Brick staining is a cost-effective way to completely transform the look of a property. Twistfix offer access to a selection of brick staining formulas and here is our guide to their qualities and how to use them effectively.

Brick staining dye is a ready-to-use product that allows you to permanently change the colour of porous bricks. Formulated using high-quality pigmented powders, which have been dissolved in a fixative fluid, the dye is deeply absorbed into masonry pores. This creates an ultra-strong integral bond, resulting in a vapor-permeable, natural-looking finish.

Brick tints are supplied in 1L containers, which is sufficient to treat approximately 20-25 square metres of brickwork, depending on depth of shade desired and porosity of the bricks or masonry. The texture of the bricks remains unchanged throughout the process. A trial application is recommended to check exact shade and coverage rate. Here is our simple step-by-step guide to brick tinting...

1. As the dye will stain any absorbent material, make sure that the area is protected. Make sure to wear appropriate protective clothing.
2. Clean the area to be treated and make sure it is free of dust and debris. 
3. Shake the brick stain container thoroughly and decant into an appropriate vessel.
4. If a lighter tint is required, dilute with water to a maximum ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part brick tint formula.
5. Using a clean, high-quality brush, paint the formula directly onto the face of each brick. Note that overlapping brush strokes may produce a darker shade.
6. Wait for the formula to dry and examine to check that the desired shade has been achieved. If not, apply further coats.

There are several shades available, along with a brick staining soot wash and a limestone tinting dye. For further information on these products, check the website or get in touch with our team.

The recent heavy rain has caused the water table to rise dramatically, leading to many problems with water ingress into properties. Basements have been particularly affected and this is often caused by inadequate basement water­pro­ofing.

The water table is the surface where the water pressure head is equal to atmospheric pressure and is best visualized as the level at whch underground materials are saturated with groundwater.­  Its level can alter significantly due to a number of factors, including drainage capacity and amount of rainfall. Consequently, the water table tends to be higher during the winter months and lower in the summer.  To ensure that basements stay dry throughout the year, it is essential to install a compre­hen­sive, professional basement tanking system.

One of the most popular methods of basement waterproofing involves the use of cavity drain damp proof membrane. The product creates an air gap between itself and the floor or wall, which allows water to pass safely through to be directed away to appropriate drainage. The membranes are secured using plugs, plug seals and tape, creating a water-tight barrier that completely eliminates the possibility of water ingress.

Cavity drain membrane is so successful at its job that it has become the structural waterproofing method of choice for most professional installers. Twistfix supply a full range of UK manufactured waterproofing membrane and related ancillaries, all at the most competitive price.

Check out the Twistfix collection of damp proof membrane online and get in touch with our team for more information.

Damp proofing is a Twistfix speciality and we supply a comprehensive range of materials and tools designed to facilitate this essential work. For a limited time, you can make big savings on our 3-, 6- and 12-packs of professional damp proofing cream so stock up now!

Twistfix Damp-Cure is a silicone emulsion cream which has been specially designed and formulated for injection into mortar beds of masonry walls, controlling and preventing rising damp. Whether used in brick, stone or block walls, Damp-Cure provides a quick, simple and effective solution without the need for specialist equipment.

Installation begins with drilling a series of holes into the mortar course, into which the cream is injected. Migrating rapidly through the masonry pores, the cream reverts to its liquid phase, forming polysi­loxanes. Then comes a curing period during which silane vapour of a low molecular weight is formed, allowing for the best migration through the masonry.

Extensive field-use of Damp-Cure has shown that the product forms a highly effective damp proof course to treat rising damp. In testament to its professional quality, Damp-Cure has been tested and approved by the British Board of Agrément.

Make big savings on our industry-standard damp proofing cream today when you purchase with confidence from Twistfix.

It is an interesting fact of chemistry that water, though such a common element on Earth, has the almost-unique property among liquids of expanding in volume when frozen. Outside of the laboratory, this fact quickly ceases to be interesting and quickly becomes damaging, frustrating and costly!

The tiniest cracks in masonry can become filled with water. When temperatures fall low enough, this water freezes and, due to the aforem­en­tioned expansion, causes cracks to become slightly larger. The next time the masonry is exposed to water, these larger cracks fill once again with more water than before; when this water again freezes, the cracks become even larger.

