Taking a peek at How Facade Restoration Is Done
Historic buildings are usually 50+ years old edifices that have cultural or architectural significance. Preserving the look of an old building gives us a chance to enjoy it in its full glory and prolong its life. In the world of professional facade restoration, there are many tricks that skilled masons use and this article is about some of them. Let’s see how professionals do it.
Replacing Facade Elements
The devil is in the details. It is especially true when it comes to the facade of a building. With most restoration work, official permission is needed before any of it can be actually started. Facade rehabilitation often starts with replacing some of the stone elements, the caulking or other vertical and horizontal elements that have deteriorated over time.
Repainting
Many a time, the historical building restoration process includes a repainting job as part of the plan for giving it a fresh look. If it is a brick facade, it gets properly prepared. The brickwork gets cleaned and dried at least 24 hours before the painting. The choice of materials depends on the facade restoration experts but it needs to be matched with the original color of the building as closely as possible.
Repointing
The brickwork is often a major focus for architects, engineers, and conservators. They experiment with mortar mixes and repoint the bricks. Repointing in masonry is the process of restoring the external part of mortar joints. The more time passes the more this is needed as gaps between the bricks start appearing.
Repairing the Masonry System
After careful consideration of the current condition and damage of the building, some masonry might need to be removed to expose corroded metals, such as steel elements. After an assessment, they get either repaired or replaced. In addition, masons will use techniques for the support and reinforcement of the whole masonry system.
Here, at Riedel Masonry and Facade Restoration, we offer professional facade restoration for architecturally and culturally important buildings in Manhattan, NY. If you need an estimate or more information, call (646) 517-5957 today!