Churches aren’t like other commercial buildings. They’re a place for people to come together in spirit of worship and are constructed immaculately. With the unique use of bricks, stained glass and daring architecture, churches are one of the most beautiful buildings around. The biggest problem is that it can be hard to maintain charm over the years, especially if deterioration begins to occur and nobody takes action. Here are a few of the main reasons why deterioration would occur.
Buildings get a lot of wear and tear over the years. It’s natural and near impossible to avoid. The older a building is, the more physical force has been put on it over the years and the more likely it is to be susceptible to deterioration.
Sadly, some old churches are overrun by graffiti, broken into by thieves and overly disrespected by the community. This type of wear and tear is more common in abandoned churches that lack a caregiver, which are often the buildings that need the most attention.
Fires happen and flooding is inevitable from time to time. The more a church is exposed to these harsh elements, the worse the deterioration will be. Old churches can easily catch fire due to the infrastructure and again, if there is no caretaker then flooding will go unnoticed.
Termites and other common pests often seek shelter during the harsh summer and winter months. If they find their way into your church, it can spell disaster. In order to avoid damage from this type of invasion, make sure that the church is treated for pests at regular intervals.
As mentioned above, a lot of old churches lack a caregiver. The older the building, the more it needs a caregiver, but there is a lack of people willing to maintain such large buildings for little to no return. The general neglect of taking care of a building can be devastating to them. The more neglect there is, the faster it will deteriorate.
It’s not uncommon to see this type of decay in buildings like churches. As people move towards more modern buildings with fancy amenities, the value of older buildings decreases. Hopefully the more educated people become on how to preserve these buildings, the sooner we can work on preserving the churches our areas.
If there is someone around to keep an eye on the church, most deterioration problems can be fixed before it’s too late. A process called tuckpointing can often take care of the problem, but sometimes simple repointing is enough.
Tuckpointing is the general process of removing old and deteriorated mortar from the joints of the building’s bricks. You can tell that it’s old by cracking, crumbling or general instability of the structure. The sooner you catch these problems, the more likely you’ll be able to fix them through tuckpointing rather than a tear down. After all of the old unusable mortar has been removed, professional masons replace it with colored mortar that they match with the color of the bricks.
Then a thin line of contrasting colored putty is embedded in small lines right in the middle of the fresh mortar. This allows a unique look to be achieved, which has a huge impact on aesthetics once the project is completed.
If the unique look that you get from tuckpointing isn’t what you’re going for, a simple repointing can combat deterioration. This is exactly the same process as tuckpointing, except the new mortar doesn’t match the color of the bricks and no putty is embedded into it. The caregiver, or owner, of the church has the opportunity to decide.
If you are the caregiver or owner of a church, old or new, and notice signs of deterioration, it’s time to find a masonry contractor. It’s important to hire the best in the business so nothing is missed during the restoration process. Luckily, Chicago Tuckpointing Inc. is here to help. We have a team of highly experienced tuckpointers and professional masonry contractors with over 20 years of experience in the business. Each and every one of our team members are specialized in masonry work for home or commercial updates and restorations and are here to ensure that you are satisfied with the job. All of the employees at Chicago Tuckpointing Inc are trustworthy and transparent, so there are never any hidden costs. Don’t let your church get past the point of no return, give us a call today at (708) 942-1951 or head over to our website https://chicagotuckpointinginc.com.