When surface readings cannot answer the question, samples can. Laboratory analysis turns opinion into evidence.
Gravimetric moisture analysis
Drilled samples from within a wall are weighed, dried and reweighed to establish their true moisture content, the definitive answer to "is this wall actually wet?", unaffected by the salts that mislead electrical meters. Analysis can also distinguish moisture held by hygroscopic salts from free moisture entering the wall.
Salt and mortar analysis
Identifying the salts in plaster and masonry points to the moisture source: chimney salts, ground salts and marine salts each tell a different story. Mortar analysis identifies the composition of historic mortars, plasters and renders so that repairs can match the original in strength, permeability and appearance. Lime mortar and sand analysis has been a specialism of this practice for many years.
Timber testing
Timber moisture measurement, species identification and decay assessment, supported by resistance micro-drilling, establish the condition of structural timber and whether decay is active. At Bodmin Jail, laboratory analysis of mortar samples formed part of the investigation that allowed sound historic roof timbers to be retained.
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