Coating systems — Traffic decks
Kelmar traffic coating systems
Kelmar traffic deck systems are made by R&D Technical Solutions Ltd., and we have installed them across Vancouver parkades, from a Beach Avenue apartment building in 2012 to 100,000 square feet under the office tower at 980 Howe Street in 2015. This page sets out how a Kelmar deck is built, which Kelmar systems do which job, and the Kelmar parkades we have done.
The short version: a Kelmar FWC or T.E. deck is a layered system. The waterproofing is done by a membrane, and the traffic is carried by a sand-filled epoxy wear course over it, finished with a UV-resistant top coat.
How the deck is built
Primer, membrane, wear course, top coat
The manufacturer's data sheets for the Kelmar FWC and T.E. systems list the same four layers. A primer keyed to the prepared concrete, either Kelmar MONOBOND epoxy primer or the water-based Kelmar DUALOX. Then the Kelmar NEO V membrane, a single-component membrane that is the waterproofing layer of the system. Over that, the traffic-bearing wear course: Kelmar CWC, an epoxy and sand matrix in FWC, or a coal tar epoxy wear course in T.E. And last, a UV-resistant top coat, Kelmar 1910 acrylic or 1920 epoxy.
That order is the point. Epoxy on its own is hard and does not bridge a moving crack, which is why an epoxy floor is the wrong answer on a parkade. In a Kelmar deck the epoxy is not asked to waterproof: the membrane underneath does that, and the wear course protects the membrane from tyres, turning and grit while keeping the surface skid resistant.
The range
Which Kelmar system does which job
| System | What it is | Used for | Our work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelmar FWC | Rapid-curing, odour-free, high-solids epoxy and sand matrix over the NEO V membrane, for long service life with maintained skid resistance | Parking structures, pedestrian walkways and balconies, stadiums, mechanical rooms | Beach Avenue apartments, Vancouver, 2012 (FWC III) |
| Kelmar T.E. | Rapid-curing, high-solids epoxy system with a waterproofing membrane and a coal tar epoxy traffic-bearing wear course | Parking garages, areas needing abrasion resistance with waterproofing, loading docks, garbage rooms | Metrotown parkade, Burnaby |
| Kelmar MERDEK | Rapid-curing, low-odour, high-solids epoxy and sand matrix with a waterproofing membrane | Parking garages, plaza and rooftop decks, balconies, walkways, stadiums | — |
| Kelmar PC | Modified polymer traffic deck waterproofing system | Joint treatment on precast parking structures | — |
| Kelmar ECO | Low-VOC, low-odour floor coating, without the waterproofing membrane | Parking garages, mechanical and computer rooms | — |
Descriptions are from R&D Technical Solutions Ltd.’s own product page and system data sheets. The Hampton Inn & Suites and 980 Howe Street parkades below were also Kelmar systems; the specific configuration on any deck is set from the assessment and the manufacturer’s current data sheet.
Our Kelmar parkades
Kelmar decks we have installed
Four Kelmar parkades from our own job files, largest first. Every one is also on the projects page.
980 Howe Street, Downtown Vancouver, 2015: the finished parkade in dark grey (left), and the system going down section by section behind a tape line (right).
- Building
- 980 Howe Street
- Area
- 100,000 ft²
- System
- Kelmar
- Completed
- 2015
Hampton Inn & Suites, Robson Street, Downtown Vancouver, 2013: the crew laying the coating by the entrance gate (left), and a finished level with its textured surface (right).
- Building
- Hampton Inn & Suites
- System
- Kelmar
- Completed
- 2013
Beach Avenue apartments, Vancouver, 2012, for Jacob Bros Construction: Kelmar FWC III across a parking level (left), and carried over a bollard curb and up the wall bases by the ramp (right).
- Building
- Beach Avenue apartments
- System
- Kelmar FWC III
- Completed
- 2012
Metrotown, Burnaby: the parkade in the Kelmar T.E. system with new stall and aisle lines (left), and the crosswalk and reserved-stall marking (right).
- Location
- Metrotown, Burnaby
- System
- Kelmar T.E.
Questions we get asked
Kelmar traffic coating FAQs
Is a Kelmar traffic coating a waterproofing system?
The Kelmar FWC and T.E. systems are. Each is built over a primer with the single-component Kelmar NEO V membrane, which is the waterproofing layer, and the epoxy wear course and top coat go on over that membrane. The manufacturer also makes Kelmar ECO systems that it describes as floor coatings without the waterproofing membrane, so the system name matters when a deck has occupied space beneath it.
What is the difference between Kelmar FWC and Kelmar T.E.?
Both are built on the same primer and NEO V membrane. The manufacturer describes FWC as an odour-free, high-solids epoxy and sand matrix with long service life and maintained skid resistance, for parking structures, walkways, balconies, stadiums and mechanical rooms. T.E. uses a coal tar epoxy traffic-bearing wear course and is aimed at parking garages and areas that need abrasion resistance together with waterproofing, such as loading docks and garbage rooms. We installed FWC III at Beach Avenue and T.E. at Metrotown.
Which Kelmar system is right for our parkade?
That comes out of the deck, not the brochure: the core samples, the cracks and joints, how the parkade drains, whether the slab is suspended or on grade, and how long each area can be closed. We assess the deck, test it, and then specify the system and the build, whether that is a Kelmar system or one of the other traffic systems in our systems library.
Site assessments
Send us the slab. We'll tell you what it actually needs.
Photographs and a rough area are enough to start. We'll come out, test moisture, and scope it properly.
Main (604) 968-2040 · Second (604) 230-0256 · estimating@westpacificcoatings.com