Ongoing Parking Garage Maintenance and Concrete Structure Restoration

Parking garage maintenance is crucial for parking garage managers and owners due to the liabilities that come with the massive concrete structures.While parking garages,for the most part,are durable buildings, they endure a lot of daily abuse from many elements including:road salt, acid rain, chemicals, petroleum products, water drainage and not to mention the weight of hundreds of vehicles.Having an experienced parking garage maintenance company regularly inspect and maintain the garage can significantly extend the life of existing parking structures as well as increase the safety of all those who enter and exit.Whether it’s an airport garage, university garage, hospital garage, casino garage or plaza garage, it’s still housing vehicles and, more importantly, people in that concrete structure.It’s highly recommended and best practice to get the parking facility and adjacent foundation areas inspected regularly to ensure safety for everyone. There are a few maintenance services that every parking garage manager should want to have regularly checked for in their garage; concrete repair and waterproofing. Properly water proofing the parking structure is key to avoiding erosion of the various components such as concrete and steel support. It’s common, especially for parking garages in geographical locations where snow and ice are prevalent, to be infiltrated by water and sodium chloride. The sodium chloride will quickly attack and weaken the steel components that hold together the structure.Combined with the freeze and thaw cycles of the winter months, the harsh treatment of the concrete can cause cracks, spalling, shifting, etc. Additionally, chemicals and petroleum by-products often leak from vehicles causing the initial deterioration of the concrete. There after elements have a much easier time penetrating and damaging the foundation. It’s important to find the right company that has the experience to perform these services. A proper evaluation of the parking garage should also include analysis of everything from the concrete quality, tension of the posts, the joint sealants, steel bracing and plating, membranes, etc.They will be able to tell you if you need carbon fiber installation, concrete sealers, surface membranes or traffic coatings. The concrete restoration company should also provide a comprehensive program that will address all of your parking garage restoration needs, as well as offer financing options.The company should develop a complete plan to address each specialty construction service and recommend a time line and budget to accommodate the projects operational requirements.