Usually, it is defined “stone façade” a kind of façade as a masonry covered with stone material, even if it is not uncommon to find façades in which it is the stone structure to be visible. The diagnostics of surfaces is the typical of the stone materials, born to characterize the materials and their degradation.

The first step is the creation of polished-thin stratigraphic sections observed by microscope or by the image analysis software EIMA; the sections give information about the nature of the material and its condition. Succeeding, more detailed analyses can be the X-ray diffraction, the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrophotometry (FT-IR) to examine the organic substances originating coatings and films, the ionic chromatography for the analysis of soluble salts present in the porosity of material (which can be studied with the porosimeter). ). Where it is necessary, it can perform the microbiological tests to identify the autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms present on the surface.

Endoscopic essays can be executed to identify the chuckings of the coating, while may be very important laboratory tests on restorative materials that are normally used, to evaluate their suitability for the use as a surfaces consolidating and/or protective.

“Il Cenacolo”, looking deeply the problematic, bets on the in site control working in progress with analyses focused to guide the restoration intervention (colorimetry, pipette method).