Common Parking Structure Problems and Repairs

Maintaining your parking facility is important for aesthetics as well as safety. However, while all buildings need maintenance, parking structures are in particular need of repairs and touch-ups because of how much damage they take. Exposure to cars, foot traffic, and the outdoors means that they’re open to wear and tear, excess moisture, temperatures, and various weather conditions. These elements can make the structure look less attractive over time, but could also cause serious structural damage. Schedule regular parking structure maintenance with Command7 to help protect your parking lot from these common repairs.

Cracked Concrete

Concrete can crack because of internal and external forces. Applied loads can put pressure on a structure, but so can the movement of the structure itself because of thermal changes or concrete shrinking through natural processes. Enough of these forces can cause cracks, which can lead to internal damage to a parking structure. Allowing in forces like moisture and chlorides can speed the breakdown of your structure’s concrete through processes like delamination or spalling, which could lead to concrete breaking off or the creation of potholes.

Structural Deterioration

This is the process that cracked concrete can ultimately lead to. Breakdowns of this type happen as a result of the metals embedded in and reinforcing the concrete begin to corrode. This corrosion is caused by an exposure to moisture and salts, often from deicing salts or even airborne salt spray in coastal areas. While corrosion itself is bad enough, the product of this corrosion ends up having a larger volume than the original steel did: this pressure can cause concrete to crack.

Maintenance Solutions

Problems like these can be avoided by paying attention to your parking structure and hiring a commercial parking lot maintenance company to take care of problems before they become bigger. An engineer should conduct an inspection on your parking structure every two to three years, depending on the condition that it’s in and whether it’s been inspected before, and develop a repair program from there if you need one. Inspections might take the form of looking around the building, sampling and testing the concrete, or structural analysis: while some processes can be performed by in-house teams, a professional maintenance company can provide a more thorough look. These are some of the repairs that a maintenance company might make.

Sealing Cracks and Joints

The forces that can damage your concrete, support structures, and expansion joints won’t be able to get in as easily if the cracks and joints in the floor are sealed. An inspector should check to make sure that cracks and joints are sealed (and make sure that the seals are effective) at least once a year. Keeping these seals in good shape means that one of your defenses against damage is in order, so it’s worth investing in.

Repairing Concrete

If concrete on your structure’s floor or ceiling is delaminated or spalled, it could use repairing or patching. A maintenance team will start this process by identifying the location of the damage and several inches of the surrounding area. Once they uncover the underlying damage, they’ll clean and reinforce the supports: once this happens, the opening they had to cut out will be filled with new material, whether it’s concrete or something else.

Applying Protective Coating

Coating the fresh repairs to your parking structure protects your investment by minimizing the amount of damage it will take in the future. Even if your parking structure is in good shape and not due for an inspection just yet, it could benefit from a coating and waterproofing system. The addition will limit the moisture and chlorides that can enter your garage’s concrete and prolong its life, which means you don’t need to pay for repairs as often.

Command7 Parking Structure Services

The team at Command7 knows the importance of making a good first impression, and a clean, well-maintained parking facility is one of the best ways to accomplish that. Investing in your parking facility by hiring a commercial maintenance company will save you time, money, and hassle in the long run. Whether you’re looking for a company that can sweep up debris, pressure wash tougher pollutants, paint or repaint your lines, repair problems, or maintaining the lot before it can deteriorate, Command7 has the tools and experience needed to make sure that your needs are met. Call 855.214.2168 or fill out our online form for more information or a quote.