This is the dreaded freeze/thaw cycle. Masonry will quickly begin to spall due to the damage, with the cracks becoming visible to the naked eye and damp patches appearing on the inside of solid walls.  Cavity walls, filled with insulation, can also be badly affected as the ingress of water can soak the insulation and deprive it of its thermal properties.

Twistfix offer an immediate, lasting solution to the problem of penetrating damp.  First, the cracks must be repaired using a deeply penetrating filler such as our Crack Injection Mortar; there are 11 brick-coloured mortars to chose from.  Once the cracks have been filled, a coating of our Masonry Water Repellent Cream protects porous brickwork, preventing any further water ingress and the frost damage potential occurring from it.

Find out more about these highly-effective products on our website.

The warmest February on record has been quickly followed by a series of storms hitting the UK, prompting urgent need for roof repairs and protection. This week Storm Gareth has brought damaging heavy rain and strong winds; Twistfix supply a wide range of professional products to protect properties against storm damage, including acrylic roof-sealing paint.

Twistfix roof paint is an acrylic-based roof sealant which is designed to produce a robust, durable waterproof coating that instantly seals leaks in almost any type of roofing material. The coating is an elastomeric formula which contains microscopic fibres; these fibres help to repair and restore leaking, cracked roofing material by enhancing flexural strength, allowing the coating to move with the natural thermal movements of the roof.

Twistfix acrylic sealant is a high-performance product and works more or less instantly, even if applied while it is raining. While curing, the product will not wash away and the product is designed to strongly resist against ponding. Primer is generally not required and only a single coat of the formula is necessary.

The product is ideal for sealing all kinds of leaking roofs, including flat roofs, asphalt, concrete, asbestos, felt, slate, lead bays, gutters, valleys and roof lights. It is no exaggeration to say that Twistfix roof paint is the best acrylic repair coating available on today's market and the economical 5kg tin ensures total cost-effec­tiveness. The paint is solar-reflective, grey in colour and can be simply and effectively applied with a spatula or brush.

Defend any property against the bad weather this season with Twistfix Roof Paint; find out more details on the product page.

There are a number of reasons that masonry can become cracked but, whatever the reason, such cracks must be quickly and profes­si­onally repaired. The Crack Stitching Kit from Twistfix is designed to offer a complete, lasting solution to cracks in brick, block and stone walls, delivering consistently professional results. And, when you take into account our signature low prices, this kit represents incredible value for money.

At the centre of the Twistfix Crack Stitching Kit are helical crack stitching bars, each of which is manufactured from 304 grade stainless steel to ensure the perfect combination of strength and corrosion-resistance. Every high-tensile helical bar is precision-profiled. ensuring perfect results when bonded into pre-cut horizontal slots in the bed joints. Structural integrity is restored as the cracks are firmly stitched together.

Any building can suffer from cracks in masonry but the issue is more common in older properties. Crack stitching bars make a perfect retrofit solution in such cases, creating minimal disruption during the installation process. Aesthetic appeal is preserved as both bars and grout are completely invisible once installed.

As well as helical bars, the Twistfix Crack Stitching kit contains specially-formulated WHO-60 masonry repair grout, into which the bars are embedded. The grout is easily mixed and subsequently applied using a helix mixer paddle, brick jointer, Grout-Master applicator and Hi-Flo nozzle; these components are supplied within the kit.

Find out more about the crack stitching solutions available from Twistfix on our website

Anyone who is involved in the renovation and construction industries knows that preparation is absolutely key to achieving professional, lasting results. Part of this preparation is analysis and Twistfix supply a diverse collection of analytical tools to facilitate all kinds of applications.

Three of the most popular analytical tools are:

1. The Rigid Boroscope: with superior level of image quality, this optical instrument permits fast, simple and reliable viewing in areas that are inaccessible by other mean.  It is ideal for inspectiion of wall cavities and floor voids.  A bright halogen lamp ensures enhanced visibility and the unit comes complete with battery and charger to improve cost-effec­tiveness
2. The Wall Tie Testing Kit: designed to facilitate quality control and pre-contract product suitability for wall tie instal­la­tions, this is one of our best-selling products. Comprising a tension tester with 3.5kN capacity gauge, an adapter key and integral bridging unit, this tool utilises a load-cell and mechanical pulling device to accurately assess tension forces
3. The Protimeter Mini: the best-selling product of its kind in the UK, the Protimeter Mini is a digital moisture meter that quickly and reliably measures moisture levels in timber. Information is displayed on an LED, colour-coded readout which can compare relative moisture equivalents for masonry

All of these products and more can be found in the 'Measuring & Testing' section of our website. Browse now!

