APT have been providing stone cleaning for over 35 years. We specialise in cleaning, restoration and conservation of sensitive stone. Our sympathetic cleaning methods, allows us to work with some of the most prestigious organisations like, English Heritage, Historic England, Welsh Heritage and Historic Scotland.
Using Soda Blasting and Heated Steam Cleaning, we clean stone in a sympathetic and non-damaging manner. We are trusted by architects, surveyors and conservation authorities and we are regularly relied upon for our expertise in stone cleaning and restoration.
We take the time to assess your unique requirements, including your processes, downtime, and long-term goals. Our commitment to helping our clients achieve their objectives is unwavering, and we always strive to provide customised solutions that align with their business needs.
Why is Stone Cleaning so Important?
Stone cleaning is crucial for preserving the health of the surface of the stone. Contractors have historically offered several stone cleaning techniques without proper consideration for their impact or the range of natural materials. Outdated methods like high pressure jet washing can cause permanent damage the substrate material and compromise its structural integrity, leading to expensive repairs.
Buildings are made up of various materials, such as sandstone, limestone, granite, brick, and terracotta, bound together with lime mortar. Other factors like colour, texture, tooling, form, and decay can further complicate the cleaning process. After cleaning, incidents of resoiling, iron mobilisation, efflorescence, vandalism, and graffiti may arise.
We suggest using contractors have the right accreditations and use approved cleaning equipment. Our teams are recommended by some of the most prestigious organisations and we would provide a full site survey on your requirements. APT operate nationwide around the schedule of your organisation to avoid disruption.
To learn more about our specialist stone cleaning services, get in touch or call us on 0800 0723 773.
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Why Is Stone Cleaning So Important?
Our team of highly experienced stone cleaners specialise in non-abrasive methods that can effectively remove the toughest stains and organic matter, including fungi, algae, and lichen. These methods are carefully adjusted to meet the appropriate pressure levels, and they work delicately to kill biological spores and sterilize the stone, preventing further infestations.
In addition to removing surface coatings like oil, grease, vermin staining, graffiti, and biological matter, our eco-friendly and gentle techniques are approved by conservation cleaning experts for historic structures and buildings under conservation.
Here’s how we helped Welsh Heritage with their stone cleaning at Chepstow Castle:
“We were so impressed at the capabilities of the machine we have granted APT authority to be used on the Cadw sited throughout Wales as and when required. We at Opus international consultants (were Cadw consultants) have sent a memorandum to all its offices to confirm inclusion in any job specification drawn on behalf of their client Cadw where surface cleaning was recommended or required.”
Richard Turner
Why APT For Cleaning Stone?
Choose APT for your stone cleaning needs and rest assured that you won’t be taking any risks. As specialists in the field, we draw on our background as a chemicals company to select the right products for the job.
Our team is fully accredited and equipped to handle even the most complex stone cleaning challenges, with detailed site surveys and site-specific RAMS.
Our eco-friendly, biodegradable, and non-toxic cleaning products and methods ensure that our stone cleaning services are safe for the environment and will not damage the surface.
With experience cleaning a variety of stone types, including Portland Stone, Bath Stone, Sand Stone, Granite, and Marble, we provide tailored solutions to meet the unique requirements of each stone type and deliver exceptional results.
Trust a company with a proven track record – choose APT for your stone cleaning needs.
Clean Stone FAQS
How to clean stone?
Stone cleaning is a specialist cleaning service and should only be carried out by accredited professionals. We use two specialist and gentle cleaning methods to effectively clean stone without causing harm to the surface. Using old fashioned stone cleaning methods could cause more damage than good is likely to cause long-lasting damage to the surface. Damaged surfaces quickly lead to lacking structural integrity and causing costly repairs.
How to clean old stone buildings?
