BC Ferries Flooring Project, Richmond
We completed this flooring project for BC Ferries in Richmond, British Columbia, working as a coating subcontractor to the Bird Construction Group. Projects delivered through a general contractor come with their own set of expectations around scheduling, coordination, and finish quality, and this job was carried out to meet the standards a project of that kind demands.
The scope centred on preparing the existing concrete and installing a durable, high solids epoxy coating that would give the space a clean, hard-wearing surface suited to a working transportation facility.
Project Photos
The Challenge
Working on a BC Ferries site through a general contractor meant the coating had to fit into a larger construction schedule and meet the finish expectations set for the overall project. The existing concrete needed proper preparation before any coating could go down, since the quality of the preparation is what determines how well the epoxy bonds and how long it lasts under traffic.
Coordinating with a general contractor also means being ready to work within the windows the broader build allows, protecting adjacent trades and finished areas, and keeping the coating stages moving so the project timeline holds. That kind of scheduling discipline is a large part of what commercial clients are paying for on a job like this.
The floor also needed to end up smooth and clean without any promise being made about levelling the slab itself, so the preparation was scoped honestly around what grinding and crack repair can and cannot achieve.
Concrete Preparation
Our preparation for this project included filling cracks and imperfections in the floor and diamond grinding the high spots to create a clean, smooth, and properly profiled substrate. Diamond grinding opens up the surface of the concrete so the coating can key into it, and it knocks down high points that would otherwise telegraph through the finish.
It is worth being clear about the limits of this step. The preparation produces a clean and profiled surface, but it does not guarantee that the concrete is levelled. Grinding addresses the surface profile and high spots rather than correcting the underlying slope or flatness of the slab, and we scope that honestly so the client knows exactly what the finished floor will and will not do.
The Epoxy System
For the coating we installed Passeport Elite Epoxy, a 100% solids epoxy applied as a two-coat system. A 100% solids epoxy builds a thick, hard film with no solvents flashing off during cure, which gives a dense and durable finish well suited to a commercial transportation setting. This system was installed without non-slip additives, matching the finish specified for the space.
The two coats build the film thickness that carries the traffic and wear this kind of floor sees, and the result is a seamless surface that cleans easily and holds up to the demands of the facility.
Because the system went down without non-slip additives, the finished surface is smooth and easy to clean, which suits a facility where the floor is washed and maintained regularly. Where a project calls for added traction, the same epoxy can be installed with a broadcast aggregate, but here the specification called for the clean two-coat finish we delivered.
The Result
Delivered as part of the Bird Construction Group project, the finished floor gave BC Ferries a clean, durable, high solids epoxy surface over properly prepared concrete. Completing the work as a coating subcontractor on a general contractor led project shows the kind of coordination and finish quality we bring to larger commercial and institutional jobs across Metro Vancouver.
Working on a Commercial or Institutional Project?
We take on coating work directly and as a subcontractor to general contractors across Metro Vancouver. Tell us about the project and we will scope it with you.