Restoring Your Commercial Building Exterior

3/12/2020 (Permalink)

Spring is just around the corner. This means that many Property and Facilities Managers are frantically scrambling to clean the exterior of their buildings after the cold winter. When it comes to maintaining your commercial building exterior, it is common knowledge that the appearance of the landscaping and parking lot is important. However, there are three main areas that also require upkeep in order to restore the beautiful appearance of your commercial building. Let us take a look at them below.

Metal

Metal is a common component of every commercial building. All of them are bound to have various metal parts on their exteriors. They come in the form of handrails, monument signs, door and side windows and light bollards. When these metal parts have stainless steel or bronze finishes or are anodized or painted, their appearance can be damaged by harsh weather environments. For example, over time, bronze oxidizes and stainless steel can rust. Anodized aluminium, on the other hand, will start to corrode to form pitting or show other signs of degradation.

All these forms of damage result from chemical reactions to airborne particles or exposure to salt products. To remedy this, you can enlist the help of a qualified contractor to clean your metal surfaces. They will apply a wax barrier to protect the metal from future damage. In the event that the metal has been so severely damaged that cleaning cannot restore it, the contractor can give it a clear synthetic coating to protect the surface of the metal until you can get it serviced.

Glass

Every building needs to undergo regularly window cleaning. For most commercial buildings, it is routine. Unfortunately, it may take more than routine cleaning to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of your windows panes. This is because the irrigation systems of many commercial buildings frequently spray water onto the windows of the first floor. In the long run, this causes the accumulation of lime scale, magnesium and calcium deposits, on the window panes. Lime scale is tough to remove and the longer it is left on the window panes, the more damage it causes to the glass. To prevent irreparable damage, it is recommended to have a professional check for and remove lime scale from the windows at least once a year.

Concrete

Winter inevitably covers your concrete exteriors of commercial buildings with layers of dirt and salt. This unfortunately results in the concrete appearing dirty, worn and pasty. Concrete surfaces include the building façade, sidewalks and dumpster pads to name a few. All these surfaces need to be properly cleaned to get rid of all the layers of salt, dirt and debris. However, most cleaning chemicals contain acidic chlorides that can damage the concrete by increasing its pore size. This means that water is able to seep into concrete, causing even more damage when it freezes and thaws repeatedly. To protect your concrete surfaces, it is best to hire qualified professionals to pressure wash them and make the necessary repairs. Getting professional help not only ensures that all harmful pollutants are removed, it also guarantees that your concrete surfaces look spotless and new.

As long as these three main areas receive proper care and maintenance, you can be sure that your commercial building exterior will look fantastic this spring.