ABSTRACT
The appearance of any building changes with time as a result of complex processes generally summarised under the term “ageing”. While sealants can contribute to these processes, many aesthetic issues will appear on a building facade over time with or without the presence of a sealant. A work group (WG10) has been charted within the International Standardisation Committee TC59/SC8 (Building Construction, Jointing Products) to assess the need for developing test standards on aesthetic issues caused by sealants. Two work items are being pursued for standardisation: “Staining of Porous Substrates” and “Determination of Surface Changes Following Exposure to Artificial or Natural Weathering”. The paper discusses key aesthetic issues occurring with sealants and the proposed test methods.
