St Luke’s Church, Buranda

St Luke’s Catholic Church, located in Buranda Queensland, called in Remedial after noticing structural issues which were affecting the bell tower of the church. Upon inspection, Remedial discovered that years of exposure to the elements had allowed water ingress, causing concrete cancer to spread and deteriorate the structural integrity of the building. It was apparent that immediate rectification works were required to strengthen the weakened structure which was being worsened by water which was leaking inside the building when it rained.

The Rectification Process

The first step was to repair the tower’s ring beams which were supporting the masonry walls. Once this was completed, Remedial set about repairing the faulty copper roof and the slab beneath it. Due to water ingress through the faulty roof membrane, the steel within the slab had rusted, causing it to expand and create further faults in the slab which then allowed even more water to enter.

Remedial removed the affected concrete, then treated the steel before repairing the slab. We simultaneously repaired the roof structure through the application of a shrinkage compensated grout which was able to achieve a high bond strength within a short period of time. Finally, we applied a Sika Raintite waterproofing membrane to the top of the roof, which created a completely waterproof seal, in order to prevent the water ingress issue from recurring. With all rectification works completed, the decorative copper dome was reinstated to the bell tower, restoring the church to its former grandeur.