Weber concrete repair system key to Clapham Park renovations
Clapham Park in Lambeth, South London is a residential area of more than 3000 homes in 50 multi-storey blocks, developed mainly by London County Council in the 1920s and later by the Greater London Council and Lambeth Council. In more recent times the Estate has been selected as a pilot scheme for the New Deal for Communities with multi-million pound investment planned by the London Borough of Lambeth. In 2006 the properties were transferred to the control of Clapham Park Homes, the new community led housing association which is part of the Metropolitan Housing Partnership, and regeneration of the properties and community has now commenced.
The first three apartment blocks at Tillsons Gardens, which have provided social housing for decades, are being totally renovated internally and externally. Additional resident access is being formed and the buildings are to receive new fenestration, replacement doors, new service systems and interior restructuring. Externally the neo-Georgian brick facades are being cleaned and repaired with matching brick stock and substantial concrete repairs are using the high-build weber.cem HB30 repair system.
weber.cem HB30 is a single component, polymer modified, high-build cementitious mortar with fibres, designed for concrete repairs to facades and soffits where high compressive strength is not the prime consideration. weber.cem HB30 is ideal for overhead and vertical repairs and at Clapham Park the extensive external walkways are requiring numerous patch repairs prior to refinishing. weber.cem HB30 is a lightweight, low-permeability, medium strength mortar that is easy to apply and can be used to build up to 100mm vertically and 75mm thick in overhead applications without the need for formwork. HB30 achieves 30N/mm² hardness after 28 days and has a special low shrinkage formulation that shows less than 0.02% shrinkage when fully dry after 28 days.
Concrete repair specialist Lawtech is carrying out the work on behalf of Durkan Contractors Ltd, the main project contractor. Lawtech’s Mick Chapman explains the process: “We cut out the blown concrete with angle grinders to get a hard straight edge of substrate making certain that we have at least a 10mm depth to fill to ensure a really hard bond. Where this exposes rebar or other steel we clean this right back to fresh surface and apply a protective coating of weber.cemkeycoat to act as a holding primer. The weber.cem HB30 is mixed with clean water in a low-shear, forced-action machine to avoid aerating the material and we hand pack the repair whilst the keycoat is still tacky. If we have to go very deep to get sound bonding we will put in a first layer and let that cure before packing the finish layer. We use a wood float to give the best possible finish for the paint or coating renovation to follow. We have to repair some of the big window lintel castings and we put up a flat shuttering board to help support the packing whilst it cures. The weber.cem HB30 is so easy to use and gives us a really sound bond and good finish.”
Further details about Weber concrete repair systems are available on 01525 722169, or visit www.netweber.co.uk for product information, performance criteria and case studies.