Material & Decay

Material: Cement

Decay type: Black compact deposit

Decay reason:

This decay could be caused by a series of complex mixtures, such as rainfall and dirt from air, tiny material losses from very surface of the cement. Sometimes the salinity in high humidty air could have chemical reaction with cement and dirt in the common atmosphere.

Material: Plaster

Decay type: Discoloration

Decay reason:

It is mainly caused by high humidity in atmosphere, especially in rainy days water would bring tiny dirt and color painting on the surface of plaster. This circumstance would also cause other damage on the material auch as detachent and material loss.

Material: Lime mortar

Decay type: Detachment

Decay reason:

Firstly, it owns the characteristic of this material - laminar, which tends to be detached by different layers. Furthermore, general temperature change especially between seasons and climate may also the reasons to damage ans change micro structure of material itself.

Material: Concrete

Decay type: Biological colonization

Decay reason:

This deterioration always appear at bottomn and ground of buildings, mainly caused by high humidity of environment and floating seeds in the air, lichen and mould are possible grow at same time and position. For the historical building that in not often used, is better to take termly cleaning.

Material: Mortar

Decay type: Crack

Decay reason: Actually crack have similar reason as detachment which also happen on the same material type on this building - sudden temperature change and high humidity in air, gap between different materials during long periods after construction.

Material: Mortar

Decay type: White painting

Decay reason: This is totally manual activities on the existed facade and the reason could be difficult to analysis, we just assumed it ever experienced some dirty on the surface. In the next conservation project, it may better to repaint with similar yellow coating on the mortar.