High-Rise & Condo Exterior

High-rise exterior painting in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver is one of the most technically demanding commercial painting scopes available. Working on a 20- or 40-storey residential or commercial tower requires swing stage or rope access certification, detailed methodology for working safely at height, complex logistics for equipment and material staging at the top of a building, and a coating specification designed to perform on a high-exposure façade for a decade or more. Burnaby Commercial Painting Co works on high-rise towers as a core specialty.

Swing Stage Work on High-Rise Buildings

A swing stage (also called a suspended scaffold or building maintenance unit) is a platform suspended from the roof of a building on wire rope, capable of being lowered and raised by the workers on it. Swing stage operation requires specific operator training and certification in BC under the WorkSafeBC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Our swing stage operators hold current certificates and follow a strict pre-use inspection and rigging protocol for every setup. Stage loads, wire rope condition, rigging hardware, building anchorage, and safety net systems are all checked before any work begins.

Swing stage work on a concrete high-rise typically follows this sequence: starting at the top of the building, workers pressure-wash and inspect the façade for cracks, failed caulk, carbonation, and delaminating existing coatings. Cracks are routed and sealed with flexible polyurethane sealant. Failed caulk at window perimeters, balcony edges, and penetrations is removed completely and replaced with silicone or polyurethane rated for the exposure. After all substrate repairs are complete, an elastomeric primer is applied, followed by two coats of elastomeric topcoat. The stage moves down the building face in lifts, completing each drop before moving to the next.

Concrete Remediation on Older Buildings

High-rise buildings constructed before the mid-1990s in Burnaby and Metro Vancouver often have carbonated concrete surfaces on balcony soffits, spandrel beams, and parapet walls. Carbonation lowers the pH of the concrete surface, which over time destroys the passive oxide layer protecting the reinforcing steel, leading to corrosion, spalling, and structural concern. The correct repair approach involves removing all delaminated concrete, treating exposed rebar with corrosion inhibitor primer, patching with a polymer-modified mortar matched to the original concrete profile, and applying a carbonation-barrier elastomeric topcoat to prevent further carbonation. We coordinate closely with building envelope engineers and reserve fund advisors on these projects to ensure the repair method meets the engineering spec.

Balcony Coatings and Waterproofing

Residential high-rise balconies in Burnaby are a chronic source of water infiltration and owner complaints. Cracked or delaminating balcony deck coatings allow water into the concrete slab, where it corrodes rebar and eventually causes spalling on the balcony soffit — the unit below sees a stain or worse. We apply traffic-bearing waterproof deck coatings (typically a polyurethane-modified acrylic or polyurethane membrane system) to balcony decks, with flashing details at the building wall and thresholds. On balcony railings, we apply DTM primer and topcoat to powder-coated or painted metal railings, and oil-based or waterborne penetrating finish to wood railings where present.