FAÇADE REFORMS WITH PORCELAIN TILES

These tips will help the resident or owner of a property in repairing facades to improve their appearance or fix a problem.

Many facades are covered with materials whose durability is inferior to that of ceramics. Others develop problems such as mold, fungus, aging, cracks, and sometimes collapse, which requires immediate repair. Here are some steps that may assist in proper repair, and reduce the costs of future maintenance.

First Step: Repair Needs

Those responsible should contact an accredited company to evaluate the services that should be performed and at what cost.
There are many repair companies on the market. We suggest you contact those with CREA approval (Regional Council of Engineering and Architecture), which provides guarantees in accordance with the consumer defense code and which meet the requirements of NR 18 (Regulatory Norm on Hygiene and Work Safety).

Some fa�ade repairs require a plan with designs and material specifications.

Note that before any reform, the following steps are required to ensure that the property has the proper guarantees of service and legal protection from the competent agents.

Pre-contract: :
1 - Verification, through the appropriate organs, of peculiarities in the building, with respect to destroying historic patrimony;
2 -Gathering tax information;
3 - Approval for reforms from local government;
4 - Check if all service personnel involved are duly registered to avoid potential legal complications.

Second Step: Important Items for Contract

To contract a service provider, note the following items which should be included in a future contract:
- contract objective: detail services to be rendered, including budget and descriptive history;
- local conditions: specify appearance prior to work;
- contractor employees should accompany work;
- timeframe for completing work;
- price and payment forms;
- obligations of contracting party;
- obligations of contracted party;
- contract registration;
- describe items related to Work Security (NR 18).

It is advisable that a contract include an item relative to verification of the procedures and characteristics of specified materials.

Third Step: Maintenance

AAfter the technical evaluation and having confirmed the need for reforms, preventive or corrective maintenance should be put into practice.

Preventive Maintenance: using tiles on old coverings.

Preventive maintenance guarantees recovering with tiles for the life of the building and should be done from "time to time" while observing:

a) Cleanliness:
Verify the type of dirt and the type of maintenance as suggested below.
Deposits of cement, lyme, and sand: lime water and vinegar solution;
Grease and pollution: use a mixture of neutral detergent and water;
Other contaminants: use water and light brushes, or water jets.

b) Eventual reposition of product:
To replace the tile plates, it's advisable that the condominium send a sample of the old material to the supplier in order to maintain the exterior aesthetic.

c) Retouching:
After cleaning, replace the tile, as shown in the manual.

Corrective Maintenance:

Partial correction - Tile by Tile
In case of partial failure from incorrect application, inadequate base, breakage, etc.
- analyze the plaster, by tapping, to identify areas with "hollow" sounds. In this case, replace the plaster;
- in areas with cracks, you should check if the cracks are stable with stucco in specific points;
- check source of cracks;
- in the case of cracks in the plaster, or in the bases, the base should be repaired so that, later, a new covering can be applied. In general cracks are points where water can infiltrate and deteriorate the base. So in this case, itÕs necessary to treat the base.

The partial repair will not have the same appearance as the original. So, itÕs recommended to substitute a larger area, such as with independent cloths to maintain the homogeneity.

Plaster repair:
- note the thickness of the plaster to ensure it during the application of the new tile;
- when there is no stock, we recommend that the owner send a sample of the original material to the supplier to find the most similar replacement;
- when applying, try to protect the surrounding region.

Total replacement:
- substitute the old covering because of aesthetic reasons;;
- major collapse;
- penetration of water;
- generalized cracks.

The following care should be taken during restoration:
- Request a service analysis from a specialized company;
- Identify joint extension, according to NBR 13.755 from Dec. 1996 (Brazilian Norm publicized by ABNT)
- Check plaster to identify specific conditions relative to above item (partial correction);
- Confirm level, plumb, joints, and plane, and make adjustments if necessary;
- Apply tiles, observing the application manual and method for using putty on external surfaces;
- Take care to protect façade materials.