FAQs

No, Styles Façade Solutions® is typically more cost-effective than traditional methods such as full scaffolding. By removing the need for scaffolding to be erected for weeks at a time, we reduce both labour costs and total project duration, which usually results in an overall cost and time savings.

No, the Façade Gommage cleaning process is conducted from a specialised cleaning cabin, which is placed next to the façade using either a truck-mounted boom or for taller properties, a Building Maintenance Unit (BMU). As a result, Styles Façade Solutions® can deliver a cleaning solution which doesn’t require scaffolding to be erected.

Yes, the Façade Gommage cleaning process can be used on all types of stone. Dependent on the level of porosity of the stone and the type of staining, Styles Façade Solutions® recommends a small sample clean on three different areas of the façade prior to the main clean. This normally takes no more than three hours to conduct, with a written report submitted for your records. This allows an assessment of the effectiveness of the Façade Gommage cleaning process on the level of soiling present.

Yes, Styles Façade Solutions® applies for all relevant permits and licences required to undertake your project, including, but not limited to: Listed Building Consent, road closures, parking bay suspensions, MEWP licences, bus stop and taxi rank closures, and pavement permits.

We aim to have permit and licence approvals confirmed within 2 weeks. If there are delays or issues, a member of the Styles Façade Solutions® team will be in contact to let you know and advise you of the expected date for resolution. Please note that properties within the City of London are subject to longer permit turnaround times.

We have over 20 vehicles/machines within our fleet.

Our machines, such as Mobile Elevated Working Platforms (MEWPs), are not road-legal and are delivered to site by flatbed HGV, so they remain on or close to the site for the duration of the works and are barriered off overnight to keep them safe and secure. Any other road-legal support vehicles are removed from site at the end of each working session wherever possible.

We have over 25 members of staff. To view our current staff members please visit the ‘Our Team’ page.

Gommage is French for rubbing, and Façade Gommage means façade rubbing. This refers to the process in which ultra-fine Aluminium silicate powder is blown across the surface of the façade at 4-bar pressure to gently rub away the surface grime and dirt. This process allows Styles Façade Solutions® to erase decades of embedded dirt and grime quickly and without the need to erect expensive, time-consuming, and unsightly scaffolding.

All of our staff are directly employed by Styles Façade Solutions® (the trading name of Heritage Building Conservation Ltd). There are some very specialised trades where we use trusted third parties to deliver the level of quality and expertise our customers expect from Styles Façade Solutions®. They have been thoroughly vetted by Styles Façade Solutions®, with all relevant qualifications and insurances checked before a project starts.

While we do carry out drone surveys, Styles Façade Solutions® prefers to carry out in-person surveys, which allow items to be physically inspected and, where necessary, made safe by our on-site team. For areas which are inaccessible to our team, such as roofs and sealed courtyards, we use drone technology to support the team in producing the final survey.

On average, under 1,000 litres of water. The powdered aluminium silicate is dry when projected across the façade, but is immediately sucked back into the cleaning cabin, where it's captured in a water collection system. The resulting gommage slurry is filtered to separate the used powder from the water, which is then recirculated back to the cleaning cabin for reuse. This closed-loop system allows us to significantly reduce total water usage compared with other water-based cleaning methods on a similar-sized façade.

No. Façade Gommage is a heritage-grade cleaning system that has been used for decades across the globe, including on designated World Heritage Sites. Over the years, Façade Gommage has been subject to numerous technical studies and pre and post testing by petrography and laser scanning which has shown no detrimental effect on the façade substrate. Within the UK, Styles Façade Solutions® has conducted cleans on Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Grade I listed buildings such as the Bank of England, Somerset House, Gibbs Building, University of Cambridge, and the Reform Club. We have also worked on behalf of English Heritage for the tar paint removal and façade cleaning of the Grade I listed Sibsey Trader Windmill. We strongly adhere to all regulations, permits, and licences when cleaning or restoring the façade of a listed building.

Styles Façade Solutions® has several boom-mounted cleaning cabins, with maximum heights of 19 metres and 42 metres. For taller buildings, we also have a cleaning cabin that can be attached to a Building Maintenance Unit (BMU), allowing us to clean at height on most tall and high-rise buildings.

