As a major player in the masonry restoration sector, RestoreWorks proudly serves not only its initial Midwest locations of Indiana and Chicago, but also Houston, Texas, Oahu, Hawaii, New York City, and beyond, with specialty services such as balcony and concrete façade repair, caulking, tuckpointing, interior restorative cleaning, and pressure washing.
Founded in 1988 as Midwest Pressure Cleaning and Restoration, Inc., the company initially provided pressure cleaning services for semi-trailers, storefronts, sidewalks, and siding to businesses and homes throughout Northwest Indiana. Sporting the motto, “We Clean Anything,” the company steadily obtained and completed more challenging tasks while adding knowledgeable, skilled, and diligent staff along the way.
Embracing a new name to adequately capture new capabilities, growth, and progress during its more than 30 years in business, the company rebranded as RestoreWorks to reflect a passion for expertly maintaining and repairing buildings for future generations to enjoy.
Some of these specialty services include repair and restoration for damaged brick, stone, and terra cotta on any aspect of a structure. The company’s commercial masonry restoration services are particularly valued in Chicago and the surrounding areas, where the team meticulously revitalizes older structures with craftsmanship that respects the original design and accuracy, aided by a unique understanding of what is needed to guarantee structural integrity and a historically authentic appearance.
While brick, stone, and terra cotta buildings are built to last, they can be harmed over time by wind, rain, snow, ice, pollution, and other elements, requiring regular upkeep to function at their peak. As older structures gradually deteriorate and become discolored or veneer crumbles and breaks, altering the building’s overall appearance—coupled with unnoticed water damage that results in abrupt veneer failures—repairs often entail replacing broken bricks and restoring structural integrity. RestoreWorks’ method of restoring historic masonry involves not only repairing damage but also utilizing materials that match the building’s style and color to restore it to its original state.
In fact, the ultimate goal of RestoreWorks’ restorative façade cleaning services is to clean and repair building façades without causing any undue harm. In order to ensure that older masonry receives the care it requires, the company employs a variety of cleaning techniques depending on the material and conditions to eliminate minerals, pollutants, vermin, mold, and water stains from building façades. In order to maintain the strength and aesthetic appeal of damaged structures, the company also offers complete masonry restoration services.
To ensure buildings are both attractively cleaned and compliant with historical preservation rules, skilled cleaners pay close attention to every detail. The Wrigley Building and the Chicago Athletic Association are just two of the most famous and iconic structures in Chicago—and the nation—that RestoreWorks has had the privilege of cleaning, as well as the Art Institute of Chicago, Duke University’s Chapel, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, Chicago Navy Pier, and numerous projects at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
Other notable projects include the Civic Opera House, the Indiana School for the Blind, Gary City Hall, the Wisconsin State Capitol, Evanston Hospital, NuFarm’s Chicago Heights Facility, Churchview Supportive Living, and numerous luxury homes.
While RestoreWorks is known for cleaning old masonry, the team also successfully tackles more modern structures, revitalizing building envelopes of any age that appear unclean and in disrepair using a cleaning method that includes power washing, chemical cleaning, and other cutting-edge methods tailored to the surface of a variety of structures, such as limestone, granite, marble, sandstone, precast concrete, and brick. These techniques preserve the façade’s structural integrity while carefully restoring it. While cleaning, the crew also performs accurate masonry repair if needed, helping to avoid deterioration before it accelerates. With a professional project manager overseeing each job to ensure proper tools, methods, and craftsmanship are employed throughout, the company’s commitment to quality care and competency remains unrivalled.
Additionally, as every structure operates according to its own unique schedule, RestoreWorks strives to reduce disturbance to residents, employees, or clients by performing masonry work overnight or during off-peak hours if required.
Along with façade repair and cleaning, RestoreWorks also tackles balcony repair and restoration, from patching and painting to full balcony and railing restoration, improving safety and structural integrity while restoring the visual appeal of the structure. Balconies are a great feature that allow residents to enjoy the outdoors and can be a point of difference for building management in attracting renters, but they can also require more upkeep and attention over time, potentially degrading even with proper care due to freeze/thaw cycles, overloading, pollution, lack of waterproofing, or incompatible materials.
Every RestoreWorks project starts with a comprehensive balcony examination to evaluate the damage and choose the best course of action, with repair services that include concrete patching for safe, stable surfaces, sealant and caulking work to block moisture, reinforcement using stainless rods and zinc-coated rebar, metal railing repair—cleaning, sandblasting, painting, and reinstalling—membrane application to protect the balcony floor, and partial or full balcony replacement, if needed, to maintain balconies, decks, and railings in a safe, long-lasting, and code-compliant manner.
When dealing with concrete, flaking, spalling, and crumbling can result in costly structural issues and safety hazards. Whether it’s rust-induced spalling or freeze/thaw damage, the RestoreWorks team ensures the exterior of every building is returned to optimal condition by finding the underlying reason for the flaking or spalling and assessing the degree of damage.
Finally, in order to preserve the integrity of brick walls and other forms of masonry, tuckpointing is a vital specialist masonry restoration procedure that entails replacing damaged mortar with new mortar. With both stone and brick, two of the most prevalent materials used on structures in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, mortar joints are one feature they have in common, and there is a chance the building will sustain water damage if these joints have fractures or gaps. If damaged mortar has been spotted, there are frequently more failing joints as well. The tuckpointing contractors at RestoreWorks are skilled in locating and fixing damaged mortar to restore a building’s waterproof integrity.
When not hard at work on a variety of notable projects, the company is also always on the lookout for growth potential, recently purchasing the assets of Eugene Matthews, Inc., a longstanding RestoreWorks client. When approaching retirement and searching for a suitable buyer who could consistently deliver excellent service and was familiar with the company and its clientele, Eugene Matthews found a perfect partner in RestoreWorks, who is now committed to honoring the name and reputation moving forward.
When choosing a commercial concrete façade repair provider, selecting a team that understands the intricacies of structural restoration is more important than just fixing obvious damage. RestoreWorks distinguishes itself by concentrating solely on concrete and commercial masonry repair, and with its extensive knowledge, is able to produce long-lasting outcomes by addressing the underlying causes of problems rather than only treating their outward manifestations. Capable of managing project scopes of all sizes, meeting local building requirements, and addressing climate considerations, RestoreWorks customizes its strategy to the particular challenges faced by any structure in its care.