Our last article featured our helical structural repair ties, which are used to secure brick ​façades to perpendicular walls, helping to restore structural integrity. These crucial components go hand-in-hand with lateral restraint ties, which are used horizontally to tie façades to a buildings flooring diaphragm; together they provide a comprehensive structural solution to stabilise bowing walls.

Tying bulging brickwork to the internal structure of a floor is made quick, simple and effective with lateral restraint ties from Twistfix. Each robust, high-quality tie features a drill-like leading end, designed to powerfully cut into softwood using a standard drill. The bars are simply wound into the timber before being resin-fixes to the gable brickwork, delivering an immediate, lasting solution.

One of the most impressive features of lateral restraint bars is that they are fixed from outside of the property, meaning that a minimum of disruption occurs during installation. Determining the position of the relevant joists and ensuring services such as gas, water and electricity are avoided simply involves lifting a small number of floorboards before installation proceeds.

Lateral restraint tie bars are supplied in packs of five and there is a choice of different lengths available to suit any application. An even more economical option is the comprehensive Lateral Restraint Wall Tie Kit, which contains everything required to complete a professional job. The kit includes:

• Five lateral restraint tie bars, each of one metre in length
• An SDS setting tool to allow easy winding of restraint ties into joists
• An SDS masonry drill bit
• A pack of polyester resin with integral mixer nozzle
• A co-axial resin applicator

For more details about these products, check out our website or call our technical team.

By necessity, the walls of a property are generally slender in relation to their height. This means that, without restraint, walls are susceptible to buckling forces, a fact which must be taken into consideration when building or renovating. Support must be provided and this is achieved by securing floor diaphragms to external walls and strapping partition walls to perpendicular façade walls.

When such restraint is missing, inadequate or defective, walls can start to bow, bulge and/or lean. This telltale symptom of lacking lateral restraint should never be ignored and needs swift intervention to prevent the damage worsening and even becoming dangerous. It is most often older structures that display the common issue of bulging brickwork.

When the façade of a building has become disjointed from its main structure, the insertion of a series of load sharing structural restraint ties is the easiest and most effective way to remedy the situation. Installation is simple, each retrofit tie rod delivering the required reconnection and enhancing the resistance to buckling and thrusting forces to restore structural integrity.

As all structures are different, there are many types of lateral restraint system. When used for strengthening and reconnecting masonry wall junctions, we recommend our Extra-Long Structural Repair Ties, which allow you to quickly transfer lateral forces back to the buttressing walls. Made from marine-grade stainless steel, these crucial components are guaranteed to resist strongly against corrosion, meaning they will provide active, maintenance-free service for many years to come.

Our structural repair ties are sold in cost-effective and convenient packs of 10 ties. Check the product page for more information and to place your order.

All too soon, summer has given way to autumn and the rain has already made its unwelcome appearance! Heavy rainfall is often cited as a cause of basement leaks but the fact is that it usually just reveals an existing problem. Twistfix supply a wide range of professional basement tanking solutions, including cavity drain membranes.

All underground spaces must be properly protected against the ingress of moisture, which can cause all sorts of structural issues as well as posing a danger to health. When a basement is to be used as a working or living space, the need to protect the area from water is more important than ever.

Basement conversion is a popular method of increasing space. Other options, such as upgrading to a bigger property or extending into outdoor areas, can be costly and impractical; converting a basement is a simple and cost-effective alternative.

Cavity drain membrane is a necessary aspect of basement conversion. The system creates an air-gap between the wall/floor and the membrane itself, allowing water to pass behind it into a drainage channel and pump-housing sump. Water never comes into contact with the interior of the basement, ensuring the conversion is protected.

Installation is simple and involved fixing the membrane in place before overlaying it with battens or other framing system. Plasterboard can then be successfully applied to provide an area ready for finishing and decoration. Along with the membrane, Twistfix can supply all of the necessary ancillaries including waterproof plugs and plug seals, allowing for the most professional installation.

For a limited time, you can make big savings on one of our most popular basement tanking products: the Baseline Mesh Membrane Kit. Find out more details on the product page...