Building the Base: High-Performance Coating System Delivers Durability for New Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Parking Deck

When Sherwin-Williams set out to construct its new global headquarters in downtown Cleveland, the team saw an opportunity to demonstrate performance where it would be tested every day – under thousands of vehicles, through Lake Erie winters and across sloped ramps that never stop moving.

The private five-level parking deck serving the campus – four levels aboveground and one below grade – accommodates about 920 vehicles and includes employee-focused features like hands-free access and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. For Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine, it was the ideal proving ground for a resilient traffic coating system that could deliver uniform appearance, long service life and straightforward maintenance.

System Selection and Smart Substitutions

As part of its headquarters project, the Sherwin-Williams team saw an opportunity to set a new internal benchmark for traffic coating performance. The parking structure spans five levels and covers approximately 40,000 to 50,000 square feet – making consistency and durability essential across a high-traffic, high-visibility environment.

The project called for a waterproof, flexible deck system able to handle de-icing salts, automotive fluids and freeze-thaw cycles without sacrificing traction or aesthetics. The selected system also needed to accommodate concrete movement, cure reliably in Cleveland’s variable weather and deliver a uniform finish.

The specification centered on Resudeck™ III – a proven elastomeric system built around a penetrating primer, a sand-receiving elastomeric basecoat and a UV-stable aliphatic polyurea topcoat. The team chose medium gray from the Resudeck palette – a clean, neutral tone that enhances striping visibility, controls glare and photographs well.

The baseline design called for the standard Resudeck III stack. In the field, however, the team implemented a targeted change to address a concrete flatness issue observed on several levels of the garage. This surface waviness was caused by rebar chatter during the concrete pour and required a basecoat that could be built thicker than the system’s typical single-component liquid applied membrane. Instead, the team used Resudeck™ MPB – a two-component urethane-elastomer base membrane – in two high-build lifts to self-level and eliminate the waviness prior to installing the topcoat. The use of high-build coatings eliminated the need for grinding, which could have risked exposing rebar reinforcements and compromising the concrete’s structural integrity.

Applied in two 75-mil lifts for a total of 150 mils, Resudeck MPB filled low areas and created a smooth, level base for the remainder of the system. Applicators used more than 13,000 gallons across the project to achieve the necessary build. Beyond correcting the concrete profile, the substitution helped keep the schedule on track. The workability of MPB gave crews the flexibility to broadcast aggregate evenly, then repeat the process after the second lift to create a reliable texture and slip resistance across the full surface.

What could have been a disruptive challenge instead became an opportunity to enhance the system’s performance and visual consistency. And although later concrete pours showed improvement and required less leveling, the team maintained a consistent approach across all levels of the garage to deliver uniform results from top to bottom.

Layer by Layer

Every level of the garage began with mechanical preparation to achieve a concrete surface profile (CSP) of 3 to 4 (Figure 1). Installers addressed cracks and joints as needed using Loxon® NS2 – a two-component, non-sag polyurethane sealant – to maintain movement capability and support long-term waterproofing. The goal was a clean, profiled surface that would allow the primer to penetrate and mitigate outgassing.

On the four above-grade levels, installers first applied Resudeck™ FLP/E, a penetrating epoxy-polyamine primer designed for bare concrete. It wets out the substrate, seals micro-porosity and promotes adhesion to the elastomeric basecoat. For the below-grade level – a slab with higher moisture readings due to being in contact with the ground – the team used Resudeck™ FLM, a 100% solids epoxy-polyamine primer formulated to mitigate moisture vapor transmission. Selecting the right primer for each level protected the system from blisters. It will also provide bond integrity through seasonal swings.

Installers applied Resudeck MPB by squeegee and backroll (Figures 2 and 3). At the proper gel point, the crew broadcast sand into the membrane, so the aggregate keyed into the film rather than sinking. For the second lift, crews gauge-raked to full build and staged aggregate for a timed “rain” broadcast at gel, locking in uniform texture and slip resistance ahead of the topcoat (Figure 4). Where leveling was required, MPB’s flow characteristics helped fill low spots and minimize shadowing. Proper timing of each broadcast created the required texture without burying the aggregate – a step that helped prevent slippery surfaces and supported long-term traction retention.

To finish the system, crews installed Resudeck™ FLA, a rapid-cure, aliphatic, UV-stable polyurea, at a project-specific 15 to 16 mils. Another aggregate broadcast – this time aluminum oxide – provided uniform slip resistance on flat bays and sloped ramps. The FLA topcoat delivers color stability and chemical resistance against fuels, oils and de-icing solutions, while protecting the elastomeric basecoat build below. The medium gray selected from the Resudeck palette balanced light reflectance, glare control and ease of cleaning.

Installers completed line striping with Sherwin-Williams traffic paint in white once the system reached the specified cure.