Victorian Church Fire Damage Restoration
Soot and carbon removal from 340m² of listed sandstone following a serious electrical fire — preserving the original stone beneath.
Before & After
Same sandstone surface — before and after laser soot removal
The Challenge
A Category B listed Victorian church in Perthshire suffered a serious electrical fire that left the interior sandstone walls, columns, and vaulted ceiling heavily coated in black soot and carbon deposits. Historic Environment Scotland required that any cleaning method be approved for use on listed buildings and cause zero damage to the original stone surface.
The building's insurers required the work to be completed within a 6-week window to allow the restoration programme to proceed. Traditional wet chemical cleaning had been ruled out by the conservation architect due to the risk of salt mobilisation and staining in the porous sandstone.
Our Solution
LSR worked closely with the conservation architect and Historic Environment Scotland to develop a cleaning protocol using a low-power 200W laser system, which was tested on sample panels before full deployment. The laser was tuned to remove soot and carbon deposits at a shallow depth, leaving the sandstone surface completely intact.
A team of three technicians worked from scaffolding over 18 days, cleaning the walls, columns, and ceiling sections in sequence. The work was carried out dry, generating only fine carbon dust which was vacuumed continuously during cleaning.
- Approved by Historic Environment Scotland
- Zero surface damage to listed sandstone
- Soot removed to full depth — no shadowing or residue
- Dry process — no risk of salt mobilisation
- Completed 5 days ahead of insurance programme
Warm golden sandstone fully revealed after laser soot removal
"We were deeply concerned about how the stone would respond to cleaning after the fire. LSR's approach was meticulous — they tested, consulted, and delivered a result that exceeded everyone's expectations. The stone looks as it did when the church was built."