical joints, reducing drying out time.
The four systems in the range are ThermoPlan Render, Clad, Plus and Plus Cad. Each offer different levels of thermal efficiency and exterior finish options.

Protecting from rain, damp, and frost damage, the EcoChem Silicone Water Seal will shield brickwork from the elements.
Claimed to be the UK's first range of 'environmentally safe' brick care products from Geocel, the range will maintain bricks looks without discolouring them. It is uv stable and because its silicone content allows the substrate to breathe it will keep the bricks healthy and maintain their integrity.
Applied in a single coat, it is safe to use without safety equipment - even gloves aren't required. IT is also safe to handle, store, transport and dispose of and its odour-free formulation makes it suitable for indoors and out.

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Four blocklayers laid 740 Celcon blocks together with 300 coursing units during a single day to enable Tony Smith of Hortus Infinitus to win a gold medal for his stand at the Hampton Court Flower Show.
Using the thin-joint system's quick setting mortar the walls were strong enough to bear drilling of the large holes required by the same afternoon.
The concept of the stand was a representation of a digestive tract. Called 'In Digestion' the structure consisted five walls of Celcon blocks each with a large hole through the middle. These were lined with carniverous plants and surrounded by a carpet of four million lettice seedlings.

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Hampton Court Flower Show

Hyload Preformed Cloaks from Ruberoid Building Products are now available from a number of distribution centres across the UK, providing a time saving solution for the water-proofing of difficult or complex features.
The Cloaks are designed to simplify the water-proofing of awkward junctions and are suitable for overcoming complex shapes and changes in direction. They can be used to restrict water ingress around pipes, internal and external corners and stop ends.
The fact that this range of products is now available off-the-shelf means that the days of spending time trying to cut, shape nad then fit DPC round angles could be over.

Related internet links:
Ruberoid's website
Hyload Preformed Cloaks

What's your experience of preformed cloaks? Will they spell the end for DPC? Post your comments below.

Catnic Brikmat, a masonry support system, allows walls to be built up to three times faster and with 60% less mortar, according to testing undertaken by CERAM Research.

The testing also revealed that the Brikmat improves the stability of walls during construction, enabling brickies to build walls of up to ten courses, compared to five or six without the support system.