A crack stitching kit using grout instead of resin- a more flexible and time friendly soltution

There are common misconceptions that grout cannot be used with lime mortar- however our HS grout is polymer modified and thixotropic which means it does not leach into the lime mortar, thus meaning it totally approved and safe for use with lime mortar. Our Strucsol HS grout has been used in the repair of listed buildings for many years and is tried, tested and approve by structural engineers for use. 

Why use grout instead of resin?

• More time to work: Grout has a slightly longer set time, meaning if you are new to crack stitching, you have much more time to work with it- the initial set time can be up to 1 hour  (depending on the ambient temperature, hotter days means it will set faster). 
• More durable: Our grout is non shrink and will actually expand very nominally, meaning the grout and helical bar will be bonded extremely well into the bed joint- providing a much more permanent repair. Most resins (except for EASF resin and pure epoxy resin) shrink as they set and whilst they do still work for the job, they are not the strongest form of the repair. 
• Choice of consistency: When mixing the grout, you get a lot more choice over how smooth/thick you would like the mixture to be. Additional water can be added if required. 
• Ease of use and neater: a grout gun can hold more volume than a resin tube, meaning less stopping and changing resin tubes as you go along. It is also much neater to apply given that you don't have to work as quickly as you would with resin. 

Kit contains:

• x1 tub of Strucsol High Strength grout
• x1 Grout applicator gun
• x1 Additional stainless steel nozzle for improved reliability and application
• x1 Mixing Whisk
• x10pcs Strucsol Stainless Steel Helical Bar
• x1 Pointing trowel

Crack stitch repair process

• Using a mortar raking blade of a 4 1/2inch angle grinder (available separately) is equally effective and much cheaper in small volume. Dust extraction covers can be fitted to your grinder and attached to more readily available dust extraction units
• Mortar raking blades can also be attached to your 4 1/2inch grinder, to ease the joint prep process.
• Once the joint is prepared the wires are offered up to the prepared slot, making sure they fit well within the prepared joint. If you're happy with the sizing, remove the wire and prepare to grout the back of the slot.
• The grout which needs no added water is mixed in the provided bucket. When the grout is smooth it is transferred into the back of the assembled grout gun using the largest of the trowels.
• A bead of grout is piped into the back of the prepared slot then the wire is pushed into the slot using the smallest of the trowels.
• Another bead of grout is applied over the top of the bar making certain the bar is covered.
• The grout is then pressed into the slot, using a finger trowel leaving a recess of around 10mm to repoint over the top of the structural repair.

For a full and comprehensive guide on completing crack stitch repairs, please visit the guide here

Note: The removal of the mortar bed joint is the most difficult part of the process. Professional contractors doing these repairs on a daily basis tend to use dust free cutting systems, the best of which we believe is made by Hilti, model DCSE20 with accompanying dust extraction system. If you have a lot of these repairs to do, it may be worth considering hiring one of these from your local tool hire company.