Stone cleaning London
Stone is far less forgiving than brick. Portland and Bath stone carry soft, absorbent surfaces beneath their weathered crust, and once that crust is blasted off the stone erodes quickly. Our approach is conservation-led: identify the stone, test the method, and remove only the soiling - never the surface. We clean stone facades, porticos, monuments, churches and civic buildings across London and the home counties.
What we clean
Portland & Bath stone
Black sulphation crusts removed without eroding the soft stone beneath them.
Limestone & sandstone
Gentle, tested methods for absorbent stone where pressure washing would cause permanent damage.
Marble & granite
Polished and honed surfaces cleaned back without dulling or scratching the finish.
Carved & ornamental detail
Small-nozzle work around mouldings, capitals, balustrades and statuary.
Churches & landmarks
Listed and civic buildings cleaned under conservation-led methodology and specification.
Limescale & staining
Run-off staining, limescale and iron marks reduced without acid-etching the stone.
TORC on stone
TORC is the system most conservation officers accept on historic stone. A swirling vortex of low-pressure water, air and fine granulate lifts the soiling off the surface rather than cutting into it.
It is particularly effective on the hard carbon sulphation crusts that form on sheltered areas of London stonework - the black bands under cornices and behind columns.
Nozzles and granulate grade are matched to the stone, and a test panel is always agreed before full works begin.
DOFF on stone
For biological growth, algae and organic staining on stone, DOFF's superheated low-pressure water sterilises the surface and slows regrowth without chemical treatment.
It also removes paints, waxes, gum and grease from stone where the coating sits on the surface rather than in it.
No chemicals means no run-off staining and no residue left to react with the stone later.
Survey, test, then clean
Every stone cleaning job starts with identifying the stone type and the nature of the soiling. Those two facts decide the method - not the other way round.
Cleaning is also the survey: once the face is clean, the real condition of the stone, the joints and the previous repairs is finally visible, and we come back to you with what the elevation actually needs.
Where repair, indenting or repointing is required afterwards, we carry it out under the same scaffold.
Common questions
Other services
Talk to us about your project.
A few photographs of the facade are usually enough for us to understand the scope.