USL StructureCare's Managing Director John Taylor points out that with the use of new coating technology, protecting your Car Park Decks need not mean widespread disruption.

John Taylor has been involved in the construction and refurbishment of multi storey and rooftop car parks for 15 years and is Managing Director of car park refurbishment specialist USL StructureCare. USL StructureCare have over 25 years experience in this specialist field and are unique in offering movement joints and protective coatings manufactured, supplied and installed by themselves. They are also licensed applicators for the CONIDECK range of car deck protective systems manufactured by Degussa.

It is easy to understand why many shopping centre and retail managers dread the day when their multi storey car park or roof top parking facility will require repair or refurbishment works. Where this is limited to such items as concrete repairs, painting and lighting, traffic management and the use of night-shift working can mean that disruption is very slight. Deck Protection Systems however are another story.

Loss of parking space usually equates to, at peak times, loss of custom and a directly proportional (or more!) level of complaint from tenants recording drops in footfall.

It is a fact however that is in the interest of all parties to ensure that the car park structure is both maintained in sound structural condition and also provides an attractive front door to your shopping centre - after all, "first impressions count".

The refurbishment of multi storey car parks is now an extremely common activity due partly to the age of structures (multi storey car park construction reached a peak in the late 70's early 80's and many of these structures are now in need of enhancement and repair); and partly due to increased high quality retail development within city centres in recent years. Developers have realised the importance of attractive, well lit and coated car parks and your aged Multi-Storey must offer the shoppers an attractive alternative to the new car park in town if the new facility is not to steal your public.

In the line of Car Park Deck Coatings however the cliché "no pain no gain" is applicable. Whilst the Gain is obvious, it is the level of Pain which worries most Centre Managers.

However with careful planning it is possible to keep loss of parking spaces and disruption to a minimum. Great advances have been made in recent years by leading manufacturers of Car Deck Protection Systems to offer rapid curing solutions which minimise disruption, and in certain circumstances avoid it altogether.

Degussa Construction Chemicals for example have developed their Conideck 2257 Fastdeck System specifically for use in such cases. The system is hard wearing, very attractive and easily cleaned as well as, crucially, very fast curing. It is possible to apply this system overnight, even on very high abuse areas such as spiral ramps and the like which are often critical access points, and open for the passage of cars in time for the Shopping Centre's normal operating hours.

The system may also be used to totally eradicate curing times so as to allow large outputs of deck coatings to be achieved during daytime hours in the quieter parts of the trading week.

An example of this is the Overgate Centre in Dundee. The Fastdeck system was chosen due to its ability to allow over 2,000m2 of complete deck coating, including lining, to be laid commencing on the quieter Sunday and being handed back ready of the peak trading period of Friday/Saturday. Using careful planning and these innovative products, only one weekend involved the loss of parking bays out of a nine week total programme.

Whilst rapid curing systems have been available for some time, they were often based around methylmethacrylate (MMA) technology. Disruption of course takes other forms than simply lane closures and loss of parking bays, and the problem with these earlier MMA based systems was that they were accompanied by an extremely bad odour during application and curing. Whilst the centre may not notice disruption due to excessive parking bay loss, they would certainly notice disruption due to the smell!

Bob Groves of Degussa Construction Chemicals explains "these new fast curing options are truly revolutionary in that they are based on newly available chemical technology giving it the fast curing benefits of the older MMA systems without the accompanying foul smell. Indeed the products are almost odourless and can be applied in a Shopping Centre and Retail situation almost without being noticed. Add to this its extreme hard wearing capabilities, and its good looks, and the client really does get the ultimate in Car Deck Protection and aesthetic enhancement".

Over 50,000m2 of the Fastdeck product has been applied in retail locations throughout the UK in 2005 alone; and Degussa envisage the use of the product to increase rapidly as its disruption-busting characteristics become known. Such prestigious retail clients as The Mall, Bovis Lendlease, Grosvenor and Arlington have benefited from it's use.
Options really are available now to the Shopping Centre and Retail Manager to minimise disruption during essential or indeed non essential, deck protection works whereby their car park can be transformed without affecting the short term impact on sales within their facility.

For "no pain no gain" read "minimum pain, maximum gain"!!

For further information on StructureCare products click here
Alternatively fill in our enquiry form, call+44 (0) 191 419 8131, fax +44 (0) 191 8139
or email structurecare@usluk.com

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