Practical Building Conservation: Mortars, Renders and Plasters

The contents reflect the work of the Building Conservation and Research Team, their colleagues at Historic England, and their consultants and researchers, who together have many decades of accumulated experience in dealing with deteriorating building materials and systems of all types. This multi-disciplinary team of architects, surveyors, conservators and scientists are responsible for standard setting and research across a wide range of Historic England activities. The team specialises in dealing with the practical, technical and scientific aspects of building materials decay and their treatment. The aim has been to provide practical advice by advocating a common approach of firstly understanding the material or building element and why it is deteriorating, and then dealing with the causes. The books concentrate on those aspects which are significant in conservation terms, and reflect the requests for information received by Historic England.

'[The Practical Building Conservation volumes] offer considerable information and advice on many aspects of conservation. Great emphasis is placed in all the volumes on making the reader familiar with the material in question, giving them as much information and direction as possible to allow them to understand what they are dealing with, gives a comprehensive - hands on - approach; solutions are found, methods described and practical tips freely given, should be kept on the bookshelf within reach of most practising professionals in the field. - Jane Jones-Warner RIBA SCA AABC IHBC, Member RIBA Conservation Group 'A large, colourful book, it has been well organised and presented, with excellent photographs and detailed drawings, complementing the well-written text, which contains a tremendous amount of interesting and useful information.' Cornerstone 'My overriding impression of this series is that it is comprehensive, well set out and easy to follow, and it should be of interest both to all involved in the repair and maintenance of historic buildings, and to the casual reader. Each volume stands alone or as part of a set. This represents a substantial body of work in the field of building conservation that is unlikely to be repeated in the near future. The tables and technical drawings are clear, and some of the photographs included are remarkable. The amount of information within each volume is staggering and must represent the nearest thing to a one-stop-shop for historic building practitioners.' Context 'I find this to be a very practical and user friendly volume which presents and explains this fascinating subject in a clear and digestible manner. The editors and contributors should be congratulated for their combined efforts.' Peter Martindale ACR, Icon News 'The primary editors for each volume acknowledge the contributions of numerous authors and the series’ strength is in the breadth of the conservation comm

• About This Book Using These Books Part 1: Materials and History of Use: Introduction Mortars, Renders and Plasters: A Historical Perspective Historic Mortars: Materials Historic Mortars: Preparation Part 2: Deterioration and Damage: Inherent Causes of Deterioration Environmental Causes of Deterioration Inappropriate Intervention and Use Part 3: Assessment: Understanding Buildings and Their Condition Surveying Mortars, Renders and Plasters Symptoms and Diagnosis of Causes of Deterioration Part 4: Treatment and Repair: Project Planning and development Mortars for Conservation Mortar Design and Specification Preparation of Mortars for Conservation Using Lime Mortar: Good Practice Desalination Repointing Conservation of Render and Plaster on Solid Background Conservation of Render and Plaster on Flexible Support Conservation of Decorative Plaster and Render Other Treatments Part 5: Care and Maintenance: Building MaintenancePart 6: Special Topics: Paints for Plaster and Render Decorative Painting on Plaster and Render Natural Cements Mortar Floors Ruins Appendices Glossary Bibliography Index