Cladding repairs & restoration

• Water ingress behind the cladding Failed flashings, unsealed penetrations, poor head and sill detailing around windows, and missing cavity drainage.
• Cracked and damaged sheet cladding Impact damage, cracking at joints and fastener lines, and sheets that have moved.
• Failed joints and sealant Perished, split or debonded sealant at control and expansion joints, which is often the entire source of a leak.
• Weathered and deteriorated finishes Chalking, fading, blistering and peeling coatings.
• Substrate and framing damage Rot or corrosion in the structure behind the cladding, caused by water that has been getting in for a long time.
• Fixing failures Corroded or inadequate fasteners, and sheets that were never fixed at the correct centres.

The honest answer depends on what we find when we open it up. Cladding is usually worth repairing when the damage is localised, the substrate and framing behind it are sound, and the underlying cause is a detail that can be corrected. Replacement makes more sense when the framing behind has significant water damage, when the cladding is failing across most elevations rather than in patches, or where the existing product is no longer compliant.

We give you the assessment either way, including when the answer is that a repair is not the right call. Recommending a repair that will not last is not a saving.

If your building has been identified as having combustible cladding, that is a regulated rectification process in Victoria with its own compliance requirements, and it is separate from the general repair and restoration work described on this page. Talk to us about your situation and we will tell you plainly whether your project is one we are the right people for.

1. Inspection — assessing the cladding, joints, flashings and penetrations, and tracing where water is entering.
2. Investigate the substrate — checking the condition of what is behind the cladding before pricing a scope, so there are no surprises mid-job.
3. Correct the cause — flashings, drainage and detailing repaired first.
4. Repair or replace affected sections — damaged sheets and framing made good, fixings brought up to standard.
5. Rejoint and reseal — joints reinstated with the appropriate flexible sealant system.
6. Refinish — preparation and recoating with a protective, weather-resistant system, colour matched to the existing.

• Fibre cement sheet and panel Cracked sheets, failed joints and sealant, rusted fixings and water entry at window heads and sills.
• Rendered foam (EPS) and lightweight panel Impact damage, drummy render, water entry at penetrations and joints, and the substrate damage that follows. See also our render repair page.
• Timber and composite weatherboard Rotten, split and cupped boards, failed paint systems and water entry at laps and ends.
• Metal cladding Corrosion, dented and lifted sheets, failed sealant at laps and flashings, and fixings that have backed out.
• Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panel Cracking at panel joints, damaged panel faces and failed render coatings over the panel.
• Masonry and brick veneer Cracked and spalled brickwork, which we repair with HeliFix crack stitching and repointing.

Cladding leaks are rarely through the face of the cladding. They are at the details: the head flashing over a window that was never installed or was cut short, the sill that slopes the wrong way, the sealant joint that perished after ten summers, the balustrade or pipe penetration that was never flashed, the parapet capping with an open joint, the bottom edge with no drainage so water sits in the cavity, and the junction where a balcony meets the wall.

Because water tracks a long way inside a wall before it shows, the stain on the plaster is often nowhere near the entry point. We trace the water path before we open anything, and where the source is not obvious we run staged water testing so the repair is aimed at the right detail rather than at the whole elevation.

Where damage is confined to one area, the affected sheets or boards are removed, the framing and sarking behind are inspected and made good, the flashings and drainage are corrected, and new cladding is installed and finished to match. Where an elevation has failed at most of its joints and details, replacing the cladding on that elevation is often more economical and more reliable than a patchwork of repairs, and it gives the chance to install the flashings and cavity drainage that were missing in the first place. We quote both where both are realistic.

Our cladding work is led by a licensed carpenter with 26 years of experience, so structural framing repairs behind the cladding are done in-house rather than subcontracted out.

Cladding repair is priced on the area affected, the type of cladding and how easily it can be matched, what we find behind it (sound framing is a quick job; rotted framing and wet insulation are not), the access, and the finish. Because the condition of the framing is the biggest unknown, we investigate before pricing rather than quoting blind and adding variations later. The inspection and written quote are free.

On apartment and townhouse developments, cladding defects are usually common property and involve the owners corporation, a manager and sometimes an insurer or the original construction warranty. We provide written defect assessments with photographs and, where needed, water-test results, so that everyone involved is working from the same facts. We are used to staging work so that residents keep access and the building is never left open to weather overnight.

• Can cladding be repaired or does it have to be replaced? Most cladding damage can be repaired when it is localised, the framing behind is sound and the cause is a detail that can be corrected. Replacement of an elevation makes sense when most of the joints and details have failed, the framing has significant water damage, or the product is no longer compliant. We assess and give you the honest answer either way.
• How do you find where cladding is leaking? By tracing the water path from the stain back to the entry point: window head and sill flashings, sealant joints, penetrations, parapet cappings and balcony junctions. Where it is not obvious we run staged water testing on each detail in turn so the repair targets the actual source.
• Do you repair combustible cladding? Combustible cladding rectification in Victoria is a regulated process with its own compliance requirements and is separate from the repair and restoration work on this page. Tell us about your building and we will say plainly whether it is a project we are the right people for.
• What types of cladding do you repair? Fibre cement sheet and panel, rendered foam and lightweight panel systems, timber and composite weatherboard, metal cladding, AAC panel and masonry.
• How long does a cladding repair take? A localised repair of a few sheets with sound framing behind is typically a few days. Replacing the cladding on a full elevation, including framing repairs, flashings and finishing, is usually one to three weeks depending on size and access.
• Will the repaired cladding match the existing? Where the product is still available it is matched directly. Where it is not, we use the closest compatible product and finish the repair and adjoining area so the join is not visible. For rendered and coated cladding the whole elevation is often recoated to a natural break for a uniform finish.
• Do you work with owners corporations on cladding defects? Yes. We provide written defect assessments with photographs and water-test results, stage the work so residents keep access, and work alongside building managers, engineers and insurers as needed.

Cladding problems commonly appear with other water-related damage. We also carry out render crack repairs, leaking balcony repairs and concrete crack repairs.

• HeliFix crack stitching
• Leaking balcony repairs
• Render crack repairs
• Concrete crack repairs