When it comes to cleaning stone, building owners and managers are often faced with a dilemma – to clean stone or not to clean stone. Without cleaning stone, your building will not only continue to look unkept, but lichens, bird lime and other pollutants can be damaging to the stone surface having accumulated over the years. Stone cleaning services must be specialist, ensuring that they are using suitable stone cleaning products, whilst being sympathetic to the stone surfaces, ensuring that they remain undamaged. Commonly, companies just use abrasive discs, acid for stone cleaning, high pressure washing and grit (sand blasting) for stone cleaning.
How to clean stone monuments in church's?
Stone cleaning requires effective and sympathetic cleaning methods. APT are one of the longest standing stone cleaning companies in the UK we have developed not only non-damaging cleaning methods, but environmentally friendly ones too. soda blasting is a unique method used to clean stone, it’s also suitable for cleaning paving stones, stone floor cleaning, cleaning a stone fireplace and can also be used to clean Indian stone. APT have been using soda blasting for over 35 years, it’s one of our preferred stone cleaning techniques. Using a vortex of compressed air to carry specially graded sodium bicarbonate crystals, soda blasting will remove:
- Lime & cement-based paints
- Paint residues
- Some old oil-based paints
- Carbon and bitumen
- Limescale
- Micro-organism blooms
- Bird fouling
- All other surface contamination
How to clean natural stone?
When it comes to cleaning natural stone, the priority is to ensure that no damage is made to the surface material. Commonly, companies just use abrasive discs, acid for stone cleaning, high pressure washing and grit (sand blasting) for stone cleaning. However, since APT are one of the longest standing stone cleaning companies in the UK we have developed not only non-damaging cleaning methods, but environmentally friendly ones too. soda blasting is our preferred method used to clean any type of stone since it is an environmentally friendly cleaning method that is safe to use on all types of surface materials.
How to clean stone floors?
A huge benefit of using soda blasting as part of our stone cleaning service is that is can be used for cleaning the exterior of stone buildings, cleaning stone paving, for stone floor cleaning and can be used to clean sensitive objects such as cemetery stones and the like. Cleaning stone floors is paramount to ensure a good impression is provided to visitors, clients and staff who enter the building. When it comes to cleaning stone floors, its essential to ensure that the cleaning method does not leave any residues on the surface of the flooring, for example not leaving sticky residues or slippery residues. This could leave to damage and safety issues for individuals in the building.
How to clean exterior stone veneer?
Soda blasting is one of our preferred methods of stone cleaning and revitalising. This sympathetic brick cleaning method enables us to clean stone and other building facades without causing damage to the substrate materials and joint mortars. soda blasting uses precision compressed air to fire specially graded sodium bicarbonate crystals at the stone wall (or other brick surface) to remove any unwanted surface deposits. Working from the outside in soda blasting gently removes successive layers of contamination, until the suitable brick cleaning has been achieved. Soda blasting is an environmentally friendly stone cleaning technology that is not abrasive and will not damage stones and mortar.
How to clean a stone fireplace?
Cleaning any type of stone, including fireplaces requires specialist cleaning techniques. We use soda blasting and superheated steam cleaning methods to clean stone. Using sympathetic, gentle cleaning methods ensures that unwanted deposits and stains are removed, without impacting and damaging the stone surface.
Contact APT today to gain expert advice on how best to clean your stone fireplace.
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Related Cleaning Products
Our sister company, APT Commercial Chemicals is a trusted UK-based manufacturer and supplier of specialist cleaning chemicals with over 30 years of experience, serving some of the UK's largest businesses including the NHS, BAE Systems, Tata Steel, the BBC and more.
Stone Cleaning Articles
Get a Quote for Our Stone Cleaning Services
At APT, we’re dedicated to delivering superior stone cleaning services for buildings across the UK. With our advanced cleaning products and proven techniques, we offer affordable solutions for revitalizing the beauty and hygiene of your building’s stonework. This not only improves its appearance but also provides long-term cost savings.
Our specialists are available to answer any questions you may have and offer a complimentary on-site survey if you’ve already chosen to use our services. So why wait? Contact us today to experience the APT difference and discover how we can transform the look of your building’s stonework.
