TRAFFIC COATINGS SERVICES IN VANCOUVER

What is a traffic coating and when does a parkade need one?

A traffic coating is a flexible waterproof membrane bonded to a structural concrete deck and built to carry vehicle and foot traffic while keeping water out of the slab. On a parkade it is not a finish. It is the layer standing between road salt and the reinforcing steel inside the concrete. Chloride soaks through unprotected concrete, reaches the rebar and corrodes it, and corroding steel expands and pushes the concrete apart from the inside. By the time that shows on the surface as spalling and rust staining, the repair is structural concrete work rather than a coating, and it costs many times what recoating the deck would have.

Signs a parkade deck needs recoating

• Bare concrete showing through in drive lanes, ramps and turning areas where tires scrub hardest
• Cracking or crazing across the membrane surface
• Water staining, efflorescence or drips on the ceiling of the level below
• Rust staining or spalling around columns, at deck edges and near drains
• Ponding water that does not clear after rain
• Membrane lifting at edges, drains and expansion joints

Two or more of those together usually means the membrane has reached the end of its service life rather than needing a patch.

Pedestrian and vehicular decks are not the same build

Walkways, balconies, plazas and rooftop amenity decks take a lighter system, because the wear there is foot traffic and weather rather than tire scrub. Vehicular decks take a heavier build with a reinforced wear course through the drive lanes, ramps and turning bays where tires load and twist the surface. Ramps and turns get the most aggressive spec on any parkade, because that is where a coating fails first. We spec the two zones separately rather than running one system across the whole deck.

Systems we install

Elastomeric urethane membranes for parking decks, ramps and rooftop traffic areas, where the coating has to stretch and recover as the slab moves through wet Vancouver winters and warmer summers. Breathable cementitious systems for slab on grade applications, where moisture needs a route out of the slab rather than being trapped under the membrane. Both are finished with an aggregate broadcast sized to the traffic, so the deck holds traction when it is wet.

What the installation involves

Surface preparation comes first. We diamond grind the deck to take off the failed coating and open the concrete so the new membrane bonds mechanically instead of sitting on top of it. Cracks and spalls are cut out and repaired, and we check the deck for moisture before anything goes down.

The detail work is what separates a coating that lasts from one that fails in two winters. Drains, expansion joints, column bases, deck edges and the transitions at ramps are detailed and reinforced before the field coat goes on, because those are the points where water finds a way through. After the membrane and the aggregate broadcast, the wear coat goes down, then line striping, stall numbering and directional markings are reinstated.

How we phase parkade work around residents and tenants

A parkade cannot close. We phase the work by section so part of the deck stays in use while we work on the rest, agree the stall count that has to stay available, and keep the loud preparation work inside the hours the strata or building management sets. You get the phasing plan, the stall counts and the return to service dates before we start, so notices can go out to residents with real dates on them rather than estimates.

Common questions about parkade traffic coatings

How long does a parkade traffic coating last?

With proper installation and maintenance, a traffic coating system lasts 10 to 20 years or more, depending on the traffic the deck carries, how much weather it sees and the system installed. Ramps and turning areas wear fastest, so the wear course there usually needs recoating before the rest of the deck. We give you the manufacturer’s stated service life, the warranty terms and the recoat interval in writing before the job starts.

Can you coat over an existing failed membrane?

Usually no. A failed coating is a weak layer between the new membrane and the concrete, and bonding to it means the new system fails along the same plane. We grind the old material off and start from prepared concrete. Where the existing membrane is sound and compatible we will tell you and price a recoat instead, which costs less, but we test rather than assume.

Do you handle the concrete repair as well as the coating?

Yes. Crack repair, spall repair, surface preparation, parkade resurfacing and restoration are part of the same scope. A coating installed over unrepaired concrete fails at the repair points, so we do not split the two across different trades.

Does the whole parkade have to close during the work?

No. We phase by section and agree the stall count that stays open before we start, so the building keeps parking while the deck is being coated.

What does a parkade traffic coating cost?

Parkade decks are quoted per project after a site visit, because the number moves with the deck area, how much of the old membrane has to come off, the volume of crack and spall repair, the drainage detailing, and how tightly the work has to be phased around residents. We walk the deck and give you a fixed price and a phasing plan together, and the assessment is free.

For more on the sector, see our parkade and traffic deck page and our parkade epoxy coatings page. For below grade areas and amenity decks, see the waterproof coating systems we install. Call (778) 653-8356 to book a deck assessment.