Charles River Towers

Project History

Charles River Towers is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. The 7-story building neighbors historic Mount Auburn Cemetery, which serves as the final resting place for a long list of notables, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edwin Booth and Oliver Wendell Holmes. The condominium structure, completed in 1981, was clad in an EIFS system, which was especially popular for concrete structures in the 1970’s. The EIFS system contains no expansion joints, so it moves. This led to cracking in the existing coating. The coating had also faded over time.
Conpro Lastic was an ideal coating for the building. Lastic forms a flexible, waterproof membrane, which means it won’t crack when applied over EIFS. This elastomeric coating bridges minor cracking. Lastic prevents water and contaminant entry, which is important in a coastal environment. Lastic is mildew resistant, as well.Ford Painting prepared the surface by power washing and caulking joints and larger cracks. Then they applied two coats of Lastic. The owners and the condo association were extremely happy with the result.