Steps At the Metropolitan Museum of Art Get Long-awaited Waterproofing

By Cayden Wemple.  

Surprisingly, the world-famous limestone steps at the entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art had never been waterproofed. Sika was given the honor to change that.  

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or “The Met” as it’s often referred to, is one of the most iconic structures in New York City. You may be surprised to know that the famous steps at the front of the building have never been waterproofed. A plan was put into place to remove and restore the stairs, the project leaders agreed that it would be a good idea to implement a waterproofing system to restore them. Sika was bestowed with the honor to waterproof the steps. 

Project requirement 

This restoration project required a liquid waterproofing membrane that would be able to conform to the undulating concrete deck as well as waterproof small dowels which were set in the deck to hold the treads in place. Initially a hot asphalt system was chosen but due to complicated permitting and restrictions to place a kettle near the entrance, it was decided that a cold-applied liquid system would cause less disruption to the facility. Ultimately, the Sikalastic RoofPro system was chosen because of its safe, cold application. It was also chosen because of its unique conformable fiberglass reinforcement, Reemat Premium. The reinforcement allowed the liquid membrane to conform to the irregularities of the deck as well as effectively waterproof a large number of dowels that presented the most difficult condition to waterproof on the project. 

Project solution 

The Sikalastic Roof Pro membrane was applied to the concrete deck and then a layer of drainage mat was installed to both protect the membrane from damage and provide a drainage plane beneath the treads. A hydronic snow melt system was installed over the drainage mat and the restored limestone treads were set in a mud bed and keyed into the dowels.