After a six-story apartment building in Iowa collapsed in May, reports of code violations and dangerous repairs swirled. As the building owner faced charges, a revelation emerged: Part of the problem may have been paint.
On May 28, folks living in a six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, experienced a shock. The outer wall of their building fell off.
Sadly, the disaster buried three residents and injured others. One woman was pinned under the debris. Rescuers amputated her leg to save her.
The building at 324 Main Street had been decaying for decades. Residents regularly complained of stuck windows and jammed doors. At the time of the collapse, supports held up the exterior, and workers were making some repairs. The historic brick building had been painted a scarlet color.
Painting exterior brick is a renovation go-to. Painted brick houses dot American neighborhoods, and painted shops and factories revive industrial areas. Decorators use painted brick to freshen and even add value to a property. How-to videos for DIYers flood social media.
Yet home experts and scientists say painting brick is hardly—if ever—a good idea. Here’s why:
Most brick is porous—meaning it has tiny holes throughout. But, masonry contractor Mike Palmer says, “Once you put a membrane [like paint] over the brick, it can no longer breathe.”
In fact, construction experts at McGill Restoration call painting “a death sentence for brick.”
Painted brick can no longer properly absorb and release heat, cold, and moisture with seasonal changes.
Usually, warnings signs like blistering paint and crumbling brick develop. Photos of the Iowa building show both. Bricks also began bowing outward, a sign of exterior wall damage. Surveillance video shows mortar and chunks of brick falling in the minutes before the entire façade slid off.
Davenport city records about the building’s repairs are sketchy. There are clues that the building was repainted around 2008 and then again after 2019. Some people speculate both paint jobs covered serious underlying issues.
The Bible advises neither worrying nor boasting about tomorrow since no one knows what will happen. (Proverbs 27:1, Matthew 6:34) Davenport residents weren’t prepared for the building collapse, though many had raised safety concerns.
Building owner Andrew Wold pleaded guilty to not maintaining safe conditions. Tenants have named Wold and others in lawsuits related to the collapse.
The day before the tragedy, a city inspector visited the apartment building. He reported, “Work appeared to be progressing in accordance with the plans.”
The next day, those plans—along with the building façade—fell flat.
Why? An understanding of how the things of Earth are corruptible can help us both plan for disaster and make wise choices.
