Simple Tips for Maintaining Your Parking Garage

As a parking garage owner or manager, you take pride in the way your garage looks. Although a certain amount of wear and tear is inevitable, including the occasional oil stain or tire skid, there are still many things you can do to make sure your garage is clean, attractive and (most importantly) safe. Here are a few simple parking garage maintenance tips that can help you keep your garage in good condition.

1. Inspect the Floors

Regularly inspect your concrete floors and watch for spalls and cracks. Make it a habit to walk through your garage every couple of weeks and check for common signs of spalling damage, which may include:

• Flaky or pitting flooring
• Cracks in the concrete
• Chips or large chunks of concrete breaking away

If you notice any of these signs, have the affected areas repaired right away. If the spalling effects the integrity of your parking garage structure and poses a safety hazard, you should close the parking garage until full repairs are made.

2. Check the Ceiling for Water Spots

Water spots leaking through a parking deck can cause a white, milky acid substance to form. This substance is referred to as efflorescence. It can not only cause ugly white stains on your concrete ceiling, but it can also etch the paint on a car. Small amounts of fresh effervescence can sometimes be removed from concrete with a stiff, heavy-duty brush. However, larger stains may need to be removed with chemical cleaners or oxygenated bleach.

3. Examine the Membrane System

If your parking garage has a traffic-bearing membrane, check it frequently for early signs of delamination and wear. Any signs of damage to the membrane system should be promptly repaired as part of your regular parking garage maintenance program.

4. Clean and Inspect Drains

If your parking structure drains become clogged or damaged, they will no longer direct water away from your structure effectively. As a result, you may begin to notice standing water and excessive water damage to your floors. Avoid this unpleasant problem by inspecting and cleaning your drains regularly – especially during rainy seasons.

5. Inspect Sealant and Expansion Joints

Industry experts recommend replacing joint sealants every 7-10 years, and expansion joints every 10-15 years. To make sure that your parking garage joint sealants and expansion joints last as long as possible, make it a habit to inspect them regularly and repair them as part of your parking garage maintenance program.

We Can Help You Maintain Your Parking Garage!

At Atlantic Restoration, we know the ins and outs of common parking garage problems, and we can help you keep your garage in great condition. To take advantage of our professional maintenance and repair services, give us a call at (617)622-5946!