The shell of your building is often the first impression visitors and customers have of your business. Harrow Construction & Management Services Inc. has decades of experience making sure that the first impression is the positive one. Replacing, Repairing or Upgrading key visual and structural elements can go a long way toward improving the identity of a location and will foster a greater sense of pride in any business. Masonry restoration involves the repair of existing masonry materials Bricks, Stones, EIFS, Traditional Stucco, Concrete, Asphalt pavement for Parking lot facilities and Sidewalk. Color and texture matching are key considerations in masonry restoration, as an accurate match can make areas of restored stone, brick blend, stucco and concrete in seamlessly with existing materials. To achieve an accurate color and texture match, it is frequently necessary to return to the original brick manufacturer for replacements, or to the original stone quarry where material for the existing stone components was cut.
Traditional Stucco
Traditional stucco is a time-tested exterior finish that has been used since ancient times. From the earliest known walled construction, a mixture of different minerals with water and sand were used to make plaster to build and/or clad shelter. Stucco has not changed much over the centuries. It is still comprised of three main ingredients, water, sand and today's stucco uses, Portland cement for added durability, strength, and hardness.
Traditional stucco is still a very popular building material because of its durability, design flexibility, and cost effectiveness.
Stucco is applied by hand and consists of a multi-layer process that is troweled on the wall. The three layers along with lath create a 1/2" to 7/8" thickness on a building wall. These layers are:
1.
Scratch coat
2. Brown coat
3. Finish Coat
The scratch coat and brown coat are the two part cement based layers of stucco that provide and impact resistant surface for the finish coat. The finish coat tis the last coat of plaster that contains the color and texture desired for the final look of the building. Frequently the finish coat that is most desired is a synthetic elastomeric coat that protects the cement based coats from changing weather conditions.
Stucco can be applied with or without galvanized wire metal lath depending on a building's construction. Many stucco reference guides suggest on masonry or concrete block walls lath is not essential, however, we have found that the metal-lath because it is firmly attached to the substrate and its rough texture firmly adheres to the stucco coats, is a necessary step that further guarantees the durability and resistance of the stucco. And with he many different gauges of metal lath available, a building owner, depending on the traffic surround the building, can even further enhance the performance of the stucco installation.
EIFS
EIFS stands for Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems. The product is also called synthetic stucco, and refers to a multi-layered exterior finish. The most common type of EIFS is the polymer based (PB) system. This system has a nominally 1/16 inch thick reinforced base coat applied to the insulation prior to application of the finish coat. The insulation typically consists of closed expanded polystyrene (EPS) and can be either adhesively or mechanically attached to the sheathing. The second and less common type of EIFS is the polymer modified (PM) system. This system has a nominally 3/16 inch to 1/2 inch thick reinforced base coat applied to the insulation prior to application of the finish coat. The insulation typically consists of extruded expanded polystyrene (XPS) and is mechanically attached to the sheathing and or wall structure.
EIFS is available in two basic types: a barrier wall system or a wall drainage system. Barrier EIFS wall systems rely primarily on the base coat portion of the exterior skin to resist water penetration. Therefore, all other components of the exterior wall must either be barrier type systems or be properly sealed and flashed to prevent water from migrating behind the EIFS and into the underlying walls or interiors. Wall drainage EIFS systems are similar to cavity walls; they are installed over a weather barrier behind the insulation that acts as a secondary drainage plane. The weather barrier must be properly flashed and coordinated with all other portions of the exterior wall to prevent water from migrating into the underlying walls or interiors.
MASONRY CLEANING
Masonry cleaning entails the removal of dirt, debris, paint, and graffiti from the various surfaces of masonry structures. Commonly used masonry cleaning techniques include high and low-pressure washing and chemical cleaning. Regardless of the method used, special care is taken to avoid over cleaning - and possibly damaging - aging masonry surfaces.
Abrasive Cleaning
Heavily soiled masonry surfaces may require abrasive cleaning to effectively remove deposits of grime, paint or graffiti. Abrasive cleaning typically involves high-pressure application of sand or another type of inert, abrasive material directly to the masonry surface. When the abrasive cleaning has been completed, the masonry surface is frequently rinsed with low-pressure water to remove any remaining dirt or cleaning materials.