Checklist for Parking Garage Restoration
Streamline parking garage maintenance and restoration with this Parking Garage Checklist.
Written By: Tremco Sealants
Streamline parking garage maintenance and restoration with this Parking Garage Checklist.
Written By: Tremco Sealants
As catastrophic parking garage collapses in recent news have illustrated, thorough inspections of parking structures are critical to mitigate risk to your assets, nearby infrastructure, parked cars and the lives of community members.
While managing numerous revenue-generating assets can be overwhelming, Tremco has made parking garage maintenance and restoration easy with this Parking Garage Checklist.
Download this quick resource and keep reading to understand the important components to inspect in a parking garage and what repairs may be needed to keep it operational, extend its service life and ensure the safety of its users.
Inspecting parking structures is vital to maintain their performance, protect your reputation, maximize ROI and prevent injuries or deaths. Visual inspections should be completed semi-annually and especially after periods of extreme weather to catch any problems before they escalate. This maintenance is more than just cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, new line striping or removing vandalism though.
Neglecting necessary repairs can lead to water infiltration, leaks and worst-case scenario, structural collapses that require crisis management, litigation and full rebuilding. Here are the areas of a parking garage to examine and the next steps in their renovation.
1. ConcreteAs most parking structures are constructed with concrete, this is the most important element to audit to ensure the building’s structural integrity. Look at both the vertical concrete, such as walls and columns, and horizontal concrete decks for issues like exposed rebar, concrete cracks and spalling. Many of these defects can be easily remediated with a concrete repair mortar, caulking, concrete sealer or new traffic coating, which can usually be implemented with minimal, if any, downtime. For severe damage, consult with a structural engineer to confirm if more substantial renovations are necessary.
If you have a waterproofing membrane or traffic coating on your parkade, review its surface for any cracks, spalling, peeling, delamination or blisters. These problems typically indicate improper application, a low-quality coating or wear and tear from 
significant aging and years of vehicular traffic. Repairing and/or replacing these deck coatings can give the parking garage a refreshed look and enhance the waterproofing protection to prevent damage to the structural deck and property below.
Review horizontal and vertical joints to ensure they have a proper seal to avoid water infiltration. Failed sealant can look like blisters, splits and peeling caulking or missing product altogether. These are one of the most common parking garage issues which can be fixed quickly by cutting out the damaged section and replacing it with the same or compatible sealant product. You can find a step-by-step walkthrough of this repair in our Restoration Guide.
Expansion joints are intended to withstand building movement and passing vehicular and pedestrian traffic, so these solutions typically come in the form of pre-compressed foam with a sealant face or metal cover plate. Tremco’s Willseal line offers a range of expansion joint technologies, with options for slip resistance, fire protection, seismic capacity and ADA-compliance. Check expansion joints for any tears, holes or separation which can inhibit their performance.
4. LeaksIf you notice leaking in your parking garage, look up. The leaks are likely due to a failure somewhere in the level above caused by one of the other issues listed earlier, such as damaged concrete, waterproofing degradation or a failed sealant or expansion joint. It is crucial to repair leaks as soon as possible to reduce the spread of damage to the facility or any parked cars.
Ponding water on traffic surfaces is typically related to the slope of the concrete, improper positioning of drains or clogged drains or scuppers. These issues should be resolved quickly as many parking garage products are not made for submerged conditions, so extended exposure to water can damage the traffic coating and concrete below.
Check your railings for any deterioration or instability. Not only can rust from damaged railings erode the adjacent concrete, but unstable handrails also pose a public safety hazard.
Once you’ve identified any areas of concern, speak with a trusted manufacturer, like Tremco Construction Products Group and Euclid Chemical, for recommended parking garage repair and maintenance solutions. Tremco and Euclid supply numerous compatible restoration systems for concrete, waterproofing and sealants that speed the turnaround time to minimize parking diversions or shutdowns to revenue-generating garages. Together with proper structural review and remediation tactics, parking garage managers can effectively repair and restore their parking garage assets with confidence.
To investigate the causes of these parking garage challenges and their step-by-step restoration strategies, access our free Restoration Guide Here or get your parking garage checklist below!
