What is proper maintenance for a multistory car park?

Everything from fallen leaves to left behind trash affect the appearance of your parking deck. Even if the wind pushes it away, it can build up on the edges, against curbs, and in pathways and ruin the overall look of your property. Have employees do a quick cleanup every morning and evening to throw out the garbage and remove things like fallen branches. Hire a company who specializes in parking lot maintenance to sweep clean all debris monthly. This will help expose underlying problems that may have been covered or overlooked.

However, if there are places where this seems to happen excessively or on the inside portions of the garage, you may have a problem. This has gone too far if you see exposed rebar, rusted metal or rust stains, or white efflorescence on the concrete itself.

A variety of different fluids can drip out of cars and trucks which create stains to parking deck surfaces. These not only make things look worse but can also contribute to safety issues and repair needs over time. For example, an oil leak may make the surface slick and increase the risk of injury. Corrosive fluids can contribute to speeding up the rate of concrete or asphalt deterioration. Specialty services are available for cleaning and maintenance of these corrosive fluids that utilize mild and eco-friendly solutions in conjunction with pressure washing.

While the previous two maintenance tasks mostly focus on appearance, seal coating and waterproofing/traffic coatings directly affects how long your concrete or other surface will last. No matter what type of coating you have originally applied to the deck, it will wear off over time and become less effective. Performing yearly inspections and tending to your findings will help prolong the life of any coating and prevent minor problems from turning into something irreversible which, in most cases means full replacement and a hefty price-tag.

Prior to seal coating or installing/replacing traffic coatings, inspect the entire parking structure to identify cracks, chipping, or spalling concrete. Water, debris, corrosive fluids, etc., will infiltrate the slab at these weak points causing additional damage over time.

The level of repair work necessary will always vary and is best outlined in a formal inspection by an industry professional.

Even the most well-maintained parking garage will do little to serve its purpose without clearly delineated parking spaces and traffic flow patterns. After necessary maintenance or replacement is performed, re-stripe parking stall spaces, crosswalk areas, symbols for handicap parking, and any other necessary lines and icons to keep things organized and safe. This is a great way to maintain proper traffic flow and reduce the risk of accidents.

One of the most important maintenance tasks for your parking structure is a regularly scheduled inspection. A visual in-house inspection when the structure is not in use should take place at least once per month (standard property management practice). Performing an industry-professional inspection once or twice a year will help prolong the life of any parking structure and catch a minor problem before it gets worse. A “worse problem” translates to downtime and cost.

Regular maintenance will cost less, help preserve the structure and allows the entire structure to remain open and serve its purpose.