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Edinburgh Stonemasons use traditional techniques and materials that incorporate today’s best practices, see below projects trusted in our care.

 Projects

How to understand your traditional stone building in Edinburgh?

Most of the stone buildings in Edinburgh are built of relatively thick stone walls. Many of these walls are Ashlar dressed coursed sandstone pointed and built-in lime mortar.  This traditional method of building enables the structure to breathe.

A majority of the older buildings in Edinburgh have been repaired over the years using modern materials such as cement, gypsum plaster and modern paints. This has in some cases led to damaged stonework which has resulted in the need for extensive repairs.

Repairing traditional buildings with modern or non-traditional materials will accelerate stone decay.

The materials used in the construction of stonemasonry buildings in Edinburgh were sourced from local quarries such as Craigleith or Hails to name a couple.  A lot of these materials fell out of use after the 1920’s and were replaced with modern substitutes.

Looking after your stone building

Using traditional materials and having a building maintenance programme will help to preserve, enhance and prolong the life of your stone building

Chimneys – This is the most vulnerable part of the building for weathering. Most are built with Ashlar stone or rubble masonry, however, over the years we have seen that many chimneys that have been coated in cement where the stone has decayed.

Read our chimney inspection guide for further information.

Masonry Stone Repairs –  Natural stone deteriorates very slowly and may require repair or replacement over time. We carry out repairs and ensure that the repair is in keeping with the current stone and materials.

Read our stone repair guide for further information.

Lime Pointing – Many buildings in Edinburgh have been pointed in very hard cement over years which can accelerate the decay of the masonry units.  Our team are fully qualified stonemasons, in Edinburgh, who have extensive knowledge and understand the best materials to use. We ensure that we match the original material and style of pointing.

Read our lime pointing guide for more information.

Stone Boundary Walls – Stone boundary walls often require more frequent maintenance and repair.  Therefore please read more information about boundary walls here .

Loose or Unsafe Stone-Masonry – You should carry out a building inspection to your building every 3 – 5  years to ensure that it’s safe, remove any unsafe masonry and replace where applicable.

You can watch our videos on inspections here or you read about unsafe masonry here 

Looking for High-Level Building Maintenance? If so we work closely with ESM