The exterior of the Gazebo Apartments had not undergone a major refurbishment since 1969. Over the years, the building had suffered water ingress in the balcony tiled beds, allowing water to seep through to underside soffits. This caused bubbling and hydrostatic pressure and the concrete façade was showing signs of cracks and deterioration.

As a result, the building required a complete refurbishment. Careful consideration was given to the products selected for the project due to its Heritage listing and location. A high-performance, breathable system was required to repaint the soffits. The balcony tiles were not able to be removed and resurfaced with a waterproofing membrane.

The balcony balustrades, permanently embedded into the balcony walls and floors, were also unable to be removed due to the building’s heritage listing and unique design. The coastal location also required a high-performance membrane solution that was in keeping with the iconic façade.

The Dulux Construction Solutions team worked closely with the engineer, Diagnostech, to provide a complete system to preserve and restore the Gazebo Apartments’ unique façade. Diagnostech chose to work with Dulux due to its extensive portfolio of brands and products, combined with the team’s expertise and technical advice.

Remedial building works were carried out prior to painting. It consisted of spalling works, re-rendering and patching of texture coatings to match existing coatings. Existing coatings were removed on balcony soffits and repairs were made on metal balcony balustrades.

Balcony soffits remediation

The solution for balcony soffits was to remove the existing coating and coated with a primer using Porter’s Paints Mineral Silicate and top coated with Porter’s Paints Mineral Paint. The Porter’s Paints system offered a totally breathable masonry coating to ensure a lasting finish, while providing a decorative rejuvenation of the substrate.

Balcony balustrades remediation

Due to the design of the balcony balustrades, the remediation works required the removal of the coating around the base of the balustrade to allow access to the steel foundations. These were coated with a Dulux Protective Coatings system. The steel balcony balustrades were spot primed with Durebild STE followed with 1 coat of Durebild STE and top coated with Dulux Weathermax HBR. The powdercoated balcony balustrades were primed with Luxepoxy 4 White Primer and top coated with Luxathane R.

External façade remediation

The remediation of the external concrete façades and parapets involved crack repair and recoating to match the existing texture profile. The surfaces were then top coated with 2 coats of Dulux Acratex AcraSkin.

The restoration of Gazebo Apartments has returned the building’s unique façade to its original splendour, and the quality of products used will ensure the long-term protection of this iconic, heritage listed building.