In practice it is inevitable that damages to products occur. This in spite of all the availble knowledge in trade and industry. SHR is able to determine causes of damages in a quick and adequate way. We can give you advice for repair and improvements but most of all advice to prevent things from happening again in the future. Underneath you’ll find some examples in which SHR was asked to investigate. SHR prides itself on its independence which is recognised in the Netherlands. Our multi-disciplinary knowledge base means we can solve problems with confidence. We keep on adding new experiences to this page.

If you need our help please contact us:
T: +31 317 467 366 or E: info@shr.nl

House fungus in sold house
After a house was sold, house fungus was found.
By means of 1) the state of the house fungus we found and 2) the spot of new floor parts it could be conlcuded that the attack was already there when the house was sold. House fungus is very aggresive. SHR also gave advice how to repair the damage and how to prevent the fungus from appearing again.

Discolouring of okoumé triplex
In a new housing complex blue fungus is responsible for discolouring of okoumé triplex. After examining discoloured parts and nondiscoloured parts, SHR found out that some parts had a high moisture content during storage. Okoumé is very sensitive for this and it results in blue fungus very easily.

Discolouring of pine rafter
Pine rafters in a 5 year old house in Belgium show discolouration.
Causes found by SHR:
Because of a bad drainage and exposure to all kind of weather the little durable pine stays wet for a long time. The blue discolouration is the start of more damage. We also gave advice for repair.

Moisture problems in facades
Board material, only 5 years old.
Dark discolouring from the edges were caused by moisture uptake by the surface veneer.

Reuse of basralocus poles from a landing stage
Poles from the sluice valve at Lith (over 25 years old) are only superficially attacked at the water-air line. Only the part underneath the water can be used here (because of the large amount of fasteners in the part above water).

Coating good, application wrong
The coating used here is a high qualitative product that performs extremely well under normal circumstances (foundation, climate). But in this case a wrong application on an unknown foundation (thermal modified Scots pine) and severe weather conditions can cause big damage in a relative short periode of time.

Coating damage on a pine window frame
House, 2 years old. Peeling of and cracking of the coating. Causes:

• high moisture content (contact window sill – paving),
• planing with blunt chisels (celdeformation, jumping of the cels causes cracking of the coating).

Cel deformations in Sapupira-angelim pedra
By using blunt chisels the more soft parenchym tissue is surpressed causing bad suturing of the paint. This can end up in a cracking of the coating system.

Coating dissuturing of glued window frame connections
New houses with glued window frame corners with a glue gully for sealing of the rebate. Immediately after the houses were delivery of the houses suturing of the paint occurs.
Cause:
The paint was put on too soon on an unsufficiently hardened glue.

Fungi at the surface and thickness of the coating
A house of 1 year old. The paint appaered to be too thin. However on the edge of the board a second layer was put on because nails were used there. Here the paint was thick enough. Fungi could develope at the surface because the multiplex was wet and penetration of moisture through the too thin coating.

Discolouring of hemlock with a tranparant coating
Vertical tongue-and-groove planking at a house is discoloured after 5 years.
Causes:
Hemlock is sensitive to water uptake, the tongue-and-groove parts aren not beveled, a thin finishing layer is used, so there is a lot of water uptake by the wood. This results in blue stain.

Inspection of a historical site
In 2003 SHR carried out an inspection on the wooden constructions of the buildings of Castle ‘De Haar’ in Haarzuilens in the Netherlands.
We performed the inspection in two ways: visual and by using the Resistograph. In advance the spots which needed to be inspected in any case, were determined together with the architect. These spots (55) were pointed out on the building maps. On the same maps the outcome of the inspection was pointed out. Rougly 200 evaluations were carried out and on more than 100 spots a bore resistant profile was made. The results made it clear to the architect if and where something had to be done to restore the wooden construction of the buildings.