Roof and Pews!

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

Back again with some more stuff to ponder over!

1) Fresh woodworm outbreak in the church pews :-( These pews are made out of North American Pine - which I believe is meant to be very resistant to these nasty little bugs. They have made a right mess of the footrests in particular - I can get photos up later on if need be. Any ideas on what is the best way of eradicating these?

2) The church roof is in very good condition overall, having only approx 17 slates blown off over the last 10 years as the church is by the sea, gales in excess of 90mph are fairly common, which means that within the next few years 1 side is going to have to be scaffolded etc for repairs. Please see http://petermacleod.work.googlepages.com/IMG_1348.JPG . This mould/algae/lichen looks as bad in real life as it does in the photos. I'm aware that some people say that it's fine just to leave it alone. However, as far as we're concerned it must come off. Has anyone any experience/knowledge of using copper strips to kill off the stuff?

Thanks,

Peter

 

[Nemesis]

I think it looks fine - what's wrong with lichen?

 

[worms]

Peter,

Did you ever find a source of sand of a suitable colour for your mortar? Or has it weathered to the right colour now?

Actually, having zoomed in on the photo, I can see the pointing on the chimney that you were mentioning before - looks good! Since the scaffolding is down, I assume that you got the pointing all finished?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Worms,

I could only get commercial sharp sand locally from Travis Perkins! We used a strong mix on the chimney which was left entirely alone (turned brilliant, then off-white to the colour it is now).

Try http://petermacleod.work.googlepages.com to see the difference when the sharp sand was rubbed/"patted" in just before the mix went "green" hard. The main wall you see in the photo I put on today has had that treatment - and is weathering even more nicely!

I've got all of this year's pointing done, but there's more cement to be removed yet next year behind the turret but so far so good!

Let me know if I can help with experimenting... I found that adding topsoil to the mix looked ok at first - but then it went white - apart from one small section where it looks exactly like cement. That'll be taken out next year though

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Nemesis,

One thing I especially hate about lichen is that it keeps on thickening and spreading to the point where it obscures missing/slipped slates. I'd have to post a photo of the church from about 10 years ago to show just how much it spread!

We're really after a nice fairly clean roof because this particular building suits it. The opposite side of the roof is sparkling clean and we can spot any potential problems instantly...

 

[Nemesis]

Binoculars... the lichen is lovely stuff! It looks sort of timeless.

Wonderful building though!

 

[Lime]

I think you are quite lucky to have such lichen.
Some would say that it helps to hold the tiles down in the wind.
However both lead (as seen on the photo) and copper will kill it.

 

[Penners]

lichen is lovely stuff! It looks sort of timeless.

I agree. And removing it is like painting the Forth bridge. You get the roof clear of it, then it just starts growing again!

 

[Anonymous]

Well........I have to say I think I'm pretty much by myself on this one; I never quite realised that most people thought positively about the stuff. I wonder if that's what most random punters think?

Anyone have ideas about the woodworm? (which is probably more pressing concern!)

And all the best to everyone for the approaching new year!

Peter

 

[Nemesis]

Lichen:

http://www.thebls.org.uk/

http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/research/Asilverside/lichens/index.html



Woodworm... I'm sure you will get more response after Christmas!

 

[Tom]

I'm with everyone else on the lichen subject - it's looks lovely! Are you aware that some people go to great lengths to recreate that look? It really would be a shame to remove it

Jaqy

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the links Nemesis!

I have to say I'm weakening...I can hardly believe that so many people like it and as DWB says, try to recreate it?! I'm certainly not a stick in the mud when it comes to new/different viewpoints - so thanks for everyone telling what they think; it really is making me reconsider the +'s and the -'s.

I always thought that the church roof would look better without that lichen on it,as well as the point of being able to check it for missing/slipped slates. However it's great getting all your thoughts in, because I'm sure some of you are only seeing the church for the 1st time. The church is in the most exposed location in the village, and you can see the slate roof way before you enter the village (and pretty much everywhere in the village too). It seems to have caught the "worst" of the lichen as all the other houses are either not affected or have moss instead on the tiles - the few remaining slate roofs on the houses are not really affected as badly, perhaps because they are more sheltered? That might explain why the other side of the church roof is spotless...

Well, we'll see how things go; any more words of wisdom/thoughts just post them up!

 

[biffvernon]

Let the lichen live, but give the pew feet a soak in a borax-based insecticide. Standing on a 'breathing' floor the feet probably have a moisture content high enough to support the woodworm. It'll dry out once you get the place lived in and heated so you should not get so much trouble in the future - the worms don't thrive in dry wood.

 

[Nemesis]

It's very early for woodworm to be emerging surely?

 

[Lime]

If comment about the general appearance of the church is requested then what caught my eye initially were the missing matching ridge tiles.
Other than that the general state of the building appears good and sound.
The lichen adds to the view and gives the building charm as well as being totally appropriate for the setting.

 

[Anonymous]

Lime do you know where I could get some ridge tiles made up or find some? (none available locally) The ridge tiles were smashed off along with the finial (missing from end of main roof, but in storage) blew off in a storm in the '50s and damaged the vestry roof. That's how strong the wind is here!

The tradesmen back then were probably in a hurry as they did not make a neat job of putting the replacement stone ridging that the decorative ridge sits on top of and it leaks (yet be sorted!).

Nemesis, the building was constructed in the 1890's but using much material ie. some stone and the slates from an earlier building (on the same site) dating back to the 1st half of the 19th century. However, all the wood is "new" from 1890 ish! The front of the church has brand new stone.

Biff, is this treatment suitable for other applications? There are isolated areas of woodworm elswhere in the building - a little here and there in 1 or 2 rafters for example. The problem with heating the building is that it's used mostly only once or twice each Sunday for around 3 hours, sometimes more, as it's a fully working church complete with congregation! There are other buildings that are also used for worship. The strange thing is that the church is actually warm inside during the rest of the week. It retains the heat very well indeed - and all of the wood is absolutely bone dry - especially up in the loft.

Apologies for the extra complications!

Peter

 

[Penners]

It's very early for woodworm to be emerging surely?

Nemesis, these are Scots woodworm. Much tougher and hardier than the namby-pamby sassenach ones.

 

[Anonymous]

Ha :-D

you tell him Penners ;-)

 

[Penners]

you tell him Penners

...or possibly her...!

 

[Anonymous]

Oh sugar.



I'll do my research next time!

Peter