A raft of
products from Safeguard Europe – the UK’s leading specialist in damp-proofing
and waterproofing technology – helped to restore a community centre in the
Cumbrian village of Botcherby after damage caused by Storm Desmond.
The
centre’s kitchen, vital to many of its groups and activities, had been out of
use for two years.
Specialist
contractor RTC Preservation installed Safeguard products internally and
externally. As well as returning the kitchen to its original state, the
products were specified to better protect the property should flooding happen
again.
Externally,
RTC applied Stormdry Masonry Protection cream to the brickwork, having first
repointed any cracks or gaps using mortar containing a flood protection
additive such as Stormdry Repointing Additive.
“The
purpose of the masonry protection cream is to stop the water getting into the
brickwork and to aid drying out afterwards,” explains Clementine Walker,
research development laboratory manager at Safeguard. Unlike some ostensibly
similar products, both the masonry protection cream and the mortar additive
allow the walls to breath.
Internally,
RTC replaced timber studding with blockwork up to a height of 1.2m and used
Vandex Uni-Mortar 1 Joint Fill Compound to fill the gap between the floor and
wall, one of the most common paths for water ingress. The contractor then
applied two coats of Drybase Liquid Applied Damp Proof membrane to the floor.
On the
internal face of the kitchen’s external walls, RTC installed Dryzone
damp-resistant plaster. On the ‘internal internal’ walls, RTC used Safeguard’s
express system: moisture-resistant plasterboard fixed with Dryzone Drygrip
waterproof adhesive. All walls were skimmed with Dryzone Hi-Lime finishing
plaster.
Both
Dryzone damp-resistant plaster and Dryzone Hi-Lime finishing plaster have been
designed to prevent salt migration and both are porous to aid evaporation. This
means they can be left in-situ to dry out should flooding occur again.
By
combining the Safeguard systems above with flood-resilient doors and windows,
self-closing air bricks and non-return valves where necessary, the kitchen at
Botcherby Community Centre is back in use and should be able to recover from
any future disasters in a far shorter time.
