KEW GARDENS ROAD

Waterproofing

80-02 Kew Gardens Road, Queens, NY  11415

Located adjacent to the bustling Queens Boulevard, this 12-story building at 80-02 Kew Gardens Road had long been plagued by leaks originating from the concrete plaza at the entrance to the building. Home to professional and government offices, retail stores and a senior center, the building required a complete renovation of the plaza to prevent additional water damage to the offices, structural slab and steel below. Additionally, the underground parking garage showed serious deterioration to its ramps, traffic lanes and parking areas that required an extensive rehabilitation of the concrete slab and the protective, traffic-bearing membrane.

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The plaza deck waterproofing project required Seaboard Weatherproofing & Restoration to replace the 4- to 6-inch thick concrete topping slab and the underlying waterproofing membrane of the 12,000 square-foot plaza. After removing the topping slab and repairing damage to the structural slab below, Seaboard installed a Kemper ‘Kemperol AC’ Waterproofing Membrane. The Kemper System consists of a primer coat, reinforcing fleece and liquid applied membrane, creating a seamless barrier impervious to water that protects the structural concrete slab and steel structure of the plaza. As part of the requirement for the 20-year warrantee on the waterproof barrier, Kemper inspectors certified the installation at several benchmark stages. After conducting a water leak test of the membrane, the team poured a new sloped topping slab with custom-colored concrete and replaced drains to direct water away from the plaza surface and building. Expansion joints were caulked with wear-resistant sealants to ensure water tightness and pedestrian safety.

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The underground parking garage also required major repairs. The Seaboard team repaired large sections of failed concrete, including replacement of defective reinforcement steel. After carefully preparing the concrete surface with a ‘shot-blasting’ cleaning method, the team installed a high-performance protective membrane. Seaboard installed Auto-Gard, the specified Neogard elastomeric vehicular traffic-bearing system to all ramps, as well as traffic lanes and parking areas. All work was performed in phases and completed during off-peak hours to minimize interference with the parking garage operations. Upon completion of the new membrane installation, the traffic lanes and parking spaces had to be ‘striped’ before returning the section for full garage operations.