Committed to Providing Quality Concrete Repairs in the Lower Mainland
Our crews are skilled in a wide variety of concrete repair techniques, learned on the complex and challenging type of projects we most enjoy. We have found that a concrete restoration project can often require specialty items like expansion joints, epoxy injection, hydro-demolition, and shotcrete, in addition to chipping and patching. Because we are knowledgeable, certified, and own all of the equipment necessary for these tasks, we are able to get the job done without needing to rely heavily on subcontractors. Doing the bulk of the tasks with our own forces facilitates accurate schedules, and efficient service to our customers.
Hydro Demolition
With the purchase of a Jetstream X-series water blasting system, Metro is capable of performing hydro-demolition of 20,000psi. Metro has acquired the Ergo-Go that works with this machine as a mechanical head that is easily set up in small areas to increase our working capacity of hydro demolition from that which is curtailed by a person holding a hand lance, to that of a structurally mounted machine allowing us to take advantage of the full capacity of our Jetstream machine.
Using hydro-demolition, deteriorated or damaged concrete can be removed quickly and efficiently. Metro’s hydro-demolition unit can be used with two hand lances or the Ergo-Go depending on the level of demolition required. Hand lances work well if only a profile on the concrete is needed. The Ergo-Go demolished concrete as chipping would without the percussion effect through the structure which could cause more problems. Hydro-demolition is recognized as an effective means of concrete preparation that, by its nature seeks out and removes weak concrete without the collateral damage caused by other commonly used means of concrete removal and preparation.
Concrete Repairs
Like any repair or restoration project, the work put into the preparation will impact how long the repair will last. Metro Concrete Restoration has the philosophy that we do it right the first time. This involves ensuring adequate preparation is done before putting concrete back. Tasks like saw cutting around the edges to a minimum depth to avoid the future breaking off of a thin portion of concrete. Detail chipping around rebar to ensure adequate encapsulation is achieved so the patch forms part of the structure, and won’t just pop off in time. The collective knowledge of our project managers regarding concrete, how it ages, how new concrete needs to be placed, and practices that need to be avoided, all ensure our ability to repair an area of a structure only once.
Shotcrete
Shotcrete is our preferred material in hard-to-reach, difficult-to-form areas. It is comparable to concrete in strength and durability, however, has the benefit of not needing formwork. It is shot out of a nozzle at a high velocity into the prepared surface, which it adheres to. When finished, it looks the same as concrete.
Our team includes 2 certified nozzlemen for overhead and vertical applications. On our team is also Neil McAskill who is a certified examiner with American Concrete Institute, and has helped guide and teach our shotcrete technicians for the last 15 years.
Water Proofing
Metro Concrete Restoration is a certified Gemite product installer and a certified Sika installer. Both companies have waterproofing products for different applications.
Gemite Cem-Kote Flex ST is a cementitious slurry that can be applied to areas that don’t experience high traffic. It has the strength of a cementitious product and the flexibility to span small cracks to aid in providing waterproofing to a concrete structure. Metro Concrete used this product to help protect the concrete walls at Cleveland dam from water coming from the spillway or rainwater getting into the cracks causing damage to the steel on the interior of the structure.
Metro Concrete Restoration has also used the Sika Combiflex SG System to waterproof lager construction joints that may or may not need to remain flexible. This system has been used in a number of reservoirs in Metro Vancouver to help waterproof the construction joints in the floors
of the water reservoirs.
FRP
There are times when the use of a building changes requiring an increased structural capacity. What do you do? Tear it down and build a new building? This can be a very costly endeavour. Sika has developed structural strengthening products that can be applied to the surfaces of structural beams, slabs and columns to increase the structural capacity of a floor or a building. When compared to the cost of demolishing the existing building and building new to increased standards, these systems are a fraction of the cost.
Metro Concrete Restoration has applied Sika’s CarboDur® System and SikaWrap® Fabric Strengthening System to concrete columns, concrete slabs and beams to increase the structural capacity of the building. We have also used SikaWrap® to improve the abrasion resistance on columns on the snow sheds around Revelstoke.
Affiliations:
