Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity

The Russian Orthodox Church of The Holy Trinity stands beautiful and leak-free, sixty-nine years after it was first built (traditional Byzantine architectural style) in the East New York section of Brooklyn in 1935. It is well known for its unique, colorful and valuable wall paintings.

In the summer of 2003, there was great concern for the integrity of the church, especially the plaster, which was water damaged and ruining the Church's wall paintings. This problem was caused by water leaking in through exterior brickwork. The Church was also experiencing leakage during heavy rains in their three-story bell tower which houses 3 massive, electrically operated bells.

Solution

"Based on your product history of superior water proofing performance, we decided to direct the Contractor to use your product, which had a ten year guarantee as compared to the products, (other quoting Contractors) they intended to use, which had only a five year guarantee", says Paul Zoltanetzky Jr., Assistant Warden for the Russian Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity.

To stop the water from leaking through the exterior brick, Kryton's Hydrostop Sealer was applied on the brickwork. Hydrostop reacts with silicates below the surface of the brick and forms a permanent, water-repellent barrier that protects the surface and also preserves the look of the brick.

Kryton's Krystol Crack Repair System, were applied on an upper floor sloped concrete slab to prevent water form leaking through to the other floors. As a precautionary method, Kryton's Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) was also in the sloping concrete slab on the second floor middle level. Krystol technology forms crystals that fill the spaces between concrete particles, permanently waterproofing the structure. Krystol reacts with incoming water to self-seal small concrete cracks, providing permanent protection against leakage from any direction. Krystol also eliminates the corrosion of reinforcing steel within the concrete.

The Church's front steps and columns were dirty from years of traffic, air and rain pollution. Using Kryton's industrial strength cleaning products, The Crystal Group was successful in removing the accumulated dirt and grime.

Paul Zoltenetsky Jr. says, "We are happy to report that after several heavy soaking rains, the (materials were) successful in stopping any further water infiltration into our church". Thanks to the restoration waterproofing done by The Crystal Group, the paintings are now protected.