Spectrum take on another render cleaning project with outstanding results.

Kenworthy Road – Render Cleaning in London

The project

Spectrum was approached by a London housing association that needed help with cleaning the render on eight blocks of flats under their care. As well as restoring the K-rend façade, we were tasked with cleaning the external gutters and windows.

Like many housing associations in the UK, the client had to make their budget go as far as possible when it came to the upkeep of their buildings. Fire safety is, of course, a priority for our clients, but thanks to our innovative and sophisticated render cleaning system, the client didn’t have to choose between compliance and cleanliness. They were able to benefit from both the peace of mind from compliant fire-safe facades and the aesthetic benefits of clean, well-maintained rendering, without incurring additional costs.

Our work on the Kenworthy site had to be completed at weekends and out of hours in order to accommodate the other contractors working on the site.

The site

The Kenworthy Road site was made up of eight blocks of flats. These flats were managed by a housing association and were adjacent to a children’s nursery, a health centre and a hospital.

As well as render cleaning, Spectrum was also required to clean the external windows of the building and remove dirt and debris from the gutters.

During the project, Spectrum had to work around a number of other contractors and ensure our work didn’t disrupt the health centre or nursery. This led to a lot of our work being carried out at weekends and after hours.

Challenges

The Kenworthy Road site presented us with a number of challenges. Part of the site faces onto a railway line, making it difficult to access using traditional methods. Our solution was to use IRATA rope access operatives. However, as there were no anchor points conforming to EN795 on the roof area for the small abseiling sections that were required, this presented its own difficulties.

In order to overcome this issue, Spectrum brought in our own portable anchorage. This was set up on the roof to create safe rigging for abseiling. By using abseiling and rope access instead of scaffolding and cherry pickers, we were able to keep costs to a minimum and provide a high quality service to our client while sticking to their budget.

During the render cleaning process, we also had to take into account the opening times of the adjacent nursery and the requirements of the nearby hospital and health centre. This further limited the hours we could spend on the project, making it even more important that we made good use of the time available to us.

Patented steam cleaning

The Kenworthy Road project was made possible thanks to our patented steam cleaning technology. Our unique P.A.S.T process uses a biocide treatment and a super-heated steam delivery system to remove dirt and algae to leave render looking like new.

This render cleaning process allows us to rejuvenate the facades of properties quickly and easily, without the need for scaffolding and heavy machinery. Following the treatment, the render will look as good as new, with all signs of weathering, ageing and algae removed.

Before we tackle projects like Kenworthy Road, we carry out a full site survey in order to assess the condition of a building’s render. This gives us an opportunity to take a closer look at the render to see if it’s algae, age or weathering that’s taken its toll on the surface.

During the render cleaning process, biocide is applied to the surface, killing any algae that may be living on the building. The super-heated steam then gently cleans away any residual marks to leave the render looking like new.

Spectrum always uses the most appropriate and relevant steam cleaners for the job. This helps us to achieve the best possible results when cleaning the render on a building. Following the clean, Spectrum will apply a thin layer of biocide to the render. This will help to prevent future algae growth, helping the building to stay looking fresh for longer.

Results

Our approach saved the housing association money on decorating costs, scaffolding, and access allowing them to restore and rejuvenate the block within budget. Our patented process made it possible to clean the render and revitalise the flats while keeping to a tight budget. This allowed the housing association to meet their maintenance obligations without putting a strain on their finances.

The project represents a great example of how Spectrum are able to put together the most cost-effective, and least disruptive, solution for the client. By using our patented process, 15% rope access and no heavy machinery or scaffolding, we met our client’s requirements and kept costs and disruption to a minimum.

Render cleaning can dramatically improve the look of a building and the results of the Kenworthy Road render clean were outstanding. Our client was impressed both with the finished look of their properties and with our flexibility, affordability and expertise.

By the end of the clean, the flats had been given a new lease of life, with all signs of algae and ageing removed from the surface of the render.

The project was completed within six weeks and, as a goodwill gesture, Spectrum also cleaned decking areas of some of the balconies and terraces. During the project, we provided our client with a daily report that included photos of our progress.

Without Spectrum’s patented render cleaning process, and our expertise, it would have been impossible to bring this project in on time and on budget. Our unique approach helped our client maintain their properties and improve the look of the buildings at the same time.

Jose, the Spectrum supervisor on the project said, “It was great to see so many people highly impressed with the cleaning process and our equipment, that have not seen how we work before, the results were like black and white.”

Spectrum Specialist Support are a London based specialist building contractor offering specialist expertise in
access and external building maintenance and construction.
Our rope access background (abseiling) allows us to help our clients find cost-effective and safe solutions and support in the most challenging of environments. With a vast amount of experience and projects under our belt, we offer a full spectrum of building maintenance services that require the expert know-how to complete. For further information on carrying out render façade restoration/cleaning, visit https://spectrumspecialistsupport.co.uk/

For further information contact:
Lucian Ivan
Managing Director
Spectrum Window Cleaning Ltd
Adam House,
7-10 Adam Street,
The Strand, WC2N 6AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3551 6206

Email: info@spectrumss.co.uk
Web: https://spectrumspecialistsupport.co.uk/