Project Description
The original ‘City Hotel’, located on the corner of Kent Street and King Street, was constructed c1884 in Victorian Italianate Style. ‘The Ambassador’, located further south on Kent Street, was originally constructed c1879 and has a rare Victorian style warehouse façade. As part of the c1980s high rise and podium development, the sites were amalgamated and the buildings behind demolished, retaining only the three-storey high facades. Both facades are listed as City of Sydney heritage items for their historical significance as remnants of these historic buildings.
As remedial building specialists with heritage restoration experience, Everest Contracting was engaged to refurbish the heritage and non-heritage façade at this location.
Facade works underway at the City Hotel
The heritage building façade was coated with both lead and non-lead based coatings so in accordance with Australian Standards, our team has followed the painstaking process of hand washing the old paint with detergent then water, applied PeelAway 1 paint stripper and then used small hand scrapers to remove it. This is to prevent lead dust particles being dispersed and causing potential health risks to both workers and people in the surrounding area.
Wall prepared for painting
Usual methods of non-hazardous paint removal include water or sandblasting, which takes only a fraction of the time and cost.
Once the paint has been removed, the surfaces are again hand washed with a PH neutralising chemical solution then laboratory tested for PH levels. The PH levels were deemed to be too high, so our team was then required to apply multiple washes to the wall with a bicarb soda solution to return the surfaces to a PH neutral level. The walls were then allowed to dry in preparation for the application of primer and lastly, paint.
Workers hand-washing surfaces
A similar process has also been followed for the removal of broken and delaminated render on the heritage façade. Old render was removed by mechanical means then a new heritage approved render containing sand, cement, lime and Westox adhesive was used to patch surfaces in preparation for repainting.
Renderer patching facade render
Additional works at this site have also included block work crack repairs, corrosion treatment to handrails and flagpole, replacing glazing gaskets for windows with failed waterproofing, resealing awning tie rods and structural work – strengthening concrete columns located in the basement of these buildings.
A completed section of the facade
This project was valued at $1 million and has had a dedicated project team including a project and site manager, painters, renderers and labourers to carefully remediate and refurbish the building’s facade.
Contact us for advice or a quotation on the restoration your heritage or non-heritage building façade.