Weather forecasters across the UK have been a thunder and rain-laden start to the month of June. Spells of intense rain can expose any structural flaws in your home, and to combat this: it is always better (not to mention less expensive) to take precautions before disaster strikes rather than adjust for it after it happens. Penetrating damp, freeze-thaw weathering and frost damage are the three most likely processes to cause damage to your home. To give you an understanding of how they can prosper, and how to combat them, we have assembled this guide on preparing your home for bad weather before it’s too late.
How weather can damage your home
Penetrating damp
Particularly relentless deluges of rain are can cause your walls and ceiling to darken and thicken with water – this is penetrating damp. Caused, generally speaking, by structural flaws in the home’s exterior, water is allowed to seep through walls and ceilings. Anything from faulty guttering, to cracked walls, to missing roof tiles can be responsible.
Freeze-thaw cycles
When the weather is particularly cold overnight, the water that has trickled into gaps in roof tiles or brickwork freezes and expands, making the gap greater in size. When temperatures rise during the day, the ice melts and forms liquid again. When night returns, the process repeats itself. This repeated expansion and contraction can cause significant structural damage over time.
How to protect your home from damage
Weather-Check Façade Cream
The application of weather-check façade cream, using a spray, brush or roller, can coat any masonry with a waterproof layer. By infiltrating the pores of the walls comprehensively, the cream reduces the porosity of the surface, not only making it less susceptible to penetrating damp and freeze-thaw cycles, but it also makes your home better insulated. So not only is your home better equipped to deal with weathering, it is also better equipped to deal with the cold itself.
Double Strength Water Repellent
Whilst it is applied in very much the same way as weather-check façade cream, water repellent is an altogether different substance. Water repellent uses polyoxo aluminium stearate in an aliphatic solvent, whilst check facade cream is a viscous emulsion composed of silane and siloxane. After the brick water repellent has been applied to an at-risk area, it will form a hydrophobic barrier that will repel water – perfect for keeping penetrating damp and water out during trying weather conditions. Vapours will still be able to pass through unaffected, allowing the wall to breathe.
Sovereign Stone Sealer
Perfect for at-risk tiles in the kitchen or the bathroom, Sovereign Stone Sealer is a multi-purpose protectant for both the external and internal surfaces of the home. Without altering the appearance of the stone, the sealer is able to repel all of water, oil and dirt. In this way, Sovereign Stone Sealer allows you to retain the delicate appearance of stone whilst preventing damage sustained from leaks from heavy rain.