When we drive into a parkade, we don’t often spend time thinking about the structure itself and what kind of maintenance goes into keeping a parking area functional and presentable. We are usually too busy looking for the best parking spot to consider anything else around us. But if you’re the owner of a parkade space, you need to think about more than just having enough parking spaces for your customers. Here are some ways that traffic coating can improve your parkade’s longevity and curb appeal.
Save the slip and fall
Although concrete is known for its strength and relative impermeability, it’s not a perfect substance. Concrete as flooring is vulnerable to a range of issues, particularly where water is concerned. In cold weather, concrete is subject to freezing and expanding water that can cause cracking. Cracks leave the concrete even more vulnerable to further damage. They are also unsightly and unsafe for pedestrians. Weakened concrete that sustains constant pressures from heavy objects, like vehicle traffic, is also subject to spalling damage. In wet weather, concrete that has pooling water on the surface can be quite slippery. Moreover, if that water freezes you now have safety issues with ice. The last thing you need is for your parkade to become a skating rink for both pedestrians and vehicles. If your parkade flooring is concrete and is not properly sealed or treated with the appropriate traffic coating, any number of the issues above can cause you a huge headache.
Professional floor coating can offer a variety of benefits such as anti-slip surfaces, waterproofing, and chemical resistance. The right polyurethane coating can protect your concrete from damage normally sustained during freeze-thaw cycles and protect your foot traffic from a slip and fall on those frozen surfaces.
Visibility and Visual Appeal
While concrete is invaluable for its diverse use, strength, accessibility, and reliability, it’s not usually known for its aesthetic appeal. Fortunately, there are all sorts of ways to protect your concrete investment while also boosting its appearance. Many types of traffic coating can be coloured according to the client’s design while also serving a wide range of protective and practical functions. Delineating pathways, parking spaces, directional flow, entrances, exits, and restricted spaces are all important parts of designing and maintaining the layout of a parkade space.
How great is it then, that these markings can also offer protection to the substrate for years to come? Concrete can become stained, dingy, and eroded over time. Excessive vehicle traffic leaves concrete flooring exposed to fuels, oils, tire marks, and anything else vehicle and pedestrian use can throw at the ground. Protective polyurethane coatings offer a more professional appearance, while also resisting wear and tear, staining, and chemical corrosion to keep your space looking bright and clean for much longer than with basic untreated concrete. Vertical structures such as concrete posts and other upright masonry can be covered with the same protective traffic coating to prevent damage from corrosion or wear and tear from abrasion that can leave them vulnerable to further damage.
Regardless of size, concrete parkade surfaces can benefit from the protection and aesthetic improvement of traffic coating. There is a range of options all offering various degrees of protection and solving unique issues depending on weather exposure, the volume of traffic, and design ideas. Consulting a company that specializes in industrial traffic coating is the best way to make sure your patrons and your parkade are protected now and for years to come.
