5 Ways to Maintain your Traffic Deck Membrane

Regular maintenance of your traffic deck membrane can provide many long-term benefits, including saving your strata or your business from costly concrete repair in the future. It also ensures your initial concrete polishing and resurfacing job remains structurally intact down the road. 

Today we’ll be addressing five different ways you can keep your traffic deck membrane in check, along with certain best practices to keep in mind when performing routine maintenance. 

How to prep for maintenance

Before performing any sort of maintenance on your traffic deck membrane (TDM), it’s important to know what type of coating system was originally used and installed. If reports are available that detail previous inspections, concrete resurfacing details and the contractor who applied the original deck coating, review these prior to completing maintenance. If need be, contact the original contractor for guidance on how to properly maintain your TDM.

Physical Inspections

One of the first ways to perform maintenance on commercial concrete TDM’s is by conducting routine physical inspections. A qualified inspector can make it easier to determine if your current parkade is sufficient or it’s time for a new one.

Various points throughout the deck coating should be reviewed during the inspection for damage, wear and/or age. These might include checking for proper adhesion surrounding sealant joints, unclogged drains, surface texture for tears or rips, along with inspecting the underside of a traffic deck membrane where cracks may go undetected.

Snow and Ice Removal

Large buildups of ice and snow can have major consequences for the structural integrity of your traffic deck membrane’s surface. Not to mention, certain equipment such as metal blades and shovels can create holes and gouges in the TDM if used to remove snow and ice. It’s important to review and create a plan for snow and ice removal prior to cleaning your traffic deck membrane.

It is generally recommended for ice to be removed with de-icing materials, such as salts containing calcium chloride. A well-installed traffic deck membrane will hold up against strong chemicals in de-icing salts. However, giving your TDM a quick rinse with water after using such chemicals will ensure no buildup of chemicals takes place.

Regular Cleaning

While it’s a good idea to rinse your traffic deck membrane down with water after the usage of de-icing salts throughout the winter months, incorporating a regular cleaning schedule of your TDM can mean less build-up of chemicals, debris and clogged drains throughout the year.

Depending on the type of spill or chemical you are cleaning up, you may be able to get away with using a common household cleaner. However, other types of cleaning jobs, including oil, gas and engine fluids, may require heartier cleaning materials to mop up.

Reduce Heat Exposure

One other way to ensure continued maintenance is to reduce your traffic deck membrane’s exposure to heat and high temperatures. Excessive heat exposure can potentially create further damage down the road for your TDM, as well as reduce its lifespan.

There are a few causes of high heat in parkades, including friction from spinning tires, high-powered cleaning equipment, and even cigarettes that have not been fully put out. Encouraging drivers throughout the parkade to watch their speed, as well as discouraging patrons from using metal chains on their cars during the winter months, are a few ways that can assist in reducing your traffic deck membrane’s exposure to extreme temperatures.

Routine Topcoat Application

The last way to actively maintain your traffic deck membrane is through a routine topcoat application of your TDM in high-traffic areas. These high-traffic areas are exposed to a lot more wear and tear than other parts of your parkade, meaning more cracks, leaks and potential exposure to water being tracked in by vehicular traffic.

Depending on the damage and age of the traffic deck membrane, a routine topcoat application may suffice or a brand new traffic deck membrane may need to be installed.
Viewing your parkade and its traffic deck membrane as a maintenance system whose structural integrity will certainly weaken over time, can encourage your business or strata to draft up a routine maintenance schedule for your TDM. This not only reduces the cost of repairs, but also disruption to patrons of your parkade.

Is your parkade in need of more than just maintenance? Applied Coatings and Restoration Inc. can assist with all of your concrete restoration needs, including making your traffic deck membrane look brand new. Call or click for your custom quote today!

About the author

Lindsay Stroud is a freelance content writer and ghostwriter from Vancouver, Canada. Her published works can be found on Jiyubox and Passion Passport, in addition to producing ghostwritten content for Owl Labs and Wonderment. She is currently accepting new clients. Find her online at lindsaystroud.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.