Car park deck surfacing is one of the most challenging and important areas of a multi-storey car park structure. It must be able to accommodate movement between construction joints, absorb impact and abrasion, resist chemical attack from spillages of automotive fluids – petrol and diesel fuels, engine and transmission oils, brake and hydraulic fluids, anti-freeze solutions, de-icing salts etc – and provide good levels of slip resistance to the vehicles tyres.
In most instances it will also need to be vapour permeable to prevent the formation of puddles in rainwater prone areas of the car park. NCC’s specialist team have extensive experience in providing high performance coating solutions that meet the specific needs of new and existing car parks, enabling a complete package to be provided to ensure both long term deck waterproofing and surface durability.
Paving the Way: The Essentials of Car Park Deck Surfacing
In particular, car park ramps and tight turning areas require a deck surface that is more resistant to mechanical stresses such as those imparted by power steering, braking and acceleration forces. This can lead to an increased dynamic load on the structure which may necessitate a higher grade of system than that used elsewhere in the car park.
Existing concrete car park structures are often contaminated and damaged in service, the deck surfaces often attacked by de-icing salts brought into the structure by vehicles or used to maintain safe roads during winter. As a result, the car park surfaces may need more aggressive cleaning (vacuum blastcleaning) than would be required for a new concrete surface in order to remove contaminants and deterioration, ready for application of a suitable deck surfacing system.