May 06, 2024

Fissures and cracks are whispers from your building’s façade, warning you it’s time to take action. Those whispers can quickly turn into roars if not addressed appropriately. What is your building’s façade telling you? Early detection and mediation of façade safety repairs can save hundreds of thousands in future repair costs and help you avoid potential liabilities. This article will guide you through why routine maintenance and quick remediation of façade safety repairs are the not-so-secret ingredients in preserving your building’s structural integrity.

Is Your Building’s Façade Unsafe?

Unlike your car, your building doesn’t come with a check-engine light. For this reason, to quickly identify façade safety issues, we recommend routine inspections and assessments. Many cities mandate façade safety inspections. The building’s height, age, and construction types all factor into the requirements.

More importantly, passing an inspection doesn’t remove liability from the building owner should part of the façade fail. For this reason, we suggest inspecting your façade at least 2-3 times per year. Emergency façade safety repairs are safety concerns on the exterior of the building that need to be fixed ASAP. Examples include a window mullion dangling off the side of the building or loose stone/stucco/EIFS or architectural elements on the building walls. Items will eventually fall off the building or permeate into other structural elements that jeopardize the entire building’s structural integrity.

For example, despite passing inspections in 2022, a building in Willmington, North Carolina, suffered a façade collapse, causing damage to cars and awnings and minor injuries to one individual.

Three years after initial reports of façade failures, a building partially collapsed. Despite safety concerns, no further inspections occurred, and repairs were never completed, citing COVID for the delay. This reinforces the need to address façade failures when they occur and develop a proactive approach to maintaining a safe façade.

Why Façade Safety Repairs Are Not Just Cosmetic

Your façade is critical to upholding your property’s value, but the benefits extend beyond aesthetics. A well-maintained façade provides energy efficiency, promotes safety, and is your first defense against the elements.

Recognizing the Signs of Facade Deterioration

Many factors determine what to look for, including façade material, building design, façade access, and environmental conditions. For these reasons, the more you understand your building’s unique needs, the faster you can spot building façade safety issues and how to remedy them.

• Concrete: Cracking and spalling, stains, peeling, cracking, blistering, or pinholes.
• Brick, Masonry, & Stone: Cracking and spalling, stains, rusting, loose mortar, or biological growth.
• Balconies & Decks: Standing water, cracks, rusting, damaged coating, loose railings, rot.
• EIFS and Stucco: Blisters, bulging, staining, loose stucco, or surface damage.
• Curtain Wall: Loose or missing gaskets or mullions.

These are the more obvious warning signs your building façade needs emergency attention. Without immediate repairs, façade damage poses a risk to public safety from falling items that could lead to injuries or worse. In addition, neglect will drive more extensive measures for repairs and can result in violations or fines.

The Valcourt Approach to Façade Safety

At Valcourt, we recognize that the façade of your building plays a crucial role in its overall safety and structural integrity. With decades of industry experience, our approach to façade safety centers on prevention, maintenance, and stringent inspections. These skills allow our expert teams to identify early signs of deterioration, such as cracking, spalling, or other structural weaknesses. With Valcourt, you have a partner you can count on to maintain façade safety.

Emergency Façade Repair in Action

Quick action by the property manager at The Water’s Edge at Rahway allowed for rapid balcony restoration, sealant replacement, and EIFS repair. Valcourt’s ProXpress team began with a full assessment to investigate the damage. The work involved removing portions of the damaged façade and replacing the railing. The result? A return to manufacturer’s standards and appealing aesthetics with minimal disruption to residents.

When an apartment complex in Philadelphia began experiencing leaks, they called on the ProXpress team for rapid leak detection and repair. The team quickly identified the cause of the leak and began carefully removing layers of brick and debris to replace the membrane and flashing. Next, they took preventative measures to divert water before replacing the brick to match the building’s exterior.

Valcourt is committed to maintaining the highest standards of façade safety. We provide comprehensive solutions that fix existing problems and take proactive measures to enhance your building’s resistance against future façade damage.

Comprehensive Façade Safety Repairs with Valcourt

Regarding façade safety repairs, it pays to act fast. Minor façade issues grow in scope, cost, and risk when left untreated. When your building’s façade shows signs of trouble brewing underneath, Valcourt is a partner you can trust to assess, repair, and restore your façade safely.

Choosing Valcourt means partnering with a leader in building envelope safety. We offer peace of mind, knowing that your property is in expert hands and protected against current and future challenges. Contact us today and see how we can collaborate to address all your façade safety repair needs.

Nov 22, 2022

Some of the world’s most elegant buildings showcase their beauty with stonework, one of the most durable and long-lasting elements incorporated into structural designs for thousands of years. There is a reason why stone continues to be the primary material used by building designers for flooring, walls, countertops, and bathrooms: its aesthetic appeal and luster evoke an unmistakable sense of luxury. 

This article will look at the stone refinishing of architectural surfaces and offers some advice on how building owners can refinish their stonework to improve the overall customer satisfaction of visitors.

What Causes Damage to Natural Stone?

