Clean Your Listed Building Instead of Painting!

Spectrum had worked with the property management company in charge of the buildings for a while and so already had a good working relationship with the client.The cleaning work in the Hyde Park Gardens site is ongoing, with façade cleaning taking place every 3 months. This is done in order to ensure the façade is always in good aesthetic condition.

The Project

Spectrum had 2 weeks to complete the façade cleaning work at the Hyde Park Gardens site. While working on the project, we also removed graffiti from the building and carried out wall cleaning to leave the façade clean and clear.

The Site

This project involved cleaning the facades of listed buildings. Listed building cleaning requires special care and attention in order to prevent damage to the surface of the stone, brick or masonry and optimise results.

The buildings had a painted masonry façade and were finished in a light, cream colour. This light colour, while an attractive option for period buildings, is liable to staining. In fact, it is so prone to discolouration that it needs to be cleaned roughly every 3 months to keep it in good condition.

The site is in a residential area and so we worked to minimise disruption to those using the blocks, and those living nearby, throughout the clean. In the time since we had last cleaned the blocks, graffiti had become visible on the façade. This needed to be removed along with the staining and discolouration that had appeared on the property since our teams had last been on the site.

This issue means that the Hyde Park Gardens buildings need to be cleaned on a regular basis to keep them in good aesthetic condition.

The Logistics

The project had few logistical challenges for our team. The blocks were easily accessible and our patented cleaning equipment was able to easily reach all stories of the buildings from the safety of the ground.

This meant that cleaning work on the Hyde Park Gardens site could proceed quickly and efficiently. It also provided us with plenty of time to inspect additional areas of the building while we were on site. This included checking the gutters, some of which were in need of repair.

Carrying out inspections and visual checks on elevated parts of a building while on site allows us to provide our clients with excellent value. It also ensures the properties we work on are well maintained and kept in good condition.

How We Clean Listed Buildings

Whenever our teams work on listed buildings, they are careful to preserve the look of the property and protect all period features. This often involves using specialist cleaning techniques and our patented cleaning equipment to get great results.

When working on the Hyde Park Gardens site, we focused on the staining that had built up close to the windows and beneath the ledges on the façade of the property.

These ledges, though a nice decorative feature, allow large amounts of dirt to build up. Rain causes this dirt to run down the façade of the building and creates dark marks on the cream paintwork.

As this site is located in a busy central area, dirt can build up fast and this discolouration can happen very quickly. The best way to keep this staining to a minimum, and preserve the period look of the building, is to clean the façade on a regular basis.

We clean the façade of the Hyde Park Gardens site every 3 months. This is roughly the same timeframe required for window cleaning. We encourage clients with period properties like this to schedule façade cleaning whenever they clean the windows on their buildings.

One of the major benefits of regularly cleaning a painted masonry façade like this is that it extends the period between cycles of redecoration. Repainting a large, listed building requires scaffolding and is time consuming and expensive. The longer there is between redecoration cycles, the lower the maintenance costs are for the client.

When cleaning the façade of the building, we used a number of specialist render cleaning techniques. This helped to ensure a high quality finish and also allowed our team to carry out the work quickly and efficiently. Areas with heavy staining were specially treated using targeted cleaning techniques. This produced a clear, clean finish across the entire façade of the property.

Restoring Historic Buildings

The client was very happy with the result of the façade clean at the Hyde Park Gardens site. The work was completed on time and on budget and disruption to residents was kept to a minimum throughout the project.

During our time working on the Hyde Park Gardens site, our team inspected the gutters of the property and noted all areas that required repairs and maintenance.

Checking elevated areas of the building when we work on a project allows us to notify clients of structural and cosmetic issues and helps to keep the properties we work on in good aesthetic condition. This work was done free of charge in order to provide extra value for the client and put the residents’ interests first.

We clean the façade of the Hyde Park Gardens site every 3 months and would encourage clients with similar properties to carry out façade cleaning on this type of schedule. We carry out regular façade cleaning on a similar property and the neighbours have been so impressed with the results, they have implemented regular cleaning schedules of their own.

Helping Our Clients Maintain Their Property

Regular cleaning of a property’s façade helps to maintain the painted masonry for longer periods of time between decorating cycles. This means that spending more on cleaning can actually save money in the long run. What’s more, as regular cleaning removes staining and discolouration from a façade, the property will be in better aesthetic condition between cycles as well.