Building Exteriors:
Building exteriors are as important as the interior design of your house or office. Facade means “Frontage” or “Face” of the structure the word is taken from French. The facade is the most important aspect of the building as it shows the profile of its master and the unique statements it makes as soon as you lay your eye on the building for the first time.
Facades are usually made with brick, natural stone, concrete, exterior paints, and wood, glass, and aluminum composites. They need to be looked after from time to time for any kind of deterioration as we all know everything ages over a period of time.
The best way to maintain the facade is to choose the correct material and method from the start, this way you can reduce the maintenance cost.
Let’s discuss the common problem that occurs in maintaining facade and material used in making facade.
1) Concrete Facade
2) Brick Facade
3) Tile & Natural Stone
4) Wooden
5) Glass facade
Concrete Facade:
Modern building exterior and facades with concrete are one the fastest and most elegant, contemporary options winning over people's hearts. Concrete is the most used material in the construction industry throughout the world due to its sheer strength and durability compared to other materials.
Modern architecture would hardly be conceivable without concrete is available to build with. The desire to create buildings with shells that have been realized using architectural concrete and that reflect the structures’ individual character is growing thanks to the development of a variety of surface-engineering methods. Every façade, therefore, becomes as individual as the architecture itself and assumes an entirely new function as an identity carries
Problems:
No matter how strong and durable it is time takes its toll on everything. The most common problem faced by concrete facade is weathering, water absorption due to cracks, & sand depletion etc.
Solutions:
Early detection is the key same as the medical industry. Every building speaks for itself you just need to listen carefully. if you start seeing crack and sand depletion on structure start preparing for the proactive protection installation.
Weather is something one can not control but we can control the material which can protect the facade in rough weather.
The First thing before considering anything one has to repair the damaged part of the facade. Now it's time for the right waterproofing solution to put in place as a preventive measure for any further deterioration or water absorption. Use special chemicals to stop fungal and bacterial growth BFA(Bactericide, fungicide, and algaecide).
A concrete facade with Acrylic or Anticarbonation coating is very useful it is flexible so there is no cracking, flaking, or peeling. Due to its excellent flexibility, it gives high durability.
Brick Facade:
Brick is the most fundamental building material date backs thousands of years. The sheer joy of economics benefit one gets using the brick as the core material for the facade is to behold. The brick is easily available, comes in different sizes, shapes & patterns you can easily indulge the designer in you. The proper brick formation with a deep understanding of patterns gives the brick structure long durability and strength even in heavy footstep areas.
The brick adhesive such as Lite block plays a crucial role as a thermal and sock resistant material for brick. The brick mortar exceeds the strength of class one adhesive.
You can build the most stunning facade with brick masonry and with modern architectural design bricks can give an alternate option as a contemporary style.
Problem:
Like all good material, a brick facade has its own limitations. When brick comes in contact with water and other impurities such as air from vehicle fumes they start to generate salt.
The brick over a period of time opens capillary pores and start to absorb water which can damage the interior if remain untreated for a long time. Due to the dampness in the brick green growth start to appear in the structure.
Solutions:
To make the brick facade strong and elegant salt inhibitor chemicals should be used during the initial construction stage. This chemical covers the capillary pores and stops the salt to appear on the surface.
Waterproofing on the brick facade with perfect waterproofing chemical & membrane will prevent the water from penetrating the bricks in turn will stop and interior damages.
BFA treatment will help with the green growth problem
Stone/Tile Facade:
The facade made with tile and natural stone will have the most futuristic appeal and strength. The most used material for exterior walls and facade are large Porcelain and natural stone like Granite, travertine & sandstone facade. The density of porcelain is higher than the ceramic making it water-resistant and highly resistance to impact or wear & tear
Problem:
Some stone such as sandstone is porous in nature and absorbs water and impurities from the environment making it more prone to discoloration.
The porcelain tile performs very well in cold and freezing temperature however it needs similar bonding agent with the substrate to maintain its strength and durability.
Solutions:
The best way to use tile and stone for facade or cladding is to use with most suitable tile and stone adhesive instead of cement. The tile adhesive has unique properties such as Thermal Sock resistance, temperature compactness, Higher adhesion, chemical, and water-resistant these properties give much-needed support to the structure.
The tile and stones in the facade have to be fixed with tile fixing materials formulated for high bond strength and flexibility to prevent cracking it's called grout.
Epoxy grout is the most important for fixing the tile and stones. Epoxy grout comes with very high compressive strength and durability. It is highly resistant to stains, cracks, chemicals, harsh weather conditions, and climate changes. Highly thixotropic in nature and does not sag from the joint up to 15 mm. or even more. Permanent locking of color between joints. Very low VOC. Smooth and shiny flush joints between tiles & stone
Wooden Facade:
The wooden facade has been there with all of us for ages as far as we can remember. The most elegant and attractive interior and exterior can be achieved with wooden material. Wooden material is very flexible to work this help in creating vast design option for facade or you can choose for exterior cladding of property.
As stated in our earlier statement every material has its own problem as far as the wood goes the list has a few options to tackle during the construction to avoid the long-term problems.
Problem:
UV rays
Rain/moisture
Termites/insects
Mould/Algae
Fungus
Solutions:
Every problem stated with a wood facade has a solution and wooden material can be treated with the following options to overcome the problem.
| pre-treatment | Undercoat | Topcoat |
| Penetrating priming oil | Alkyd undercoat | 2 coats. Acrylic paint. |
| Penetrating priming oil | Alkyd undercoat | 2 coats. Alkyd paint. |
| Linseed oil undercoat (40 percent dilution of linseed oil paint) | Linseed oil undercoat (20 percent dilution of linseed oil paint) | Linseed oil paint, solvent-based |
| Penetrating priming oil | Alkyd undercoat | 2 coats. Translucent coating |
| - | Wood stain | Wood stain |
| - | Distemper | Distemper |
Glass Facade:
The glass facade is the most sought option when it comes to making magnificent facades for any structure residential or commercial. Every major city or state you visit your eye will catch some of the most appealing facades made from glass.
Glass not only has better appeal than most of the material it serves a better function purpose than ever before. Some of the functional properties of glass include Energy efficiency, Strong enough for harsh weather, Flexibility, transparency, Translucent, etc.
Problem:
Glass facades can cause a lot of glare.
The glass can absorb heat can act as a greenhouse.
The glass facade isn’t shock-resistant it can break at a certain point if sudden pressure is applied.
Solutions:
The glass facade is very convenient to work with due to its properties as stated above.
Lot of problems we can overcome during the construction stage by using special bonding agents, Sealer to keep the glass facade sock resistant.
