FEATURE CAR PARK CONSTRUCTION
Nothing makes a car park look more shabby
and uncared for than blistering and fl aking paint
BIT OF A spruce up
It’s not all about the look – deciding on what colour to paint a car park, and with which type of paint, can have a huge impact on its public perception
W
hen considering car park refurbishment and design schemes, the selection of paint
maybe one of the last, or least crucial items to consider. However, if chosen wisely, paint can have a real impact on the aesthetics, ambiance and public perception of any space, and, in particular, multi-storey car parks. Paints can make more of a difference
than you might expect. Whatever the type of paint used, it often looks great once decoration has been completed, but after a few weeks and months of constant use it can start to deteriorate. And nothing makes a car park look more shabby and uncared for than blistering and fl aking paint. Conventional acrylic-based paints have a tendency to blister due to moisture building up behind the coating, and this can be a problem in multi-storey structures that are often part internal and part external. Acrylic paints form a fi lm over the surface to which
24 NOVEMBER 2012
they are applied, trapping moisture vapour, which leads to the formation of blisters and eventually fl aking.
Mineral paints are an excellent alternative to conventional paints, as they are highly moisture vapour-permeable, which means that they allow moisture vapour to pass through the paint, leaving the coating and substrate in perfect condition. Mineral paints penetrate into, and chemically bond with, the substrate rather than merely being a surface coating. They do not block the microscopic pores within mineral substrates, allowing moisture vapour to ‘breathe’ out.
Weathering the storm Long-term protection of the substrate can be affected by the choice of paint. The majority of car parks are either wholly, or in part, reinforced concrete and, over time, the concrete is subject to degradation from general weathering and aggressive protagonists such as de-icing salts and
www.britishparking.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52