Expertise of walls

The Forensic expert kollegium conducts construction and technical expertise of all types of wall coverings in both judicial and pre-trial proceedings.

During the operation of a building, defects may form in walls, which can lead to various adverse consequences, including structural failure. To prevent such issues, a comprehensive inspection of walls and floor slabs in buildings and structures is recommended.

Expertise of walls allows not only the identification of defects but also the assessment of the degree of damage and wear of walls, permissible loads, as well as the causes of defects and the cost of their elimination.

The following parameters are examined during the expertise of walls:

1. Determination of the surface quality and appearance of plaster coatings:

• use of appropriate materials;
• bond strength of the plaster coating to the base;
• layer thickness;
• number of layers;
• deviation of the surface from verticality, horizontality, and straightness (flatness) of the coating;
• actual appearance of the coating surface (presence of cracks, traces of finishing tools, mortar runs, voids);

2. Determination of the surface quality and appearance of decorative coatings:

• use of appropriate materials;
• deviation of the surface from verticality, horizontality, and straightness (flatness) of the substrate;
• layer thickness;

3. Determination of the surface quality and appearance of ceramic tile cladding:

• use of appropriate materials;
• bond strength of the cladding field to the substrate;
• thickness of the adhesive layer;
• density of filling between the substrate and cladding fields;
• width and straightness of tile joints;
• actual appearance of the tiled surface (presence of cracks, stains, mortar or adhesive runs, efflorescence);
• deviation of the cladded surface from verticality, horizontality, and straightness (flatness);
• level differences at joints or seams of the cladded surface;

4. Determination of the quality of painting works (paint coating):

• use of appropriate materials;
• deviation of the surface from verticality, horizontality, and straightness (flatness) of the substrate;
• actual appearance of the painted surface (presence of fibers, burrs (for wooden and metal surfaces), roughness, voids, irregularities, delamination, mortar runs, traces of finishing tools);
  layer thickness and number of layers;
• actual appearance of the paint coating;
• absence of skips (transparent areas), breaks, delamination from the base, streaks, stains, runs, splashes, chalking, visible paint particles, brush or roller marks;

5. Determination of the quality of wallpapering works:

• use of appropriate materials;
• deviation of the surface from verticality, horizontality, and straightness (flatness) of the substrate;
• application of adhesive (uniformity of layer, absence of gaps and runs);
• deviation of wallpaper seams from verticality;
• actual appearance of wallpaper (pattern matching at seams, presence of overlaps in certain installation methods, edge deviations in butt joints, presence of air bubbles, stains, gaps, patching, misalignment, wrinkles, peeling, covering of skirting boards, trims, sockets, switches).

This expertise is conducted when the applicant visually identifies discrepancies in any of the above parameters, which are considered defects.

The main factors contributing to defects in wall coverings are:

• failure to comply with the requirements of design documentation and technical regulatory legal acts during the performance of work;
• failure to comply with wall operation requirements;
• improper maintenance of walls and their coverings during their service life.

The following questions are submitted for resolution during the expertise of walls:

1. determine the cause of the wall defect, as well as classify it according to significance (significant, minor, critical), possibility of elimination (remediable, irremediable), method of detection (obvious, hidden), and nature (manufacturing-related (structural or technological), operational);
2. determine whether the completed wall installation works comply with design and technical regulatory documentation;
3. determine the quality of the completed works;
4. determine the cost of eliminating the defects.

You can consult on expertise of walls at the Forensic expert kollegium at: Minsk, Zhukovskogo st., 11 A, 4th floor 

or by phone +375 (17) 317 04 71; +375 (17) 317 04 72; +375 (17) 317 04 73; +375 (17) 317 04 74; +375 (17) 317 04 76; +375 (29) 109 60 11; +375 (44) 588 60 11