The carpentry shop houses the carpentry and masonry functions within Physical Plant. Some of the services provided include routine maintenance of ceiling, floors, doors, interior/exterior walls and sidewalks. The wood shop repairs wood products on campus. This group takes the lead for coordinating the assembly of facilities for Commencement exercises.
The key control office provides lock repair, lock changes, lockout services (file cabinet, desk, office) and issuing of keys (except residence halls) to authorized members of the university community.
The responsibility of the paint shop is to protect the exterior of buildings and maintain the appearance of the interior facilities through administration of a regular paint program. Additionally this shop has a task of maintaining all traffic marking on streets and parking lots. The paint shop also houses the glass shop which handles many of the window replacements on campus.
Physical Plant has operated a university owned quarry since 1869. The ashlar patterned stone facades (Hokie Stone) used on campus buildings are constructed of native limestone quarried and surfaced by Physical Plant personnel. The Virginia Tech's local quarry produces 25 to 50 tons of stone each week to support the supply for new buildings on campus.
The roofing shop maintains the roofing systems on over 110 buildings on campus. The unit also identifies roofs in need of replacement and assists in coordinating the contractor's work to provide the least disturbance to campus activities. Another important task of the roofing shop is coordination for shutdown of rooftop equipment for safety of building occupants and roofing contractor personnel.
The sign shop is responsible for all the signage on campus. This includes exterior lighted building signs, street, parking and all interior signage. Design of signage for campus is coordinated through the University Architect's office.