What Should I Be Aware of When Using Skalflex for Treatment and Maintenance of My Facade?

Skalflex has many years of experience in facade treatments. Here you will find helpful advice on treatments and maintenance before you get started.

Peeling: Paint peeling is one of the most common types of damage on treated facades. However, paint does not peel without a reason whether it is errors in the application phase or an external cause. It could be paint applied under the wrong temperature, wrong or no priming coat , moisture build-ups behind paints that are too close, weak supporting underlying surface, contaminating surfaces, rise of ground moisture, etc.

Contamination: Previously painted or treated surfaces are all contaminated to some degree. With a dry cloth in a colour that contrasts the contaminating colour, wipe the cloth over the painted surface. You will easily be able to tell to what degree the surface is contaminated.

1. Obvious contamination: In case of obvious discolouration of the cloth, the base must be cleaned to remove all contamination. This may be done by sandblasting, high-pressure cleaning or manually scraping off the paint.  Subsequently repair and prime the surface using the appropriate Skalflex primer.
2. Mild contamination: Only mild discolouration of the cloth. Perform a light wash and cleaning with Skalflex Multi-Purpose Cleaner to remove any algae, dirt, etc. Then prime the surface using the appropriate Skalflex primer.
3. No discolouration. Use Skalflex Multi-Purpose Cleaner on any growth of algae and prime the surface using the appropriate Skalflex primer.
   

Algae: Growth of algae occurs in particular on walls facing north or west. Algae grow in places where the masonry fails to dry completely - usually due to lack of sunlight. Typical places of algae growth include places where trees, bushes, etc., give shade for the sun and retain moisture. In most cases, Skalflex Multi-Purpose Cleaner will remove any growth of algae.

Moisture and water: Always take seriously a high moisture level in your facade. Find and remove the cause.
The cause may be cracks, bad joints, rising groundwater, no or bad overhangs and coverings, leaking down pipes. It is important to remedy the problem. Also, allow the facade to dry completely before painting it. Typical types of moisture damage include:

• Cracking due to freezing and thawing
• Peeling
• Crumbling, cracking or crazing plaster
• Efflorescence

Frost damage often occurs when the moisture content in the outermost part of the wall is so high that the water builds up. Since many paints are only vapour permeable to water in vapour form, water behind the paint and in the outermost part of the wall will freeze and expand, causing damage to paint and masonry.