TIMBER ENGINEERING – EPOXY RESIN

Many heavy section timbers, having suffered the effects of fungal decay and beetle infestation, often fail at their structural bearing ends.

	Building Maintenance Control employs a system of in-situ beam repair which involves the use of steel or polyester fibre rods and epoxy resin materials to repair beams in-situ, overcoming the need for expensive replacement. This means that the original timbers, in many cases, can be retained within the property thereby preserving these character timbers.
Timbers are repaired without resorting to unsightly steel supports or obvious splicing. A combination of steel dowels embedded in the sound timber and a resin-based formulation that binds to the existing timber form the basis of the process. Even difficult and more inaccessible joints can be reached and treated by this quick, clean and totally effective system.
	1. The decayed beam is propped and cut back to sound timber.
	2. With the end grain drilled, steel dowels are bonded into the timber.
	3. Waxed shuttering is fixed in place.
	4. The special resin is poured into the shuttering.

Building Maintenance Control has fully trained and experienced surveyors who have a range of solutions at their disposal to solve your timber repair problem. Our surveyor will recommend the most suitable repair system for your property as well as providing a written report for the work to be carried out. Defects can be repaired economically and in-situ using a variety of specially formulated resins, coupled with innovative application techniques.

The use of resins include:

• An effective, permanent and virtually unaltered finish to plain or ornate timbers
• The insertion of unseen steel or fibre reinforcement bars
• Pouring resin into shuttering to match existing timbers
• Graining and staining of the resin to match existing timbers
• Making good cracks with special grouting resins
• Increasing the load bearing capacity of existing timber beams.

The Benefits of Resin Repair

The introduction of epoxy resin in timber repairs has significant advantages over traditional repair techniques.

SPEED: pre-manufactured repaired ends can often be carried out in 60% of the time of traditional repairs.
REDUCED DAMAGE: the surrounding fabric doesn’t have to be stripped back to accommodate steel plates and bolts, so damage and ancillary costs can be kept to a minimum.
LESS EXPENSIVE: epoxy resin is becoming increasingly cheaper and this, together with the saving in time and ancillary repairs, can reduce costs to less than those of a traditional repair.
AESTHETICALLY PLEASING: repairs can often be almost invisible.

CRACK INJECTION

This is an epoxy resin system designed for structural and cosmetic repairs to softwood and hardwood timber beams for the restoration of structures made from glue laminated sections.

Special resin formulations enable injection into narrow cracks and wet situations, consolidating friable timber and percolating beetle runs.