cotswold stone walls

[weas]

please help , how can rain penertrate the wall in a storm when the pointing is in prefect condition and how do i sort it
thank you

[heathfield]

Cotswold stone is porous, so if it is constantly in contact with water, the water will eventually seep through. Have you seen those programmes about hurricanes, where the wind drives the rain through a couple of feet of solid concrete?
You wouldn't want to paint the wall, so the only answer is probably some sort of clear waterproofing coating,. There are quite a few available, and a search on Google for 'waterproof walls' will show them.

[jake-the-peg]

Woah there.

Is this a new or an old house?

Period houses often do not have a damp proof course and are designed for moisture to evaporate through permeable finishes.

Painting such a wall with a waterproof coating will effectively seal in moisture and make things much worse.

Of course if it's relatively modern then no problem

[heathfield]

Jake, FYI many of the coatings available are deemed 'waterproof' but nevertheless are 'breathable'

[weas]

thanks for all advice ,it is an old house about 1850 had a flood in the storm end of january insurance says get lost it must be the pointing

[heathfield]

If the house was built in 1850, of Cotwold stone, then the pointing would have been lime mortar. Repointing should always be carried out using the same material. Using cement mortar instead is asking for trouble.
But lime mortar is not waterproof, and that's the whole point of using it on porous stone. It allows any moisture in the stone to pass through it. Cement pointing blocks the water, leaving the base of each stone damp. Come the frosts, this is a sure way to get spalling masonry.
Tell your insurers to go boil their heads and let them get a second opinion from someone who knows.

[weas]

cheers heathfield !do you have any recommendation for future protection ? the insurance refused a second opinoin when i asked for a stone mason to look at it

[jake-the-peg]

Heathfields right about lime morter - a really common problem is people putting cement pointing in which is harder than the stone and causes endless trouble.

Have you heard of SPAB?
http://www.spab.org.uk/

They are the society for the protection of historic buildings and do a lot of factsheets and stuff for period houses and I think there's a help line too

[weas]

fab website thank you so much