Facade Restoration or Full Replacement? Sealing & Washing

Water penetrating into the lobby, composite panels going wavy, rust stains on the joints, a clicking sound from the panels in the wind — these are the warning signs of a facade. The market's standard answer is 'demolish everything and rebuild'; yet in most cases, targeted restoration achieves the same result for a fraction of the cost.

The first step of restoration is precise diagnosis, not guesswork: a technical assessment with a water test and an inspection of the substructure from behind the panels determines whether the problem lies in the joints, in the substructure, or in the panels themselves. Without that assessment, every repair is a shot in the dark.

Our restoration toolbox has five main instruments: waterproofing and joint sealing with structural silicone and EPDM; washing with specialist chemicals matched to each material; replacement of the damaged panels with color matching; anti-rust treatment and reinforcement of the substructure; and re-leveling the panels to remove waves — instead of replacing them wholesale.

A word about washing: strong alkaline chemicals dull the PVDF coating of composite panels, and strong acid stains glass. Professional washing means choosing a material-specific solution, testing it on a small patch first, rinsing completely, and following a documented protocol. This is exactly the difference between a facade that comes out clean and one that comes out damaged.

There is also a third way: over-cladding the old facade with a new second skin — composite, HPL, punch metal or thermowood — without any demolition; particularly for occupied buildings where moving the residents out is not an option. Appearance, waterproofing and insulation are upgraded simultaneously. A free initial facade assessment is the right starting point — Namakaran Fakher Engineering Co. performs it before any commitment is made.