This week me and Harry have been working at Swindon Magistrates Court. The internal courtyard required crack stitching as you can see in the pictures below. Crack stitching is a fantastic way to stop further cracking and subsidence. This is the work we were referring to in last weeks blog that was using Calcium Silicate Bricks. We started by cutting with my Makita 9 inch angle grinder. It is perfect for this work, I cut a slot of between 25 mm - 35 mm and making sure there is a distance of at least 500 mm each side of the cracks. As you can see below I was installing over the top of windows as well to reinforce the masonry to stop the pressure from effecting that fixture due to cracking. When cutting I use a vacuum attached to the grinder to stop unwanted dust being expelled everywhere. For this I use the Starmix Safeplus I Pulse Certified M Class Vacuum attached to a dust free grinder hood. Does the job a treat and saves on tidy up, so would highly recommend!
After this I hoover out the slots to remove the dust and then wash the slots out so no residue is left. Then it is time to cut the Bar Flex and dry fit it to make sure of a good application. For this job I am using 6 mm Bar Flex which I cut to size and when I know it is a good fit, it is time to install. For this I run a bead of Bond Flex into the back of the slot. Bar Flex has a CE Declaration of Performance and UKCA Declaration of Performance so it really does the job! I then fit the Bar Flex in and using the Bond Flex Gun again seal it with a layer over the top over the bar. Then using my pointing trowel, point up and hey presto! The reinforcement is in place, the pointing makes it look like no work has been done and the masonry is reinforced.
My team and I used this technique all round the courtyard, it took 5 days to get the whole job done. This was an add on job due to how good the job we done with the wall tie replacement and it is always great to get a job done!
Thursday I took a trip over to Lechlade to perform a survey for a Lintel repair over a PVC window. These can be interesting jobs as with Bar Flex you can reinforce the failed lintel without having to replace it! So I look forward to giving the solution the clients structural issues to make sure they have their masonry sorted out!
Friday I took a trip up to Thame at The Oxfordshire Golf and Spa Hotel to attend a CPD Event put on by Target Structural Chiltern Regional Director Chris Knight, with a presentation from Target Fixings Director Christian Hall. A really good presentation with free breakfast to go with it! It is always great to meet others in the same industry, like minded and good conversation on the trade. I had a lovely end to the week going to the Cotswolds Wildlife Park, which I would also highly recommend!
This week brings new Surveys for Bowing Walls, a Drain Survey, Quarterly meetings and all the usual fun for a Regional Director! Look forward to speaking to you next week, have a good week everyone!
Robert Balanel
Cotswolds Regional Director