While Styles Façade Solutions® is best known for its façade cleaning expertise, over the last 20 years we have added a range of complementary façade services. These include stone masonry, façade surveying, public realm cleaning, and bronze repatination. The full range can be seen on the services page of our website.

Listed Building Consent is a statutory requirement for any external works that could fundamentally alter the appearance or character of a listed property and because façade cleaning can change the visible patina built up over decades, some local planning authorities require consent before work begins to ensure the historic character of the building is preserved. For many of the properties Styles Façade Solutions® deals with, Listed Building Consent is not required. Our team reviews each case individually and will advise whether consent is needed or arrange it directly if the local planning authority requests it before works begin.

Yes. Styles Façade Solutions® offers a full stone masonry service, covering repairs, restoration, and replacement of decorative stonework such as cornices, mouldings, and carved detailing. More information can be found in our Services section.

Yes. Styles Façade Solutions® can provide a qualified stonemason using mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), giving a faster and more cost-effective response than erecting scaffolding. This allows us to quickly remove or make safe any masonry items posing an immediate risk to the building or surrounding environment.

Before the project starts, your Styles Façade Solutions® Account Manager will be your key point of contact. Before the project starts you will also be introduced to the Project Manager who will be managing the day-to-day delivery of your project.

Yes, Styles Façade Solutions® is able to survey, clean and restore all sizes, styles, and types of commercial buildings from Grade I listed heritage venues to imposing modern commercial properties. For more examples of the types of heritage and commercial properties we have been able to help with, please visit our Projects section.

Depending on the type of survey and the size of the property, it can run from 1 to 12 days. The majority of on-site survey work is normally completed within 2 days. Before work starts, you will be given an estimated time to complete the on-site survey with a timeline for delivery of the final written and illustrated document. If any issues arise that extend either the time required on-site or the delivery date for the written report, your Account Manager will let you know.

Styles Façade Solutions® aims to start on-site works within 2 weeks. For those properties which would require road closures, bus and/or taxi stop suspension, informing tenants, and any other third-party notice these times maybe extended and you will be informed by your Account Manager.

At Styles Façade Solutions®, we aim to minimise disruption to tenants and occupants throughout every stage of the project. Because our process doesn't require scaffolding, we can work flexibly around your building's normal use, significantly reducing the time on-site compared with traditional methods. If you have specific requirements, such as restricted working hours or access arrangements, please speak to your Account Manager, who can assess these needs.

The powder used is a fine aluminium silicate crystal, with particles ranging from 25 to 50 microns in size. This fine grade allows the powder to gently lift dirt and grime from the surface without abrading or damaging the underlying masonry, making it suitable for use on delicate and historic stonework.

The key difference is abrasiveness, measured using the Mohs hardness scale, which rates mineral hardness from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). JOS/Torc systems typically use an abrasive with a Mohs hardness of 6.5–7, whereas the Façade Gommage powder has a Mohs hardness of just 1. This means Façade Gommage is significantly gentler on the underlying masonry, reducing the risk of surface damage while still effectively removing dirt and grime.

No; the low pressure and fine, soft powder used in the Façade Gommage process is designed to clean mortar joints, not remove them, even where they are loose or friable. If any repointing or mortar repair is needed, this can be carried out separately as part of our stone masonry service.

No; the Façade Gommage system is sympathetic to stonework, providing a gentle clean that isn't abrasive enough to remove paint. Sandblasting, by contrast, is abrasive enough to strip paint, but this comes at a cost: because it's such an aggressive method, sandblasting also removes a layer of the substrate sitting beneath the paintwork, causing lasting damage to the stone.

On a flat, uncomplicated surface, we can typically clean between 300m² and 500m² per day. This rate may be slower on more detailed or ornate façades, such as those with carved stonework or decorative mouldings, where extra care is taken to protect fine detailing.

No; the Façade Gommage cleaning process is fully self-contained, so there's no need for you to provide power, water, or welfare facilities. We can bring our own welfare vans on-site, meaning your team's welfare areas are never required.

In most cases, no, as we tape and seal windows externally to prevent dust ingress. For some buildings, we may also need to seal windows from the inside; if this applies to your property, your Account Manager will confirm this with you during the survey stage, before work begins.