The influence of material characteristics and environmental circumstances on the efficiency of water repellent treatments of historic facades

Xiaolin Chen*, Tim De Kock, Veerle Cnudde, Nathan Van Den Bossche

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Water repellents are widely applied directly to the outer surfaces of existing buildings to increase the hydrophobicity of porous materials. Research on the efficiency of water repellent treatment under practical approaches and environmental circumstances are limited. This study aims to examine the hydrophobic efficiency of a siloxane-based water repellent solvent on different materials (natural stone, brick and lime mortar) using the practical application approach of spraying, and to determine how material characteristics and application conditions affect the water repellent agent's efficiency. Spray-treated samples demonstrate comparable hydrophobic efficiency to those capillary absorbed samples, though absorb less active agent during treatment. Application temperature and relative humidity have little effect on water repellent efficiency. Moreover, the critical coverage amount for different material varied. Lime mortar and limestone's hydrophobic performance is less effective than that on brick and sandstone due to their chemical components and pore structure.

Original languageEnglish
Article number131610
Number of pages14
JournalConstruction and Building Materials
Volume386
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Jul 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors express sincere thanks to Daphne Guilbert for the experimental work. This study is supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023

Funding

The authors express sincere thanks to Daphne Guilbert for the experimental work. This study is supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Keywords

  • Critical coverage
  • Hydrophobic efficiency
  • Hygric properties
  • Porous materials
  • Practical application conditions
  • Siloxanes-based water repellent agent

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