Training and on-site Support

Providing consultation, advice and training at historic building sites and at colleges

We offer training in traditional building materials, tailored to your needs. We can help you if you require:

As well as running training courses at 17th-century houses in Halifax, we offer guidance and training on site for your experienced tradespeople, bricklayers, masons or plasterers; Enhancement days at your college for level three bricklayers, plasterers or roofers; long-term, wide-ranging heritage training to satisfy Heritage Lottery requirements; Training to upskill your specifiers and surveyors; Or extended training and support on historic building sites for volunteer groups.

Training will provide in-depth knowledge and practical support tailored to your needs, with us offering days devoted to learning how to build and point with lime mortars, showing you how to grout a solid wall with voids using lime-based grouts, how to fit natural insulation, guidance and practical demonstrations in the use of insulated lime plasters and renders, how to undertake stone repair with traditional mortars, mixing and applying historic and mineral-based paints, being amongst the subjects covered.

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Training in the use of lime mortars

We provide practical training days devoted not only to the history of lime but to the specification and choice of lime mortars for conservation, restoration, and new build work.

We cover: The technology of lime: Fat limes, Hydraulic Limes & Cements, Mortar sampling & replacement mortars, Choosing the right aggregates for lime mortars, Practical skills in using and finishing mortars, how to ensure the cure properly and advice on the protection of works.

Teaching in how to use lime and clay plasters and renders

Lime, Gypsum and Clay plasters have been used since ancient times, and our training provides advice to those who wish to restore their historic or period property. We demonstrate how breathable renders and plasters can be efficiently applied to old and new buildings. The training can cover the preparation, application and curing of lime renders, lime & clay plasters, and historic & breathable paint finishes. It introduces breathable structures and historic lime, gypsum & clay plasters and lime renders but offers practical advice and demonstration on how to repair and reapply them.

Training in the use of lime grouts and plastic stone repair

Plastic stone repair promoted by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings is a recognised method of repairing historic buildings whilst retaining the maximum amount of the historic fabric. At a slightly larger scale, grouting is also used to retain historic walls and structures.

Our training advises people on the correct types of lime grouts which are compatible with old buildings, to use and the most appropriate lime-based mixes for stone repair. We help you: Learn when to repair and when to replace historic stone and brickwork, which mortar, admixes and pigments to choose for plastic stone repair and demonstrate and teach techniques and good working practice.

Insulating old buildings

M. Womersleys provide onsite and workshop training to show people how to: Insulate walls using hemp and insulated renders and plasters and breathable soft wood fibre systems; Build up free draining and breathable limecrete floors; And how to introduce sympathetic vapour permeable roof insulation.

Instruction in using traditional and water glass paints

Our training introduces you to traditional and modern mineral based paints, The Plant/Paint cycle, film forming paints and vapour permeability. Our demonstrations and teaching show you how to prepare and apply lime washes, distempers and glass based & natural resin wall paints on walls and traditional painted finishes to timber.