Defending High-Rises, Institutions & Commercial Properties Across the Buckeye State
Commercial Facade Restoration & Waterproofing in Ohio
Presto Restoration restores and waterproofs the exteriors of large commercial buildings across Ohio, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Dayton. Work covers facade glass, metal and stone, commercial caulking and sealants, parking deck coatings, fluid-applied roofing, historic preservation and leak detection. Presto works above grade only, on multi-story commercial property, and does not take residential or small-scale projects. Quotes: 1-800-785-9927.
- Service area
- Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and surrounding areas across Ohio
- Services
- Facade restoration, commercial caulking and waterproofing, parking deck restoration, fluid-applied roof coatings, historic preservation, leak detection and building envelope consulting
- Building types
- Office and condominium towers, hotels, hospitals, university and government buildings, parking structures and historic landmarks
- Scope
- Above grade only. Not residential, not small-scale projects
- Facade ordinances
- Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus all require periodic facade inspection
- Contact
- 1-800-785-9927 · Request a quote
Our Statewide Restoration Services in Ohio
Why Ohio Buildings Need Engineered Envelope Solutions
Ohio buildings take on a freeze-thaw cycle that runs from November into April, and the damage is cumulative rather than dramatic. Water gets into a hairline crack in masonry or a failed sealant joint, freezes, expands, and widens the opening it entered through. Next thaw, more water fits. Over a decade that process turns a joint that needed recaulking into spalled brick, displaced stone and a wall that leaks under wind-driven rain.
Parking decks are where Ohio winters do their most expensive work. Vehicles carry road salt onto the deck, meltwater pushes chloride down through the slab, and chloride is what breaks down the passive layer protecting the reinforcing steel inside the concrete. Once that steel corrodes it expands and pops the concrete off from the inside, which is why a deck that looks merely tired can already be compromised. Traffic coatings, joint work and prompt repair of the first delaminations cost a fraction of what a structural rebuild does.
Presto Restoration has spent more than 25 years on buildings like these. Along the Ohio River corridor, and Cincinnati in particular, summer humidity stays high enough that masonry walls dry slowly and biological growth takes hold on shaded elevations. Add a long industrial history and the older brick and limestone downtown carry decades of particulate that holds moisture against the surface. Cleaning has to be matched to the substrate here. The wrong pressure or the wrong chemistry on soft historic brick strips the fired outer skin and leaves the wall worse off than the soiling ever did.
Please note: Presto specializes in large, commercial multi-story buildings in need of restoration of glass, metal and stone, waterproofing or caulking. We do not do residential or small projects.
Ohio Building Stock, Codes & Inspection Requirements
Ohio’s commercial cores are unusually layered. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron and Dayton all built out heavily between roughly 1880 and 1930, which left load-bearing brick, terra cotta, cast stone and limestone facades that depend on their mortar joints and their flashing to stay dry. Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine holds the largest intact collection of Italianate architecture in the country. Around and above those cores sits mid-century and later stock: precast concrete panels, aluminum-and-glass curtain wall, and EIFS on newer suburban office and medical buildings. The two groups fail in completely different ways, and a scope written for one is close to useless on the other.
Ohio is one of the few states where facade inspection is written into local law, and the requirements differ city by city. Cincinnati’s ordinance 329-2016 covers buildings five storeys or sixty feet, whichever is less, and requires the inspection to be performed by an Ohio-registered professional engineer or architect, sealed and signed, with the report filed within thirty days. Cleveland covers buildings five storeys or seventy-five feet that are at least thirty years old, follows ASTM E2270, requires re-inspection every five years, and classifies each facade as safe, safe with a repair program, or unsafe. Columbus requires a critical observation every five years for buildings twenty years or older whose facades sit within ten feet of a public right of way, and requires a structural engineer for downtown buildings of three storeys or more. If you own or manage property in those cities, the inspection is not optional and the report is public.
Most exterior work in Ohio is bounded by temperature. Sealants, coatings and mortar all have minimum application temperatures, so the reliable construction window runs from roughly April through early November. Investigation, engineering and scoping do not have that constraint. The pattern that works is to diagnose over the winter and build through the season. Owners who wait until spring to start the conversation usually lose that first season to scheduling.
Our Ohio Service Area Locations
Presto Restoration works on large commercial buildings in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Dayton, and travels across Ohio for projects that fit our scope.
Cleveland, OH
Cuyahoga County
Facade / Waterproofing / Parking Decks / Roof Coatings / Historic / Leak Detection
Columbus, OH
Franklin County
Facade / Waterproofing / Parking Decks / Roof Coatings / Historic / Leak Detection
Cincinnati, OH
Hamilton County
Facade / Waterproofing / Parking Decks / Roof Coatings / Historic / Leak Detection
Akron, OH
Summit County
Facade / Waterproofing / Parking Decks / Roof Coatings / Historic / Leak Detection
Dayton, OH
Montgomery County
Facade / Waterproofing / Parking Decks / Roof Coatings / Historic / Leak Detection
Also serving across Ohio
Canton, Elyria, Hamilton, Kettering, Lakewood, Lorain, Mansfield, Middletown, Newark, Parma, Springfield, Toledo, Warren, Youngstown and Zanesville
Ohio
PORTFOLIO
HIGHLIGHTS
Presto has completed several commercial building restoration and waterproofing projects in Ohio. We are proud to share some of our favorite restoration projects in Ohio cities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Building Restoration in Ohio
Does Presto Restoration work throughout Ohio?
Yes. We work statewide, with concentrations in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Dayton, and we take projects in surrounding markets including Canton, Toledo, Youngstown, Springfield and Zanesville. We don’t have a true HQ, so crews are assembled around the project rather than dispatched from one fixed location.
What kinds of buildings does Presto work on in Ohio?
Large commercial and institutional property: high-rise offices, hospitals and medical campuses, universities, hotels, condominium and multifamily towers, parking structures, government buildings and historic commercial buildings. Our work is above grade, meaning the building envelope from the plaza deck up. Plaza decks and parking structures are in scope.
Which Ohio cities require facade inspections?
Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus each have their own ordinance, and the thresholds differ. Cincinnati applies to buildings five storeys or sixty feet, whichever is less. Cleveland applies to buildings five storeys or seventy-five feet that are at least thirty years old, with re-inspection every five years under ASTM E2270. Columbus requires a critical observation every five years for buildings twenty years or older with facades within ten feet of a public right of way. The inspections themselves are performed by a registered engineer or architect. We handle the repair scope that follows.
Why do Ohio parking decks deteriorate faster than the rest of the building?
Road salt. Vehicles track chloride onto the deck through the winter, meltwater carries it down into the concrete, and chloride attacks the protective layer around the reinforcing steel. Corroding steel expands and forces the concrete apart from within. That is why delaminations, spalls and leaking joints tend to show up on decks years before the facade above shows comparable wear.
When is the best time of year to schedule exterior restoration in Ohio?
Sealants, coatings and mortar have minimum application temperatures, so the practical construction window runs from roughly April into early November. Investigation, engineering and scoping can happen any time. Starting the investigation and scoping over the winter is what makes a full season of production possible.
How long has Presto Restoration been doing this work?
More than 25 years. We specialize in facade restoration, waterproofing, caulking and coatings on large commercial buildings, which means the crew on an Ohio high-rise has done that specific work rather than treating it as a sideline to general contracting.
Explore More
Our services: Facade Restoration · Commercial Waterproofing · Parking Deck Restoration · Roof Coatings · Historic Preservation · Leak Detection & Consulting
Nearby states we serve: Michigan / Indiana / Pennsylvania / West Virginia