What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you see a commercial building? Well, the thoughts are not always the same. If the building you are viewing has beautifully painted walls, shining windows, doors, and everything that just looks attractive, then there can be two reasons: either the building is new or, most likely, it has been recently repaired and renovated.
If you are looking up at a commercial building where the curtain wall panels appear faded, patchy, or uneven, then unfortunately, you are not imagining things. This reflects the reality of a building that has not been properly maintained for years, resulting in significant damage to both the structure and the walls. Although a building may encounter several issues as it ages, including a faded shop front that requires shop front recoating and damaged architectural steelwork, these problems can vary in severity.
However, a major issue that negatively impacts both the appearance and safety of the building is the discolouration of the curtain wall. This is a common problem that several buildings face these days, and the most frustrating part of all this is that the curtain walls appear to be dead even when the panels are structurally sound.
So, what’s really going on—and why do curtain wall panels lose their original colour over time? This article is for you if you’re looking for answers. By the end of this article, you will know the causes of such damage and the best ways to deal with it.
UV Exposure: The Silent Colour Fader
To begin with, sunlight might seem to be a natural thing, and therefore there are a number of people who think that it cannot cause damage, at least to non-living things. But you entirely wrong here. You might have seen a number of buildings’ curtain walls discoloured, and the major reason behind this discolouration is not merely the paint getting old and wearing off but primarily UV radiation.
With the passage of time, when your building goes through a constant exposure to sunlight, the pigments in the surface coatings and finishes get broken down. This is indeed a gradual impact but becomes quite noticeable on:
- South- and west-facing elevations
- Buildings with dark-coloured panels
- Areas exposed to direct sunlight for long periods
Initially, this may appear to be a gradual fade, but as time passes, it starts to show up very significantly on the walls, facades, and all other parts of the building too.
Common signs of UV damage include:
- Washed-out colours
- Loss of gloss or sheen
- Panels ageing at different rates
Pollution and Airborne Contaminants
Pollution is something that has become an extremely alarming factor these days in a number of fields. Especially when we discuss the urban environments, they seem to be leaving huge impacts. This process also affects the tough exteriors of buildings. Several factors that add to pollution in the urban areas, such as the traffic fumes, industrial emissions, and airborne pollutants, gradually settle on curtain walls requiring curtain wall spraying. They react with the surface walls, leading to several results that degrade the look and the appearance of the building.
Over time, such pollutants can cause:
- Yellowing or greying of panels
- Staining that won’t wash away
- Dull, dirty-looking finishes even after cleaning
Weather Exposure and Moisture Ingress
Constant exposure to the weather elements also leaves an everlasting impact on the buildings. Unavoidable and extremely common things that we experience day to day, such as rain, wind, frost, and temperature fluctuations, significantly contribute to the damage of the exteriors of a building. In all these things, the most damage is done by the moisture which is present on the walls due to these natural activities. This moisture assaults the building on multiple levels.
- Sealants degrade or fail
- Water sits on panel surfaces
- Freeze-thaw cycles stress coatings
Why Discolouration Is More Than Just a Cosmetic Issue
At first, you may think the building’s issue is just a cosmetic one, but if left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, some of which are listed below.
- Reduce protection against corrosion
- Shorten the lifespan of panels
- Increase future repair or replacement costs
- Negatively impact a building’s professional image
Summing Up
To sum up, there are several things that lead to the degradation of glass facades, and the only way to safeguard them is to get the repairing and renovation such as onsite glass repair done well in time. To get this done, all you need to do is get in touch with a good architectural services-providing company, and they will take care of the rest of the things in the most efficient manner.
