Stone cleaning and sealing in Double Bay
Double Bay is our home suburb. Most of the stone we look after here belongs to apartment buildings, village shopfronts and bayside houses, and much of it sits only a few metres above sea level.
- Woollahra
- Postcode 2028
Double Bay is mostly apartments, around three in every four dwellings, with a smaller share of houses, semis and terraces. Its village centre runs along Knox Street, Cross Street and Bay Street toward Steyne Park and the ferry wharf, with Kiaora Place on the other side and New South Head Road carrying traffic along the top. Blackburn Cove sits at the western end of the bay. Heritage houses include Gladswood House, built in 1856, along with Overthorpe and Fairwater. For our work, the most common stone surfaces are apartment entries and lobbies, terrace and balcony paving, low front walls and steps, and the sandstone footings of older buildings close to the waterline.
Being low and close to the water shapes the stone problems here. Our reading is that older buildings near the bay are prone to moisture rising into their sandstone bases, and as it evaporates it leaves a white crust of salt, or efflorescence, along the bottom courses. Newer apartment buildings more often use travertine or sandstone on terraces and in lobbies, where the issues are grime from foot traffic, oil and food marks, and salt carried in on the air. In the village, café and restaurant frontages add grease and spilled drinks. Where a well-meaning cleaner has used an acidic product on travertine, there will be dull etch marks, which need honing rather than cleaning.
Double Bay is the administrative centre of Woollahra Council. The council lists the Transvaal Avenue Heritage Conservation Area within the Double Bay Centre, and several properties are on the State Heritage Register, among them Gladswood House, Overthorpe, Fairwater and the Double Bay Compressed Air Ejector Station. If your building is in the Transvaal Avenue area or is an individual heritage item, check with Woollahra Council whether restoration work needs approval. For apartment buildings, work on common property usually needs the owners corporation's sign-off as well, so we provide a clear written scope that a strata manager can circulate to the committee before anything is booked.
Because we are based in Double Bay, travel time is measured in minutes, and that makes us practical for jobs other contractors find awkward: an hour on a lobby before the building wakes up, a return visit to check that a seal has cured, or a quick look at a stain before you decide anything. Parking is the main constraint in the village, so we confirm loading zones, driveway access or a building's car park when we book. On apartment jobs our technicians coordinate with the building manager, protect lifts and doorways, and keep at least one dry route open at all times. Run-off is collected, not left in the gutter.
Stone care in Double Bay
Services
Frequently asked questions
Local questions from Double Bay homeowners.
You're based in Double Bay. Can you come and look at a stain before I decide?
Yes. Being local means a short inspection is easy to arrange. We can look at the stain, tell you what it probably is and whether it is likely to come out, and quote if you want to go ahead. There is no obligation.
Why is there a white crust along the bottom of our building's sandstone?
That is usually efflorescence: salts carried by moisture moving up through the stone, left behind as it evaporates. It is common on older, low-lying buildings near the bay. We can treat the salts, but they return unless the moisture source is reduced.
Is the Transvaal Avenue conservation area relevant to my property?
Only if your property falls inside it or is a listed item. Woollahra Council can confirm this from your address and tell you what approvals, if any, apply to the work you are planning.
Can you clean a café or shop frontage in the village?
Yes. Grease, spilled drinks and foot traffic respond well to the right cleaner and a low-pressure rinse. We work outside trading hours where possible and collect all wash water so nothing runs into the street drains.
Our apartment terrace drains onto the balcony below. How do you avoid problems?
We block and protect the drainage outlets, use controlled amounts of water and vacuum up run-off as we go. We also let the building manager know in case neighbours need notice.
How early can you start on a lobby job?
Our standard hours begin at 7am, Monday to Saturday, and lobby work is often scheduled at the start of the day. We agree the timing and the dry route with the building manager beforehand.