Render over a control joint is a crack booked in advance
Movement joints only work if they are left open and sealed.
In short: Rendered control joints, missing articulation joints and joints broken partway in Gables.
What a joint is for
Masonry walls expand and shrink with heat and moisture. Control and articulation joints give that movement somewhere to go.
Render over the joint
We have recorded control joints rendered straight over on Gables facades at fixing and again at handover. The render bridges the gap, and the crack forms along the joint anyway.
Joints in the wrong place
One Gables articulation joint was built on the wrong side of an opening, and another wall had no joint where the brickwork changed height.
Joints that stop
Expansion joints that run only part of the wall height leave the rest of the panel to crack.
The repair
Cut back the render, install backing rod and a flexible sealant, and add joints where the plans show them.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Gables. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