Stone finishes endure the same exposure to the natural elements as any other type of material used in the construction of buildings. The major difference, though, is that stone, being such a high-priced commodity when installed, requires regular maintenance and restoration to ensure that the material returns to the form of the original aesthetic. Wear and tear of stonework is normal, but building owners need to understand the kinds of things that can ultimately damage natural stone and how they can overcome these issues to successfully restore the stone to its natural condition.

Stun Marks

This damage occurs when stone experiences a strong impact that creates a discoloration on the surface. If you’ve ever struck two rocks together, you will have noticed a white discoloration that occurs when a stone is met with another sharp object. These sorts of hit marks can strike just the surface or penetrate the inner core of the stone.

Stains

Stone is a corrosive material that can be affected by oils, salt, and water. This natural material can get damaged relatively easily in buildings with stone walkways. Because of that, it would be wise to call upon a stone refinishing expert that can perform the proper treatment necessary to help polish out stains and bring back the luster of your stonework.

Temperature Fluctuations

Natural stone can chip, flake, and crack if exposed to extreme temperatures. Extreme heat conditions can cause thermal shock and damage the stone material’s integrity. Cold temperatures and melting snow can also cause the stone to crack when water becomes trapped within the porous stone.

Etching

When a stone’s surface is exposed to a corrosive chemical, etching may occur where the surface dissolves, changes colors, and leaves a noticeable etch mark. The best solution to repair etching is through proper floor polishing, which building owners or managers can schedule in advance and after hours to ensure your project completion with minimal downtime.

Scratches and Scuff Marks

High-traffic areas like staircases, patios, and lobbies are susceptible to wear and tear due to the salts, oil, and water tracked in from people. Similar to stun marks, scratches may develop on stone due to contact with another hard surface. Stone refinishing may require buffing to remove superficial scuff marks.

What Architectural Surfaces Most Likely Need Stone Refinishing?

Building owners use stone materials to accentuate the beauty in a variety of different places, such as:

• Countertops
• Lobbies
• Bathroom Walls and Tiles
• Flooring
• Elevator Lobbies and Cabs  
• Entryways
• Plazas
• Patios
• Kitchens

What Types of Stone Need Refinishing?

Each type of stone requires special handling techniques to refinish stonework properly and, therefore, should be performed by experienced professionals with a track record of success in various building services. This next section shares a list of the most commonly used types of stoneworks used by commercial and residential builders, offering a brief description of the material and the service involved when conducting restoration.

Marble 

Marble is one of the most elegant stones used in countertops, vanities, floors, walls, and bathrooms. Marbles are generally harder than most other stones, but they are susceptible to the same type of wear and tear you commonly find with other materials. Proper maintenance will help keep your marble shiny and smooth, free of scratches or etching.

Slate

Slate offers rich beauty and textures, often providing an array of colors that give a rustic and sentimental ambiance. The material is somewhat porous and must be maintained with proper sealing and cleaning to prevent cracking and breaking.

Granite

Builders often choose this material for luxury kitchen countertops. Granite is the heaviest stone and also one of the most expensive. As a result, not all stone restoration companies will service this material, which is very susceptible to scratching. Valcourt offers various services for restoring your granite, such as sealing, stain removal, polishing, and scratch and etching repair.

Tile and Grout

Revitalize your bathroom by removing the soap scum, germs, and dirt embedded within your tile. Valcourt can help bring your tile’s luster back through a careful deep cleaning and restoration process that will sanitize, repair grout, properly waterproof and seal, and provide regular maintenance to prevent any long-term costs.

Terrazzo

This composite material consists of chips of stones such as quartz, granite, glass, and marble, bonded together through cement. The result is a unique look that elucidates flooring, walls, and countertops. Due to the variance in materials used in this composite, we recommend polishing terrazzo with a company with product expertise. Most professional stonework companies will research, plan, and sample the selected material to ensure that the implemented polishing technique is correct.

What are the Things to Look for in an Architectural Stone Refinishing Service?

Here are some things to look for when choosing an expert to help with stone refinishing.

Convenient Scheduling

Valcourt will schedule our maintenance when it’s most convenient for you and your building. We offer floor polishing any time of the day, and our dedicated night supervisor will help ensure that your project finishes on time with minimal downtime to your building.

Product Expertise

Our experienced building service professionals plan our work, sample your stone material, and provide custom solutions for each customer. All of our stone refinishing comes with regular service updates to help prevent premature wear and helps safeguard against costly replacement options.

Process Expertise

Stone refinishing may require buffing to remove superficial scuff marks. This process improves the aesthetics of your stone without compromising the integrity of the material.

Don’t Take Your Stone Surfaces for Granite, Call Valcourt!

Stone offers your building added beauty and value, but it requires constant maintenance to ensure that the material maintains its luster, strength, and integrity. Your building’s guests will appreciate a freshly polished stone floor and repair work done to remove unsightly scratch marks and etching. When it comes to stone restoration and refinishing, thousands of building owners call Valcourt Building Services. Valcourt is an all-inclusive building service provider specializing in waterproofing, restoration, stone refinishing, and structure repair. With over 35 years of industry experience, it’s easy to imagine why they are the company people choose for stone refinishing. Contact an Expert at Valcourt today!