What brownstone Restoration covers
Brownstone is a soft sandstone that fails by delaminating in sheets parallel to the face. Much of the damage seen on New York brownstones was caused by earlier repairs in cement, which is harder than the stone and traps moisture behind it.
Brownstone is a soft sandstone that fails by delaminating in sheets parallel to the face. Much of the damage seen on New York brownstones was caused by earlier repairs in cement, which is harder than the stone and traps moisture behind it.
Careful repair of brownstone facades, where the stone delaminates in layers and past repairs often caused the damage.
Waystar carries out this work on residential and commercial property in Brooklyn and across New York City. Every project starts with a look at the building, and the scope, the materials and the figures are written down before anything begins.
When might you need it?
These are the signs owners usually notice first.
- Stone face lifting away in flat sheets
- Old cement patches cracking and shedding the stone behind them
- Detail and moulding lost from cornices, sills and steps
- A brown paint coating hiding and holding moisture in the stone
- Open joints letting water behind the face
What the work involves
- Survey of sound stone, delaminated areas and previous repairs
- Failed cement patches carefully removed
- Loose material taken back to a sound substrate
- Repair mortar matched to the stone in colour, texture and softness
- Dutchman stone repairs where the loss is deep
- Mouldings and profiles reformed to match the original
How the process works
Map what is sound
Not all of a distressed elevation needs work, and knowing where to stop saves money.
Remove failed repairs
Old cement usually has to come off before anything can be done properly.
Match the repair material
Softer than the stone, matched for colour and texture, tested on a sample area.
Reform the detail
Profiles and mouldings are rebuilt rather than simplified away.
What you get
- Repairs softer than the stone, so moisture escapes through them
- Original detail and profile recovered rather than flattened
- The cause of the delamination addressed alongside the damage
What affects the scope
- How much of the elevation is delaminated
- How much previous cement repair has to be removed
- Whether deep loss needs Dutchman stone rather than mortar
- The amount of moulded detail to be reformed
This is a preliminary planning range, not a quote. A property visit is required before any price is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the last repair make it worse?
Cement repair on brownstone is harder than the stone. Moisture cannot pass through it, so it comes out through the stone instead and takes the face with it.
Should brownstone be painted?
Generally not. Impermeable coatings trap moisture in a stone that needs to breathe, which is a common cause of the sheet delamination you see.
Can lost carving be recovered?
Profiles and mouldings can be reformed in repair mortar or new stone. Elaborate carving is specialist work, and we will tell you when it needs a specialist.
Services often needed alongside this
This service is part of Masonry and Facade Restoration.
