Timber Repairs at the St Andrews Tennis Club

Richardson & Starling have been invited to carry out external timber repairs to preserve this local tennis club in St Andrews. Damp affected handrails and timber beams started to rot and lost their aesthetics as well as structural integrity. Our timber preservation specialists surveyed the property and used a cost-effective timber resin repairs system to preserve external timbers for years to come.St Andrews

Problem

All external timbers are under constant threat of being affected by damp. Rainwater can easily penetrate unprotected or ineffectively painted timber structures and raise the internal moisture content of the timber. All timbers require a certain level of moisture however when the moisture level rises above 20%, the wood is at risk of rot spores germinating (in this case wet rot) that feed on the timber cells and weaken its structural integrity.  This is exactly what happened to this property. Rotten handrails and structural canopy beams started to demonstrate the following wet rot signs that needed to be investigated:

• Damaged paint finish, highlighting shrunken and cracked timber below
• Timber easily crumbled and felt spongy to touch
• Unprotected areas demonstrated timber discolouration

Solution

Once our specialists carefully inspected all external timber elements and identified the scale of wet rot damage an appropriate timber repair system was specified.

Replacing structural timbers with new Douglas Fir treated timbers
As a preservation company, Richardson & Starling always try to preserve and conserve as much of the original building fabric as possible. In this specific case, structural timbers were significantly damaged by wet rot which required a complete timber column replacement in order to deliver cost-effective repairs.

Partial handrail and spindle repairs by replacing damaged timbers with new timber segments
Similarly, to the structural timber replacement, after identifying the scale of the wet rot damage on the timber handrails and spindles, the most cost-effective repair solution was to replace affected elements with new pre-treated timber components.

Minimal timber resin repairs
Our preservations specialists are always looking for ways to keep the repair cost low while still providing an effective repair solution. In this case, some timber elements were affected by rot insignificantly and only required our specialists to remove the affected timber and repair the area with our fast-curing timber resin solution. Timber resins can penetrate the wood fabric and shape a strong, non-cracking bond that returns the shape as well as the prime strength any timber component.

Benefits

The implemented timber repair system has rejuvenated the look and feel of this popular sports club. Repairs were carried out right at the beginning of a busy tennis season and caused little to no disturbance to the functionality of club. All structural timber elements are now sound and will keep the canopy in place for years to come.If you have any questions about this or any other structural timber repair contracts completed in the Glenrothes, Kinghorn, Burntisland, Aberdour or Methil areas, then feel free to get in touch with our Kirkcaldy branch specialists | (01592) 655510

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