Façade Restoration
The Face of a Building, The Soul of the City
The façade is more than a wall. It is the face of the building, the soul of its architecture, and
the first word it speaks to the world. In Chicago, façades built of limestone, brownstone,
brick, and terra cotta do not just enclose space — they proclaim heritage, artistry, and
permanence.
When deterioration sets in, it is never only the building that suffers. Owners watch
helplessly as cracks deepen, stones crumble, ornaments loosen, and water invades.
Worse still, the greatest destruction often comes not from time or weather, but from
careless hands. Ordinary contractors, untrained in preservation, smear Portland cement
over soft historic stone, grind away delicate surfaces, or trap moisture behind impermeable
coatings. Each mistake accelerates decay, erodes value, and disfigures the architectural
beauty Chicago was once famed for.
At Guernica Restoration, we stand as defenders of this legacy. We are preservationists,
not patchworkers. With us, problems are not hidden — they are solved. Causes are not
ignored — they are eliminated. Every project we take is an act of rescue: saving a building,
protecting an investment, and preserving a piece of Chicago’s soul. Choosing Guernica
means choosing the best, because your building deserves nothing less.
Indiana & Joliet Limestone
The Stone of Chicago
Quarried in Joliet and Bedford, Indiana limestone built Chicago’s identity. From grand civic
buildings to the elegant greystones lining the city’s neighborhoods, its creamy hues and
fine grain symbolized strength, refinement, and permanence. It was marketed in the 19th
century as “America’s Building Stone,” chosen for its beauty and durability.
The Problems:
- Freeze–thaw cycles cause surface scaling and spalling.
- Portland cement mortars cut into its softness, cracking and crushing it from within.
- Pollution stains its face, and moisture infiltration destabilizes entire façades.
- Careless sandblasting or acid washing strips away protective surfaces, accelerating
erosion.
Our Solutions:
- Careful removal of damaging mortars, cleaned to a full 1.5" depth.
- Repointing with custom lime mortars — flexible, breathable, and pigment-matched
in laboratory conditions. - Dutchman repairs with stone hand-selected from matching quarries.
- Consolidation treatments to stabilize surfaces without suffocating the stone.
- Non-invasive cleaning: Vulpex soap, low-pressure rinses, poultices for stains.
With Guernica, limestone regains not just its strength, but its dignity — the face of the
building returned to its rightful beauty.
Brownstone & Red Sandstone
The Exotic Luxury
Imported to Chicago in the 19th century, brownstone and red sandstone became the
hallmark of prestige townhouses. Their deep earth tones radiated warmth and wealth, but
beneath their beauty lies fragility: softer, more porous, and more vulnerable than
limestone. Today, authentic brownstone façades are rare treasures.
The Problems:
- High porosity invites water, leading to delamination and surface loss.
- Coatings and sealants trap moisture, accelerating decay.
- Freeze–thaw cycles carve away layers, turning crisp profiles into crumbling
shadows. - Portland cement repairs crush the stone around joints, leaving scars.
Our Solutions:
- Removal of inappropriate coatings and synthetic sealants.
- Shelter coat applications to protect weathered surfaces while maintaining
breathability. - Carving and installing dutchman repairs, color- and texture-matched.
- Lime mortars for joint repairs, compatible with the softness of the stone.
Every brownstone we restore is treated as an heirloom — rare, delicate, irreplaceable. In
our care, fragility is turned back into strength.
Historic Brick
Handmade Character
Historic brick, hand-pressed and early machine-made, gives Chicago’s neighborhoods
their warmth and individuality. Each unit, often irregular, tells of a time when craftsmanship
mattered. These bricks are softer and more porous than modern versions, requiring
specialized care.
The Problems:
- Cracking and spalling from Portland cement joints.
- Loss of surface glaze from abrasive cleaning.
- Efflorescence from trapped salts.
- Water infiltration leading to displacement.
Our Solutions:
- Full removal of cement mortars to proper depth.
- Repointing with lime mortars (PHL 3.5, PHL 5.0, or lime putty), custom pigmented
for exact matches. - Gentle cleaning methods to lift soiling without stripping history.
- Selective replacement using salvaged bricks from the same era.
Our brickwork returns softness, breathability, and color harmony to walls that modern
contractors too often destroy.
Terra Cotta
Chicago’s Ornamented Crown
Terra cotta is Chicago’s signature jewel. From Louis Sullivan’s organic ornament to Daniel
Burnham’s grand spandrels, terra cotta turned façades into sculpture. Light, fireproof, and
endlessly expressive, it became the medium of the city’s golden age.
The Problems:
- Cracking of glaze from stress and time.
- Water infiltration behind units, corroding hidden anchors.
- Loss of surface detail from harsh cleaning or neglect.
- Structural failure as supports deteriorate.
Our Solutions:
- Anchor stabilization and cavity waterproofing with breathable barriers.
- Epoxy injection of cracks, glaze replication, and restoration of missing profiles.
- Dutchman repairs in matching terra cotta or compatible stone.
- Protective coatings that preserve without sealing pores.
With Guernica, terra cotta ornament is not replaced with plastic replicas or painted over —
it is preserved, honored, and made whole again.
The Importance of Lime Mortars
The Forgotten Art, The Essential Science
From the Roman Colosseum to the cathedrals of Europe, lime mortar has been the
foundation of lasting architecture. Flexible, breathable, and self-healing, it allows buildings
to move with the seasons and shed water without damage.
Chicago’s façades were built with lime mortars — but most masons today no longer know
how to use them. Instead, they turn to Portland cement, a rigid, suffocating material that
traps water inside walls, leading to cracks, spalling, and catastrophic stone loss. What
many call “old age” is in fact the scar of bad repairs.
At Guernica, we revive the art of lime mortar. Whether it is natural lime putty, PHL 3.5, or
PHL 5.0, we select and prepare mortars suited to each building’s needs. Our joints are
cleaned, prepared, and repointed by trained conservators. Our pigments are custom-
matched to historic palettes. Our curing is controlled to the highest standards.
This is not masonry — it is conservation. It is a discipline few practice, and fewer
master. But it is what Chicago’s architecture demands, and what Guernica delivers.
Preservation is Our Privilege
Your building is not ordinary. It was built with vision, with care, with materials chosen to
endure centuries. It deserves more than patchwork — it deserves preservation at the
highest level.
By choosing Guernica Restoration, you are not just hiring contractors. You are entrusting
your treasure to preservationists who see what others cannot, who repair what others
destroy, and who treat every façade as a cultural monument.
You deserve the best. Your building deserves the best. Guernica is the best.