Façade Cleaning

All too often, the façade of a building is left to endure the elements and the dirt and grime that comes with being in high-traffic, urban environments. Building owners and facilities managers often opt to prioritise the interior at the expense of the exterior façade. Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) has earned a reputation as the UK’s premier commercial and heritage facade cleaning company. We offer a scaffold-free, dry and non-abrasive alternative to traditional methods such as high-pressure steam and harsh chemical solvents.

Our gentle cleaning process effectively removes decades of accumulated dirt to reveal the natural stone or surface of the building. This solution is perfectly suited for most surface substrates on modern commercial properties and historic landmarks alike.

Styles Façade Solutions® cleaning the Portland stone façade of the Reform Club, London, using the Façade Gommage cleaning process. The image strikingly illustrates the contrast between the soiled and freshly cleaned stonework, demonstrating the transformative effect of the scaffold-free cleaning system on this Grade I listed Italianate building.

WHAT IS FAÇADE GOMMAGE?

Façade Gommage is the secret behind our impeccable results in commercial and heritage facade cleaning. Originally developed in Paris in 1947 by Thomann-Hanry®, 'Façade Gommage' is a specialised process of gently cleaning masonry without the friction or saturation associated with traditional facade cleaning methods.

A smiling Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) operative wearing a red high-visibility jacket, black beanie hat and ear defenders, holding a large paper sack of Façade Gommage cleaning powder beside the cleaning vehicle. The team member appears to be loading materials into the specialist cleaning unit in preparation for façade treatment works. Industrial equipment and a building interior are visible in the background.

HOW IT WORKS

Projected under low pressure from a cabin mounted on a hydraulic boom, ultrafine dry particles of aluminium silicate (a chemically inert by-product of aluminium smelting) flow across all surfaces, gently lifting decades of dirt and grime. The particles are then immediately drawn off, filtered, and collected through an integrated water curtain for recycling.

The lightweight vacuum cabin can be suspended from outriggers or mounted on a hydraulic boom truck, entirely removing the need for costly and unsightly scaffolding. This eliminates the visual ‘eye-sore’ and the time, costs, disruption, and security risks associated with traditional poles and netting.

To ensure consistent quality control, the materials and equipment our façade cleaning experts use comply with a uniform standard all over the world – together with other onsite application processes. These procedures assure our clients that every project using Façade Gommage will achieve the same high standards, each time, every time.

Styles Façade Solutions® restoring the ornate Portland stone façade of 13–15 Moorgate, London, using the Façade Gommage cleaning process. The treatment reveals the exceptional carved detail of the allegorical figures representing Justice, Truth, Prudence and other virtues, set within the building's distinctive curved Gothic-arched oriel bay.

SPEED UP YOUR FAÇADE CLEANING PROJECT

With no need for scaffolding, our hydraulic boom-mounted systems can be up and running within two hours of arrival on site. Hassle-free and causing minimal disruption, we can treat up to an incredible 200m2 of façade per day, ensuring your project progresses at a pace traditional methods cannot match.

Rather than disrupting your day-to-day operations, our platforms and truck mounts are fast and discreet. We take years off your building’s appearance without taking weeks to prepare. To further protect your revenue, we can schedule work outside of standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and even public holidays, ensuring minimal disruption to you and your customers.

After — Styles Façade Solutions® was engaged to clean this carved Portland stone relief at The Apex Hotel Temple Court, London. The clean was conducted using the Façade Gommage cleaning process, to gently erase decades of accumulated dirt and grime from the surface of the stone.

Before — Styles Façade Solutions® was engaged to clean this carved Portland stone relief at The Apex Hotel Temple Court, London. The clean was conducted using the Façade Gommage cleaning process, to gently erase decades of accumulated dirt and grime from the surface of the stone.

INNOVATIVE & EFFECTIVE FAÇADE CLEANING

While conventional façade cleaning processes blast surfaces with high-pressure water or saturate masonry with harsh chemicals. Other alternatives use harsh chemical solvents to treat the facades surface, which can have lingering environmental consequences.

Façade Gommage uses negligible amounts of water, which is continuously recycled through the extraction stage of the process to draw off cleaning residues – and chemically inert, non-toxic by-product of aluminium smelting.

The only requirements of Façade Gommage are power and air, which are supplied from the lorry itself.

Styles Façade Solutions® revealing the exceptional sculptural detail of the Bank of England's stone figures following Façade Gommage cleaning. The treatment has restored the Portland stone to its original brilliance, dramatically enhancing the visibility of the intricate figurative carvings.

EFFICIENT & ACCESSIBLE

The impact of the Façade Gommage façade cleaning system is particularly striking on large-scale projects of 500m2 or more. However, many projects have been undertaken on smaller surfaces with the same astounding results. Our hydraulic booms can reach heights of up to 42m from ground level, while our smaller machines are available for properties located in narrow streets or areas with restricted access.

As a modern innovation, the security and safety aspects of Façade Gommage set it apart from traditional techniques. At the end of a day’s cleaning, the cabin is simply retracted on its hydraulic boom, leaving property security completely uncompromised. From a Health and Safety perspective, the entire process is fully contained, unlike DOFF, TORC and nebulous spray techniques, which can inconvenience and potentially endanger passers-by and building occupants.

Styles Façade Solutions® cleaning the distinctive pre-formed concrete façade of Alico House, Croydon, using the Façade Gommage process. The scaffold-free specialist cleaning unit, crane-mounted at upper level, demonstrates the system's versatility in treating large-scale Brutalist concrete façades as effectively as delicate historic stonework.

A GREAT JOB DONE WELL

Façade Gommage offers conservation and heritage building façade cleaning at a cost-effective price point. As specialists in listed buildings, our team can assist you in understanding the specific requirements your listed building may have. We also recommended undertaking a façade clean before any restoration work to allow for a better match for any repairs.

Façade Gommage is a bespoke system operated by Styles Façade Solutions® trained façade cleaning experts with no third parties involved.

Call our team TODAY on +44 (0) 20 8453 1494, alternatively complete our enquiry form for a FREE project quote or for more information on how Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) can help your business.