With such a diverse range of architectural styles and construction materials used, the buildings of Towns and Cities across Scotland all feature such varied stonework material.
Yet they are all susceptible to traffic pollution, vegetation staining and lead paint.
Yet stonework cleaning is a complex issue as with such a wide range of natural materials being used in building construction, you will often see buildings made from any of the following types of stone (and sometime a combination of more than one):
Sandstone
Sandstone is by far the most used stonework on buildings in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is a soft building stone material that weathers easily and because it is porous, absorbs water easily. Its ease of carving and shaping made it a firm favourite for construction use as Glasgow grew.
Blonde Sandstone
Blonde Sandstone quarries local to the area made this type of stonework popular in the West of Scotland but blonde sandstone can darken easily through air pollution.
Red Sandstone
As cities like Glasgow grew, red sandstone was sourced from further afield and replaced blonde sandstone as the construction material of choice in the Central Belt of Scotland.
Grey Sandstone
Looking more like blonde sandstone to the untrained eye, Grey sandstone is a common feature on homes in Edinburgh, sourced from Craigleith Quarry, the famous quarry located just outside of Edinburgh and active for over 300 years!
Granite
Famous in Aberdeen and the Grampian area thanks to local mines rich in the strong stone material. Its dark grey colour runs through the city and its older buildings.
Basalt / Dolerite (Whinstone)
Dense rocks such as basalt and dolerite were often used in combination with other stone materials for building construction but due to its hard nature, was difficult to cut and shape so was rarely used for design detailing.
Brick
The humble brick dates back to 7000bc but is actually a generic term for the construction of a clay related block. This means that they comes in numerous classes, materials, sizes and even variations dependent on region of production and period when they were made.
As a leading stonework cleaning contractor in Scotland, it is important that we understand the history and construction techniques behind building and stonework usage so that we can offer the very best in cleaning service. We can provide a complete stonework cleaning service that delicately cleans stonework to remove lead paint, graffiti, carbon smoke staining, air pollution staining and vegetation growth without damaging the stonework beneath.
