3 Concrete Coating Options to Consider for Your Commercial Parking Lot
Posted on: 7 December 2016
Your commercial parking lot is usually exposed to extreme traffic from pedestrians and vehicles, heavy weight loads and weather elements. Therefore, if you want the concrete surface of your parking lot to last, you need to give it extra protection. However, you must take special consideration when choosing your means of protection. You want to invest in something that will give you the highest returns. Concrete coatings usually do the trick, but there are a wide range of options available. Read on to find out the type of coating that may be the most suitable for your commercial parking lot.
Pervious Concrete
If you are thinking of constructing a new parking lot at your commercial premises, consider using pervious concrete. This will eliminate the need to use any coatings later. However, if pervious concrete was not used in the construction of your already-existing commercial concrete parking lot, you can still add a pervious concrete coating to it. A pervious concrete surface is an ideal choice if your main concern is water pooling in your parking lot after a storm. Handling such pools can be costly since you may have to invest in systems such as drainage pipes and pumps. Pervious concrete is highly porous, which allows water to flow through it freely.
Overlays
Overlays, usually thin-bonded, can also make an effective coating on the surface of your concrete parking lot. Made from a blend of aggregate, rubber polymers, and cement, the overlays help create a waterproof surface on your parking lot. If you live in a cold climate, these overlays are the perfect choice because they cure relatively faster in cold temperatures than their counterparts. This means your commercial parking services won't have to be stalled for long. Unfortunately, overlays won't repair damages, such as cracks on the surface.
Penetrating Sealers
Penetrating sealers are liquid-applied options that act as water repellents. The treatments penetrate deeply into your concrete parking lot to form a barrier that prevents damage from water, chemicals, and freeze-thaw action. Penetrating sealers are permeable to vapour, making them ideal for use in a parking lot with a slab-on-grade foundation where using other coatings may not be effective. Since the sealers are injected into the concrete, they have less impact on the surface of your parking lot. Applying penetrating sealers is also quicker compared to coating the entire concrete surface with pervious concrete. This makes it relatively inexpensive. However, since they only prevent the penetration of moisture, water, and chemical compounds in concrete that is intact, they cannot help bridge cracks. Besides, you have to reapply the sealers every few years, which can add to your maintenance costs.
For more information and advice, contact a commercial concreting company in your area.
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