Residential • Heritage

No. 2 Ravenscliffe, Laxey

Laxey, Isle of Man

The finished rear elevation at Ravenscliffe, render taken over the whole gable

Looking up the front bay, repaired cornices and moulded window heads against the sky

Project Details

Location Laxey, Isle of Man

Year Completed 2015

Client Type Residential

Project Type

Residential Heritage

Finishes & Techniques Used

Render Systems

One house, three elevations, three completely different specifications.

This property had undergone extensive refurbishment, and the outside of it could not be treated as one job. Each elevation had a different substrate behind it, in a different condition, so the external elevations commanded three differing specifications. That is normal on an older building, and it is the part nobody ever sees.

Front elevation

The render on the front was unsightly, and areas of the embellishments — the cornices and mouldings that give the elevation its shape — were broken or missing. KEIM Restauro Top stone repair material was used to repair and replace the existing cornices and mouldings. That part is restoration rather than decorating: the detail has to be formed back so it reads properly again, and no coating on earth will hide a broken moulding.

With the detail made good, the render panels were over-rendered with KEIM Universal Render at 5mm thickness to equalise the surfaces, followed by two coats of KEIM Soldalit-ME mineral paint.

Gable elevation

The gable had been completely re-rendered in a lime render. Lime has to breathe, so the natural choice over it is a mineral paint finish and nothing else. One coat of KEIM Soldalit Fixativ went on first to reduce the porosity of the substrate while keeping its moisture vapour permeability where it should be. That was followed by one coat of KEIM Contact Plus Grob, a high build mineral paint, and a full coat of KEIM Soldalit-ME.

Rear elevation

The rear elevations were original unpainted sand and cement render. Once repairs to the render were done, KEIM Algicid was applied to kill algae and fungal spores — there is no point sealing living growth in under a new finish. Then one coat of Contact Plus Grob to equalise the surfaces, and finishing coats of KEIM Soldalit-ME.

Three specifications, one finish

Three substrates, three different build-ups, and a finish that matches all the way round the building. The warranty period on the work is a minimum of 15 years.