Stone Tea House—Private

The Italianate stone teahouse at Kykuit was designed by William Welles Bosworth circa 1910 and is a main feature of the grounds, set at the head of a rill that bisects the inner garden. The vaulted ceiling is decorated with elaborate paintings and terra cotta embellishments of classical scenes; the furniture is also to Bosworth’s design. The interior walls are smooth, coursed Indiana limestone, but they had become stained and encrusted with efflorescence after a leak from the roof.

We were contracted to reduce the disfiguring staining to an acceptable level. First, the loose surface salts by brushing and vacuuming. Following this, a specialized limestone cleaning gel and a latex masonry cleaner were used to remove staining and soiling.