MCM Painters was contracted by Sandak Lewin in October 2015 to do scheduled redecoration work at Humewood in Three Anchor Bay as the building was coming to the end of its 7 year paint life cycle.

An excellent maintenance plan followed

There is a lot to be said for the value of regular building maintenance. In our years of redecorating and remedial work experience, we have come across buildings in various states of repair. Some buildings are in a terrible state of repair where desperate and extensive remedial work were needed. Others are in a mild state of repair where some repair was done (but not enough) and where we needed to catch up on outstanding maintenance. Then there are buildings like Humewood where a very timely and responsible maintenance plan was followed. Doing maintenance before the end of a coating system comes to the end of its life cycle saved this body corporate a large amount of money in remedial work.

As a full redecoration lasts for around 7 years but window sealant only lasts for 3 years. This means that the polyurethane have to be replaced around the windows before the end of the redecoration life cycle in order to secure the windows and prevent water ingress. This is necessary because the aluminium of the window frame and the plaster on the walls constantly moves due to ongoing movement in the building.

Redecoration process

The first phase of a redecoration project is normally used to prepare the building. In this case, we started off by water jetting the building, removing flaking paint and opening minor cracks.

The next step was to prime the building to provide the best amount of adhesion for the top coats. For all horizontal tops and parapets, we used a coating called Prominent Fibre Seal which is a pigmented pure acrylic membrane-free waterproof coating with excellent UV resistance.

The painting phase involved the application of a three-coat system: 1 primer coat followed 2 top coats. As a soft and flexible paint, Nuklad maximises protection against the elements presented by Humewood’s proximity to the coast where the wind and rain can contribute to the premature breakdown of the paint system. Next, a wall-to-frame sealant was applied and the roof was painted with two maintenance coats to ensure protection from the elements. A maintenance coat was also applied to all walkway areas.

This project took MCM Painters 8 weeks and was carried out by a team of 6 people ahead of schedule. As Humewood is well-managed and keeps a dynamic maintenance schedule, we expect this redecoration to last the full term of 7 years.

Our reward

One of the great outcomes of this building’s ongoing maintenance schedule and the recent redecoration is when we were told that an owner in this complex had his unit up for sale at R1.8million before the redecoration. After the redecoration project was completed, he increased his asking price to R2.3million. As a direct result of the beautiful new look of the building, he sold his unit for the higher asking price. We are very happy to have contributed to this happy conclusion.

About MCM Painters
MCM Painters is a professional company that specialises in painting, waterproofing and structural repair work in Cape Town and surrounding areas. As a local market leader with 15 years of experience in the business, we take great pride in our work and provide the highest quality workmanship at a competitive price. We guarantee our work, including manufacturer guarantees, for five years.
Contact Ross Peacock on 082 827 1817 or ross@mcmpainters.co.za for further information or to get a free assessment done. MCM Painters – We realise your renovation vision.