By late November most parkades in Metro Vancouver are collecting something they don’t see the rest of the year. Salt and grit go down on the roads and sidewalks above, and every vehicle that comes down the ramp carries a share of it onto the deck, where it sits in the low spots and around the drains until something moves it.
If a wash is already on the maintenance plan for the coming months, the useful question is what the visit should include and what the timing should be. Here’s how we scope parkade work at this point in the year.
What’s actually on the deck in winter
A parkade collects a different mix of soiling than any other hard surface on a property, and the winter mix is the heaviest of the year:
- Road salt and de-icing grit, tracked in on tires and dropped as the vehicle warms up.
- Oil, transmission fluid and tire residue, which bond into the concrete rather than resting on it.
- Traffic film — the grey, slightly greasy layer that builds up across the whole deck and dulls the painted markings.
- Leaf and needle debris blown down the ramp and into the drains, which is what usually causes standing water.
Standing water is worth watching for its own reasons. A blocked drain on a parking level holds water where it refreezes overnight in a cold snap, which turns a pedestrian route into a slip problem. Clearing drains is part of a wash, not a separate call-out.
Timing: the wash and the sealing are two different seasons
A parkade deck can be washed through the autumn and winter. It’s covered, the temperature underground stays moderate, and the work doesn’t depend on a dry forecast the way exterior flatwork does. So a wash booked for late November is realistic.
Sealing isn’t. A sealer needs a genuinely clean, dry surface, which is why we run concrete and stone sealing as two visits with proper drying time between them. If sealing is part of the longer plan, the honest sequence is a wash now and the sealing scheduled into the dry season rather than squeezed in behind it. Sealing over damp concrete traps the moisture underneath, and it’s a job worth waiting for rather than rushing.
Methods matched to the structure, not the dirt
The reason a parkade isn’t quoted like a driveway is everything on the deck that pressure can damage. Traffic coatings, expansion joints, drains, ramps and painted line markings all need to be accounted for before the equipment is chosen.
In practice that means pressure and technique get adjusted across the structure rather than set once at the entrance. Heavily soiled areas and oil spots are pre-treated or degreased first, because pressure alone doesn’t break down oil — it just moves it around. Coated decks and painted markings are worked at reduced pressure. We assess the surface and its condition before quoting the approach, which is covered in more detail on our parkade pressure washing page.
Access and preparation
Most of what slows a parkade wash down on the day is access rather than the cleaning itself. Before the date is confirmed, it helps to have answers on:
- Whether the level can be cleared. Full levels can be washed in sections, but someone has to coordinate the notice to residents or tenants and the temporary parking.
- Water supply and drainage. Where we can draw water, where it goes, and whether the property has any wastewater handling requirements of its own.
- Ramp and gate access. Fob or key access for the crew, and clearance height for the equipment.
- Storage and bin areas. These are usually the dirtiest part of the structure and the most often left off the scope.
- Which levels are included. A quote for “the parkade” and a quote for three levels plus the ramp and the loading bay are different numbers.
For larger structures we phase the work by level, section or parking area so vehicle and pedestrian access stays workable while the project is underway. That takes more planning than cleaning the whole deck at once, but it’s usually the difference between the job happening and the job being deferred another year.
What the visit should leave behind
Completion photos and service notes, by level, where applicable — the record a property manager or council needs when an owner asks what was done. Drains confirmed clear. Anything we notice while working the deck, like a failing traffic coating or a cracked joint, flagged with a photo rather than left for the next contractor to find.
The paperwork should arrive before the crew does: our $5 million liability certificate goes to the property representative ahead of the first visit. The work carries a 100% satisfaction guarantee on workmanship when a concern is reported within 7 days of completion.
Pairing it with the rest of the winter plan
Since salt arrives on tires, the two services are connected at the other end too. Properties that have snow removal and salting under contract usually know where the grit concentrates on their own site, which is useful information when scoping the deck wash. If graffiti is a recurring issue in the structure, it’s worth including in the same scope rather than calling it in separately.
Send us the property address, the number of levels and any access notes you have. We’ll confirm what we need to price it and prepare a scope you can put in front of council or ownership — the parkade services overview sets out how we phase and document the work.