Waterproofing coating to two large concrete office buildings
Towers @ Second
San Jose
Twin 12-story office buildings in San Jose were due for an upgrade. We Work was establishing a presence there and wanted to transform the exterior to a more modern look from the original concrete panel look. The original precast panels had small voids and bugholes all over them, barely perceptible from a distance, but up close we saw scores of small cavities where water could harbor and over time compromise the new coating job we were installing. To address this, we included a full skim coat of surface filler on all of the concrete surfaces to receive coating.
When applying a new coating to a porous concrete structure, it is important to take steps to mitigate cracks, voids, and other conditions that would jeopardize the new coating. In order to get a system warranty, coating manufacturers typically want to see a pinhole-free surface; on a micro-scale, these pinholes are tiny access points for water to enter the substrate and get behind your new coating. When water gets behind the coating, if it is not permeable, the water will eventually cause the coating to bubble and separate from the substrate.
What We Did
Applied skim coating / surface filler to nearly 150,000 sf of concrete wall surface
Applied GE Silshield elastomeric coating to nearly 150,000 sf of concrete wall surface
Accessed buildings using swingstages
Project Details
The two large office buildings needed a large mobilization to meet project scheduling demands. We mobilized on both buildings at once, first washing the concrete substrate so it was ready for the surface filler. After any concrete spall or crack repairs were completed and the substrate was sound, we began applying the surface filler, covering almost every inch of the 150,000 square feet that made up both buildings.
With the surface filler applied and cured, we set about applying the silicone elastomeric coating to the walls. This step had to be handled carefully; rolling too fast would send small drops of silicone coating into the air and onto the cars below. Removing the silicone coating from the car’s finish is time-consuming and expensive.
With a crew of twelve, the project was completed on schedule, and now both buildings are coated with a silicone finish that will last twenty years or more—or until it’s time for a color change!
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