Brick restoration services protect tenants and property and add years to the life of your commercial building or structure. The restoration process involves everything from repairing damaged bricks and mortar to revitalizing the brick’s appearance. Presto provides a range of brick restoration services, including brick cleaning and sealing for modern commercial buildings and historic structures. If your building’s brickwork has been damaged or has deteriorated, our experts will restore it with quality craftsmanship you can depend on.
Brickwork Throughout History
Bricks date back to 7000 BC and are the oldest known building materials. The world’s first bricks were made of mud and straw and used in what’s now known as the Middle East. In 3500 BC, a major “brick breakthrough” occurred with the invention of fired brick, as people in other, cooler locations could now manufacture bricks without the sun’s heat.
The art of brickmaking spread throughout Europe during the Roman Empire and nearly disappeared when the empire fell. In modern times, builders clad many early American skyscrapers in brick—New York’s Empire State Building has more than 10 million bricks! Today, brick remains a popular building material prized for its texture, scale, color, and pattern. It also has tremendous non-aesthetic advantages such as sound control, insulation against temperature fluctuations, and fire resistance. Look around, and you’ll see brick used for all types of commercial and residential structures.
Presto has decades of experience in brick cleaning, maintenance, and restoration services. Our brick restoration experts can identify problem areas and recommend restoration and maintenance plans that help you:
- Avoid costly repairs and reconstruction.
- Maintain your building’s value.
- Decrease liability.
Our brick restoration and protection solutions are designed to extend the life of the brickwork on your commercial building, parking garage, or other structure.
Brick Restoration Services
From one-story libraries to towering high-rises, the stressors of weather, sunlight, water, and building movement and settlement deteriorate brick facades. The results are safety and maintenance issues that can add to the cost of property management. Presto Restoration’s brick restoration services include identifying issues and recommending repairs and preventative steps to protect your property and its tenants.
Brickwork restoration and brick repair are two separate processes.
- Brick restoration work preserves your building’s style and appearance. The process requires a thorough understanding of different building methods, as how a brick structure was built a hundred years ago is different from one built in the last decade. Brick restoration can be as simple as cleaning and sealing or as complex as tearing down and rebuilding.
- Brick repair services fix chips and cracks within existing brickwork. Sometimes entire sections of brickwork are repaired, while at other times, the repair’s done with caulking. Because mortar typically crumbles and wears out long before the brickwork, it often needs to be entirely replaced and requires complete restoration.
Brick Cleaning Services
Many owners and managers are concerned with the appearance of their building’s brick. Because they collect dirt, moisture, pollution, and other contaminants, bricks often end up looking grimy and faded. Fortunately, brick’s color can be revitalized using one of several available brick cleaning services.
- Pressure washing is often used without using chemical cleaners. For more sensitive materials, we use a combination of low-pressure washing and chemicals.
- Stains and discolorations often need a cleaner, some of which loosen grease and oils. Others are used to remove mold and algae. Acids remove rust and efflorescence.
Depending on the nature and source of staining and soiling on your building’s brick surfaces, Presto uses various techniques and cleaning agents, including environmentally-friendly citrus-based cleaners for tough oil stains like those found in parking structures.
Brick Sealing Services
Once the brick cleaning process is complete, sealers should be used to close up the brick’s pores. This prevents future water penetration that can weaken a structure. It also helps prevent:
- The need for frequent pressure washing.
- Organic and non-organic oil and stain penetration.
- Staining from adjacent materials leaching minerals.
- Damage to steel components.
- Mold and mildew.
Presto’s proprietary brick and stone restoration product line was the first of its kind and was designed to combat problems specifically associated with brick staining and discoloration.
Lastly, caulking your building’s control joints helps maintain its structural integrity and keeps water, air, and insects from entering the building.
Learn More About Presto’s Brick Restoration Services
If you own or manage a commercial brick building, periodic restoration can prolong its life and save you thousands of dollars in repair and replacement work. For over 25 years, Presto’s skilled technicians have provided industry-leading brick restoration services across the country. They’d love to do the same for you! Call 1-800-785-9927 or request a quote to get your brick restoration project started.
