Communities: paint garage ramp, garage floor and community car park
We restore the shared surfaces of a comunidad de propietarios: the underground or open communal garage, the ramp that leads into it and the outdoor community car park. The floors are cleaned, repaired, cut in and recoloured in two coats, in phases planned so residents can keep using as much of the garage as possible.
Send us a photo and the m²What does a communal garage restoration cover?
A communal garage restoration covers the floors that every owner drives across: the access ramp, the circulation lanes, the parking bays and, where the community has one, the open-air car park. The concrete is pressure cleaned, cracks and spalled patches are repaired, edges along walls and columns are cut in by brush and two coats of synthetic resin paint go on.
The aim is a uniform, brighter and easier-to-clean floor, without breaking out any concrete and without generating demolition waste. For a community it can be the difference between a garage that feels neglected and one that feels looked after.
Does the Junta have to vote on repairing the garage floor?
Not when the work is necessary conservation. Article 10.1.a of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal says that works needed for the proper maintenance and conservation of the building and its common services and installations are mandatory and do not need a prior agreement of the Junta. Under article 10.2, the owners bear the cost and the Junta agrees how it is shared out and the payment terms.
Improvements that are not required are different: article 17, rule 4, asks for three fifths of the owners representing three fifths of the shares, and an owner who votes against is not obliged to pay for them. Other agreements follow the double majority of article 17, rule 7. Whether a given garage restoration is conservation or improvement is a question for the administrator.
Our step-by-step guide to restoring a communal garage under the LPH sets out the usual sequence from first photos to the Junta and the work.
How do residents keep using the garage during the work?
Residents keep using the garage because we work in phases. The garage is divided into zones, and each zone is cleaned, repaired and coated while the others stay open. The ramp, often the only way in, is planned with particular care.
- We agree the zones and their order with the president or administrator.
- The community notifies residents which bays must be empty and when.
- Each zone is cleaned, repaired, cut in and coated in turn.
- Zones reopen when the product data sheet allows traffic again.
- The ramp is done in halves or in a short, well-announced closure.
For the slope itself, see our page on garage ramp restoration, which explains grip, edges and drainage in detail.
What do we give the administrator and the owners?
We give the administrator what the owners need to decide: photos of the current condition, a clear written scope of what will and will not be done, and a quote based on the area and condition. During and after the work, we send photos of each stage.
- Before photos of the ramp, lanes, bays and problem areas
- A written scope: cleaning, repairs, cutting in, two coats, phasing
- A clear list of exclusions, such as line marking and structural work
- Progress and completion photos that can be shared with all owners
If the community needs help reading budgets for this kind of work, our pricing site has a page on community budgets.
Do you repaint the bay lines and numbers?
No. Line marking, arrows and bay numbering are not part of our service. After the floor has been restored and has cured according to the data sheet, the community will need a line-marking company to mark the bays again.
It is worth booking that firm early, so the garage does not stand unmarked for long. Before we start, it also helps to photograph the existing layout so the bays can be laid out exactly as before.
What problems can a communal garage restoration not solve?
It cannot solve structural problems, water coming through the slab or walls, or a failing drainage system. Damp patches from below, rust stains bleeding from reinforcement, or wide cracks that keep opening are signs for an engineer or a specialist, not for a coat of paint.
We do not carry out structural assessments. If the photos suggest any of these issues, we say so before quoting, so the community can deal with the cause first. Our post on what owners wish they had known before restoring a communal garage covers the practical surprises.
Can community car parks outdoors be restored too?
Yes. Outdoor community car parks in urbanisations are restored the same way: cleaning, repairs, cutting in along kerbs and planters, and two coats. They face more sun and rain than an underground garage, so fading is usually more visible.
In open-air car parks, kerbs, planters, lamp posts and drainage grilles all need cutting in by hand, and the work is timed around dry weather. Residents usually keep parking in the zones not being treated, exactly as in an underground garage.
For car parks that belong to a business rather than a community, our business car park service explains phasing around opening hours.
Frequently asked questions
Who should contact you: the president or the administrator?
Either can. In practice, the administrator often handles quotes and paperwork while the president agrees access and dates. We are happy to work with both, and we send photos and a written scope that can be forwarded to all owners. What matters is that the community has one clear contact person for the duration of the work.
Do all owners have to vote on restoring the garage floor?
Under article 10.1.a of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, necessary conservation work on common elements is mandatory and does not need a prior Junta agreement; the Junta agrees how the cost is shared. Non-required improvements need a three-fifths majority under article 17. Your administrator should confirm which category your project falls into.
Can you work in a garage with residents' cars still inside?
Only in the zones not being worked on. Each zone must be completely empty while it is cleaned, repaired and painted, and until it can take traffic per the product data sheet. The community tells residents in advance which bays need clearing and when. Parked cars in a working zone hold up the whole plan.
Will the restored floor make the garage brighter?
A clean, uniformly coloured floor usually makes an underground garage feel brighter and cleaner, especially if a lighter tone is chosen for the lanes. The actual effect depends on the lighting and the colour. We can discuss colour options with the community using photos of the garage under its normal lighting.
Do you restore the communal garage walls and columns?
No, our work is the floor, the ramp and outdoor parking surfaces. We cut in neatly where the floor meets walls and columns. Painting walls, columns, ceilings or doors is work for a painter, and the community may want to schedule it before our work so drips and splashes do not land on the new floor.
What happens to the wash water from cleaning the garage?
Wash water and residues are planned for on each site and must not simply be sent into the drains. Málaga's sanitation rules prohibit putting non-treatable paints and pigments into the public sewer. For other municipalities we have not verified the local rules, and we plan the handling with the community.
Can you restore just the ramp and leave the garage floor?
Yes. Some communities restore the ramp first, because it shows the most wear and is the entrance everyone sees. The garage floor can follow later. Doing both together gives one consistent colour and a single period of disruption, but phasing over time is perfectly possible.
Is the reduced VAT rate available to a community of owners?
The tax authority's criteria extend the reduced VAT rate on renovation of dwellings to communities of owners when certain conditions are met. Whether it covers annexes like garages has not been verified (to be verified). Your administrator or tax adviser should confirm it for your case before the budget is approved.
Do you need a permit for a communal garage restoration?
It depends on the municipality and the area. In Málaga city, repairing or coating exterior slabs in common areas is listed as a minor work under a declaración responsable, with a municipal fee. For other municipalities the procedure is to be verified, and the community should confirm it with the ayuntamiento before starting.
How do you protect residents during the work?
Working zones are clearly closed off, residents are informed in advance and the ramp is managed so that nobody drives into a fresh coating. Construction health and safety in Spain falls under Real Decreto 1627/1997, and we plan access, signage and ventilation with the community before the first day on site.
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