Things You Should Know about Parking Deck Coatings

Parking decks frequently come into direct contact with harsh weather and driving conditions that can cause extensive, expensive, and potentially irreparable surface and structural damages. As a result, commercial parking lot owners need to take special measures to protect their investment. Parking deck floor coatings are an affordable way to prevent extensive damages caused by severe moisture exposure, leaks, oil spills, sunlight, heavy snow, ice, and even the rough driving habits of some motorists. 

Countless people rely on parking decks and garages on a daily basis, especially in busy metropolitan areas where people commute to and from work every day. It’s important to make sure that commercial parking decks are always fully operational during peak business or parking hours. By regularly applying high-quality parking deck floor coatings, such as the products provided by IMC Distributors, you can minimize maintenance and repair-related closures or downtime.

What Are Parking Deck Coatings?

Industrial and commercial parking deck coatings offer a strong layer of seamless waterproofing protection and prevent external factors from damaging your parking structure. Choosing the right protective products or floor coatings is imperative to maintaining the cleanliness and structural integrity of your parking deck.

Before applying a protective coating, it’s important to carefully inspect and assess the current condition of your parking deck. Older parking decks experience a lot of wear and tear over the years. As a result, they may be covered in cracks, oil stains, faded spots, potholes, and other damages. Dust particles, dirt, and debris can also settle throughout your parking deck floor.

It’s important to make all necessary repairs and do a thorough sweep of the property before applying a protective coating. Otherwise, the coating won’t properly adhere to the floor and this will result in an uneven finish.

Parking Deck Coatings for Steady Traffic Flow

Depending on the structural design and capacity, each level of your parking deck may require a different type of protective floor coating that can sustain various vehicular weight and movement capacities.

High-traffic parking decks that get consistent flows of pedestrian and vehicular transportation will ultimately require an incredibly robust and resilient protective coating that prevents the onset and spread of various types of wear and tear.

Basement levels get the least amount of sunlight exposure because they’re underground. Hence, they’re considered the foundation of the entire structure and aren’t exposed to the same level of thermal cycling or contraction and expansion as the upper levels. However, their proximity to the ground does mean there is more exposure to moisture, so waterproofing is imperative.

Intermediate levels get minimal sun exposure, but arguably receive the most pressure and stress from vehicular weight and movement due to the fact that they’re the connecting floor between the top level and the basement. That means more vehicular traffic passes through the intermediate level than the other two.

Lastly, there’s the top level which obviously gets the most exposure to the sun as well as extremely hot and cold temperature fluctuations that can cause constant flexing to occur.

Tips for Choosing the Best Parking Deck Coating for Your Application Needs

When it comes to protective coatings for parking decks, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. There are a number of practical and material-based factors that need to be taken into consideration.

First and foremost, take stock of the size and layout of the parking deck that needs to be covered. Then take into consideration the material of the floor itself. This information will help make it easier to choose protective products.

Keep in mind that some protective coating membranes work better on concrete, metal, or wood. For proper adhesion, curing, and long-term results, you’re going to want to choose the appropriate product that can meet your needs.

Here are a few to consider: 

Epoxy Floor Coatings

Epoxy systems have been used for many years, are easy to apply, economical, and provide concrete surface protection. They are durable and by using different aggregate (flint, aluminum oxide, etc.) can offer a heavy-duty type wearing surface that can handle severe traffic such as loading docks, service ramps etc.

The drawbacks are that epoxy coatings are rigid and not capable of bridging cracks, so they do not waterproof the parking structure when used alone. They also don’t have the flexibility to accommodate any movement in the concrete slabs. Additionally, on parking decks exposed to continuous sunlight, epoxies can degrade quickly under UV radiation.

Featured products:  Durofloor, Durofloor 11, Durofloor BI, Durofloor C

Polyurethane Traffic Deck Solutions 

Polyurethane is a durable waterproof membrane that’s perfect for all types of heavy traffic areas and pedestrian walkways. Polyurethane traffic deck coating systems are composed of a primer, a base coat membrane, and a heavy-duty topcoat for a seamless application, fast curing time, and exceptional protection from the elements. They also have an extra strong bond adhesion and extreme impact abrasion resistance, as well as optimal chemical and UV resistance for extra protection.

Polyurethane is the ideal protective coating solution for high impact and heavy traffic parking decks because of its elastomeric properties, which allow it to easily stretch and move with concrete slabs. It also has the ability to bridge shrinkage cracks and prevent them from expanding. 
Featured products: ISOMAT Primer-PU 100, ISOMAT Primer-PU 140, ISOMAT ISOFLEX-PU 500, ISOMAT DUROFLOOR PU

Polyurea Coatings for Traffic Decks

Polyurea dries within seconds, is walkable in a few minutes, and can be driven on in a matter of hours. It forms an extremely tough, flexible, and chemically-resistant surface almost immediately. Polyurea coatings are perfect for parking decks because they contain a strong waterproofing capability and can extend by over 400%, which makes them the ideal coating for repairing concrete surface cracks.

Featured products: ISOMAT Primer-PU 100, ISOMAT Primer-PU 140, ISOMAT PUA 2230, ISOMAT Topcoat-PAS 760

Choose IMC Distributors’ Products and Services for Parking Deck  Coatings

IMC Distributors is one of the leading suppliers of reliable and durable parking deck coating solutions in North America. We provide a wide range of epoxy, polyurethane, and polyurea protective parking deck floor coating systems that are guaranteed to keep your industrial flooring looking and functioning like new for a long time. Contact us today to learn more.