The car park level of Centro Roselands Mall in Sydney, built some 40 years ago, has been given a new lease of life with a waterproof, crack-bridging system known as Deckshield from Flowcrete . It is the first such installation of its kind in Australia.
Centro Roselands’ owners Centro Properties Group recognised that the car-park area needed refurbishment for both functional and aesthetic reasons. Christopher Errington of Centro says, “Apart from aesthetics, there was considerable concern that, if left untreated, corrosion of the steel reinforcement in the concrete may eventually pose risks for the integrity of the structure.”
Flowcrete’s Deckshield, a seamless resin decking system, was proposed following a recommendation from Dynamic Flooring Australia, Flowcrete’s licensed contractor for New South Wales. Dynamic has carried out work at Centro Roselands for over 20 years and has an established track record with Flowcrete systems.
The first task was to install a Deckshield sample in an area with the highest traffic flow. Ten months on, the client commented that it still looked brand new, even without cleaning. The full project then began with degreasing of the concrete surfaces to remove substantial layers of grime and oil deposits that had built up over 40 years. This was carried out with 4000-psi captive 90-degree hot water blasting. The resultant sludge was pumped into a truck and disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.
After degreasing, the floor was diamond ground in order to eliminate a number of severe and hazardous undulations in the slab, followed by captive shot blasting. Deckshield ID was then installed over the 13,500sq m area, complete with a UV-stable topcoat, followed by linemarking and traffic signals.
The scope of work also included decking for a number of ramps, some of them at a steep 30 degree incline and exposed to rain/water deposits. This required a heavy-duty skid resistant specification of Deckshield to achieve maximum grip.
The entire project had to be carried out without disruption to operations at the Centre. The availability of the Deckshield system from Flowcrete’s Malaysian manufacturing facility was a key factor in being able to offer shorter lead times, as well as competitive pricing, says Sean Tinsley, Regional Manager for Flowcrete Australia.
