Maintaining gardens and plant growth around Oamaru stone structures is strongly recommended to prevent surface damage to the stone. A failure to do so can result in visual defects in the stone, see the images below that speak for themselves...
Oamaru stone being soft is subject to abrasion and wear. If you have shrubs, trees and other plants with branches growing against the house they will tend to move in the breeze and with constant rubbing against the wall will cause damage to the stone and consequently visible wear marks will appear on the wall. This damage can become unsightly and difficult to repair if left un-treated.
How to avoid wear on Oamaru stone
Once again as the saying goes 'prevention is better than cure'. The way to prevent this damage occuring to your own Oamaru stone structure is to trim shrubs, vegetation and other plant growth back 300mm from the wall. This has a 3 fold effect:
- Creates a uniform space between your Oamaru stone surface and the plants
- Prevents water ingress into the stone via damp plants in contact with the wall, this in turn reduces the chances of moss, mould and lichen growth.
- Fresh growth will be immediately visible and can be kept trimmed to prevent it growing back into contact.
Along with the above 3 points your garden will also look better with a neatly trimmed border, along with your Oamaru stone veneer not suffering surface damage from abrasion or moisture. This in turn improves your homes aesthetic appeal!
Check out our blog 7 care & maintenance tips for Oamaru stone for other tips around Oamaru stone care & maintenance.
If your stone looks like it could do with a re-whiten make sure you get in contact with us to talk about our Oamaru stone clean & seal treatment