Dark composite panels, where every flaw shows

The Stratacache Building is an upscale office tower on Main Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Its exterior is architectural glass set against dark aluminum composite panels, and that colour is the whole difficulty of the job.

Why dark panels are harder

On a light or mid-tone panel, a slightly uneven result disappears at street level. On a dark panel it does not. Every streak, every patch where the cleaner sat a moment too long, every overlap between one pass and the next shows up as a lighter mark against the surrounding colour, and it shows from the pavement.

So the work could not start with the building. The crew spent several days testing combinations and techniques on sample areas until they had a method that produced an even finish across a whole panel, then applied that method consistently.

What was used

EnviRestore Metal Stain Remover went onto both the composite panels and the anodized aluminum window frames. It lifts staining from mineral deposits, rust, salts, efflorescence and hard water without abrading the panel surface, which matters more here than on a textured facade.

Metal Protector HD followed as the barrier against staining and corrosion returning, which is what keeps the building from needing the same work again in a few years.

The architectural glass carried heavy mineral staining, so it was treated with Glass ReSurfacer Stripper, an acid-based product that removes deposits the polish alone would take far too long to shift. Note that the Stripper is sold only as a six-case lot of 72 quarts, so it suits work at this scale.

The panels under the air conditioning vents

Some panels sat directly beneath AC vents and were a separate problem: they live in near-constant condensation, so whatever goes on them has to survive being wet far more often than the rest of the facade. Those panels were removed, polished and sealed individually to give them a finish that would hold under that.

How it came out

The dark panels and the anodized frames came back to an even finish, which restored the contrast against the glass that the building was designed around.