Sika has supplied a concrete repair system to refurbish the façade of Chatterton Water Tower in Spalding, a long-standing feature of the area’s landscape. The 30 metres high construction overlooks the local bus station and its distinctive tulip fascia makes it stand out.

The construction has existed for 63 years; therefore the time and erosion had an impact on the tower’s surface, leading to minor repairs such as the removal of flaking and algae growth. The principle contractor Barhale, together with specialist contractors Concrete Repair Ltd, turned to Sika for a proved, durable concrete repair, protection, and anti-carbonation system.

The refurbishment work started in March 2017 with the tower’s 4,000 m2 surface getting cleaned of dirt and other impurities. After breaking out defective concrete and cleaning the exposed reinforcement, Sika Monotop-610, a high-performance, one-component, cementitious, polymer-modified slurry was then applied. Its advantage is that it only needs mixing with water to provide a superb reinforcement corrosion protection coating and bonding primer.

The concrete repairs were then done with Sika Monotop-615, which is the perfect reinforcement mortar for delaminated, weak, damaged, and deteriorated concrete. The following step was applying Sikagard-675 W GB ElastoColor, which prevents water ingress and is suitable for a range of concrete structures as an anti-weathering, two-way vapour permeable solution to stop pollutants and water penetrating into the concrete matrix, while protecting the internal reinforcement.

“The Sika products were superb in repairing and protecting the tower’s surface. They were very easy to use, and provided the perfect base with which to restore the tower’s aesthetic qualities. We were very pleased,” said Olu Ogunwale, Senior Contracts Manager at Concrete Repair Ltd.

Thanks to the Sika solution, the tower now looks just like it did in 1955 when it was built and the dual concrete protection system will ensure that the Chatterton Water Tower will remain Spalding’s pride for many years to come.