Minimal Maintenance

Durability

Block does not burn, warp, twist, bend, or get eaten. Block is inorganic and therefore does not contribute to the growth of harmful molds and mildews.

Exteriors

Maintenance primarily refers to the exterior surface of a structure. Minimizing maintenance requirements begins with structural strength and the durability it provides. Block construction is among the lowest in life-cycle costs.

Stucco
Wall movement is what typically causes cracking. Omni Block building are always engineered and structurally strong. Block has very low shrink/swell properties and provides for a solid substrate for stucco to be applied onto. Stucco is a cementitious material and was designed to cover block, another cementitious material. Both cementitious materials shrink and swell at the same rate, resulting in very little cracking over the life of the wall.

Surface Bond
Omni Block’s optional surface bond cement (Omni Bond) is a proprietary blend of fiber reinforced Portland cement based compound that has sand, calcium stearate, fly ash, and polymers that is approximately six times stronger than standard stucco. The Omni Bond is water resistant and is intended to effectively seal the wall. It is applied in a variety of finishes directly to the block and actually bonds to the block substrate, so much so, that it cannot be chipped from the block with a hammer. It can act as either the “brown” coat (primary coat before finish coat) or a semi-smooth finish coat.

Synthetic Stucco
To add more durability, integrally colored synthetic stucco may be applied over either the Omni Bond or standard stucco.

Natural Block
The block can be left exposed, which is probably requires the least maintenance. Exposed block can sometimes meet the aesthetic requirement of a building.

Architectural Block
Omni Block can also be manufactured with an integral color in a standard finish, or scored, burnished, or sandblasted.

Interiors
Interior wall surfaces can have the same options as the exteriors as noted above. However, the interior of the block are normally finished to match all the other interior framed drywall walls. This is routinely accomplished by surface bonding the interior with a semi-smooth finish, then skim-coated with drywall compound, then taped and texture-coated to match the texture coat of the interior framed partition walls, and finally all walls are primed and painted. Even though it is impossible to visibly tell which are Omni Block walls and which are partition walls, the Omni Block walls are infinitely more durable and have significant advantages in apartment buildings, condominiums, commercial and institutional buildings, as well as, single-family homes.