

The Leading Restoration Specialist in East Anglia
The Leading Restoration Specialist in East Anglia
In the beginning
In the beginning
We are often asked for help and guidance on many aspects of period home restoration, we will help and guide you through the process of refurbishment from recommending the best cleaning method for your beams to repairing and patching of lime plaster walls, beautifully cleaned honey-coloured beams need the plaster work and other surfaces to be sound and in good condition to show their true potential, making the room homely, warm and a nice place to relax.
Our directors own an old farmhouse c1560 and have spent many years perfecting the restoration methods for beam cleaning, plastering and repairs and maintenance, as owners of the business and an old house we want to share the knowledge and experience we have gained.
In furtherance of this we are in the process of developing a series of short videos on YouTube to assist the DIY enthusiast in making repairs in their home.
The videos will be linked to this site and will include:-
- Media and dry ice blasting cleaning.
- Repair and patching of lime plaster infill panels
- How to replace the substrate of an infill prior to plastering
Watch out for further titles, coming soon.
In the meantime give us a call to arrange a site visit.
At Dry Ice Restoration we understand the decision to undertake the removal of paint and or grime from your beams can be a difficult one, “can our beams be restored”? “How much mess will there be?”, and “what will my beams look like once they have been cleaned”? these are all valid questions and are best answered during a site visit where one of our skilled and experience staff will take you through the process and answer any specific questions you may have.
Remember it costs nothing to ask for a visit to your home, we are professional experienced restorers of historic period homes with over 30 years’ experience.
To book a no obligation free site visit please give us a call and we can arrange a suitable time and date.
Remember it costs nothing to ask for a visit to your home, we are professional experienced restorers of historic period homes with over 30 years’ experience.
To book a no obligation free site visit please give us a call and we can arrange a suitable time and date.
Consultation, advice and site visits
Consultation, advice and site visits
Historic timber buildings were generally built by skilled craftsman from materials that were readily available and close to hand. Timbers from old ships were recycled or timbers were taken from fire damaged houses to construct the new building. Where timbers were unavailable the beams would be collected from local forests, either cut for the purpose or collected where they fell. In general cottages i.e. 2 up 2 down would have fairly large beams on the ground floor and smaller branches would be used to support the roof. In more grand houses the beams would be substantial and may have elaborate carvings on the ends of beams, fluting would also be present but only where the owner was wealthy and could afford craftsman’s time to carve by hand the delicate detail.
The type of timber used varied, Oak, Elm and other species of timbers were used. Each type of timber, its age, when it was cut or used, how it was stored and what paint finishes it has will dictate the colour of the beam when cleaned. It should be noted that some beams may have been replaced with lesser timbers i.e. pine.
In the past it was the fashion to paint the beams black, this initially made the beams uniform in colour and helped fill in the cracks/splits and other unwanted marks. However, this makes the beams very dark and oppressive and hides any deterioration of the timber and will also stop the timber from breathing.
Originally oak beams were left natural i.e., untreated, some were coated with lime wash to add a level of decoration and others left to age naturally to a silver colour.
Many period homeowners want to experience the true beauty of the timber in their home and would like to find a way to bring the beams back to their original state. This can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but revealing the beams adds a new dimension to your home, making it feel brighter, fresher, and clean. As a consequence of cleaning, homeowners have found historic marks on the beams, ritual marks, carpenter’s marks and candle burn impressions, a great conversation piece.
The type of timber used varied, Oak, Elm and other species of timbers were used. Each type of timber, its age, when it was cut or used, how it was stored and what paint finishes it has will dictate the colour of the beam when cleaned. It should be noted that some beams may have been replaced with lesser timbers i.e. pine.
In the past it was the fashion to paint the beams black, this initially made the beams uniform in colour and helped fill in the cracks/splits and other unwanted marks. However, this makes the beams very dark and oppressive and hides any deterioration of the timber and will also stop the timber from breathing.
Originally oak beams were left natural i.e., untreated, some were coated with lime wash to add a level of decoration and others left to age naturally to a silver colour.
Many period homeowners want to experience the true beauty of the timber in their home and would like to find a way to bring the beams back to their original state. This can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but revealing the beams adds a new dimension to your home, making it feel brighter, fresher, and clean. As a consequence of cleaning, homeowners have found historic marks on the beams, ritual marks, carpenter’s marks and candle burn impressions, a great conversation piece.
Methods to clean beams
Methods to clean beams
You may discover candle burns of various types, typically on the beam over your fire place or on timbers which may have been taken from other places.
This promisary note was found in a gap between beams during cleaning, dated December1809.
You may discover carvings, this one is rare, however most cleaned rooms will show up carpenters marks, used in the original construction of the house.
There are many methods available to remove paint dirt or grime and soot/fire damage, from the surface of the timber:-
Chemicals, can be dangerous and messy, unsafe for children and pets, it is slow and difficult to use.
Power Sanding, extremely messy and very time consuming, very difficult to clean irregular surfaces.
Colourising, making them look like beams but overpainted. Not really a choice.
Dry Ice cleaning minimal damage to the timber, reveals the true beauty of the oak and retains any historical markings.
Media blasting, with a skilled operator this method achieves excellent results and will remove difficult paint systems which Dry Ice may find difficult to remove.
Chemicals, can be dangerous and messy, unsafe for children and pets, it is slow and difficult to use.
Power Sanding, extremely messy and very time consuming, very difficult to clean irregular surfaces.
Colourising, making them look like beams but overpainted. Not really a choice.
Dry Ice cleaning minimal damage to the timber, reveals the true beauty of the oak and retains any historical markings.
Media blasting, with a skilled operator this method achieves excellent results and will remove difficult paint systems which Dry Ice may find difficult to remove.