Halnaker Technique

What is the Halnaker Technique?

The Halnaker Technique is an application method used to repair damaged brickwork, fill mortar joints and even out cracks, retaining the brick finish and creating a breathable coverage. Named after the property in Chichester where the technique was conceived, Halnaker has widely been used on projects where rain, exposure or wear has caused the brickwork to become damaged.

When to use?

The Halnaker technique can be used onto any brick substrate, however it is predominately used when the brickwork is damaged. When bricks are exposed to dampness or frost, they become damaged through a process called spalling. Due to moisture absorption, especially when water freezes and expands, the brick surface and mortar cracks and deteriorates. If left untreated, this can weaken the integrity of the brick wall. Occasionally the removal of paint can damage a brick surface which will conjointly lead to spalling. It can be used to cover uneven brickwork, refacing damaged brick, repointing mortar and retrain the look of brickwork.

Breathe easy with KEIM

When you are choosing a render and/or paint system, either for a renovation or a new building project, it is important to consider the base material being rendered and/or painted.

Older or heritage buildings, such as churches or listed properties, or those positioned in exposed locations, often suffer with damp. This is a build-up of trapped moisture within the walls or bricks.

Paints such as KEIM, which have high-water vapour permeability (breathability) can help any humidity that has been captured in buildings to be quickly released into the environment. This release of moisture helps to prevent longer term damage such as erosion, blistering, damp or flaking paint. 

Using KEIM enables painted surfaces to breathe without compromising the finish. 

The Halnaker Technique

KEIM Mineral Paints offer various repair systems, our initial recommendations for the repair of uneven brick faces would be a skim coat using KEIM Uniputz 0.6 (Universal Render-Fine).

Mix in the ratio of 1 kg KEIM Uniputz 0.6 (Universal Render-Fine) to 0.27 - 0.29 litres water using a mechanical stirrer or plaster mixing machine/sprayer. Do not overmix material, as overmixing entails the risk of a marked loss of strength. Material which has already set must not be remixed.

Apply to pre-wetted surfaces by trowel and lay off using a grout float or similar. This will reinstate the brick faces and repoint where required, without losing the brick finish. Allow a minimum period of 15 days before proceeding with decoration.

Paint System

KEIM Soldalit is the recommended paint system due to the range and depth of colours. One of the main benefits of using KEIM Soldalit is that it is fire resistant and meets the category A2-s1, d0. Fire certificates are available upon request.