When metal panels need two cleaners rather than one

Ruby Hicks Hall is in Pendleton, South Carolina, near Greenville. The building was going through a renovation, and the aluminum composite panel facade needed restoring and waterproofing as part of it.

What went wrong

Two things at once on the same panels: staining sitting on the surface, and oxidation in the metal itself. They look similar from the ground and they are not the same problem. Staining is deposited onto the panel and can be lifted off. Oxidation is the metal reacting, and it has to be worked out of the surface rather than wiped away.

The control joints between the panels had also failed, which is the other half of a metal facade: the panels keep the weather off and the joints keep it out.

Why two products rather than one

This is the question worth taking from this project. EnviRestore Metal Stain Remover and Metal ReSurfacer are not alternatives to each other, and on this building both were used on the same panels. One deals with the staining, the other with the oxidation. Buying only one and expecting it to do everything is the common mistake on an aging metal facade.

If you are not sure which of the two a surface needs, or whether it needs both, the Product Selector asks about the condition and says which to use.

What was used

EnviRestore Metal Stain Remover and Metal ReSurfacer together took the staining and the oxidation off the composite panels and returned them to their original state.

Metal Protector HD followed as the protective coating.

The metal-to-metal control joints were sealed with a high-performance structural glazing silicone.

Why it was worth doing

The alternative on a facade like this is replacing the panels or painting the building, and both cost more than restoring the panels that are already there. Access throughout was by lift.