The Impact of Imperfect Maintenance Scheduling on the Physical Degradation of Painted Renderings

Theoretical studies suggest that maintenance improves the state of conservation of buildings and components, increasing their durability and service life. However, the existing studies point to a qualitative improvement somewhere between “as-good-as-new” and “as-bad-as-old”. This study proposes a methodology to estimate the impact of imperfect maintenance actions on the degradation condition of painted renderings in external walls, based on an extensive fieldwork survey evaluating the timing and the effect of different maintenance actions on the life cycle of these claddings. Façades are analyzed at different instants (before and after the execution of maintenance services). The results reveal that the maintenance actions usually improve the condition of the painted renderings, although they are performed at inadequate moments. Cleaning actions reduce approximately 13% of the overall degradation condition of the claddings (12.2% for renderings and 13.2% for painted surfaces). The partial repair of renderings leads to a reduction of approximately 70% of the façade’s overall degradation condition. The façade only returns to the condition “as-good-as-new” when a total replacement of the rendering is performed. This study contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon and to a more accurate projection of the real effect of the maintenance actions on the durability of façades.

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