When Mark bought the Grade II listed Bath Lodge in Ormskirk, it was described as being in ‘very bad’ condition on the English Heritage ‘Buildings at Risk’ register. “There was no roof, and almost every wall had to be rebuilt or completely re-pointed,” he said. “We’ve effectively built a completely new house inside the original walls of the building, tying the two together for support, and also added a new extension.”
One of Mark’s challenges was to find the best way to protect and decorate the stunning lime render arches and tracery which give the building its unique character. “We were really anxious to decorate the exteriors sympathetically,” he said. “Because of the Grade II listing we were obliged to make any repairs with original materials, so we’d naturally used lime mortar on the arches. However, we were reluctant to use limewash to decorate and maintain it because it’s such a caustic product and not at all pleasant to work with.”
Southport Crown Decorating Centre recommended the Sandtex Trade Integrasil system, being one of very few coating systems available in the UK considered suitable for application over lime render. Manager Antony Owen explained, “Integrasil doesn’t just offer long term decoration; it penetrates right into the substrate and helps to consolidate it. The system provides effective weather protection but without forming an impermeable film across the surface, so water vapour molecules can escape and the building is allowed to breathe”. To provide additional assistance Antony arranged for specification consultants from Crown Paints to visit the site and after surveying the property they provided Mark with a fully detailed system and application specification.
Mark followed the three coat Integrasil system prescribed. When Integrasil Primer was first applied to the walls, it took him by surprise: “It was so simple to apply, and was absorbed so quickly that initially I had doubts about how effective the system was going to be,” he said. “But with the next two coats of mineral paint we built up a generous, opaque matt finish which had the sandstone effect we were hoping to achieve. The richness of the coating also meant that the many little repairs we’d made were hardly noticeable after they’d been painted.”
As the TV programme showed, Mark has completed his challenging project and is now living in Bath Lodge with his family as planned. He concluded: “This has been a real labour of love for me, and I’m delighted that I’ve been able to preserve a piece of our architectural heritage for years to come. The support I’ve had from Crown Paints has been invaluable, and as far as Sandtex Trade Integrasil is concerned I’ve discovered a really good alternative to lime washing and an ideal way to protect and decorate heritage buildings.”