Although asphalt pavements are comparatively inexpensive to repair, frequent repairs can quickly add up, and they can also affect the aesthetics of your parking lot. As is normally the case, it is better to prevent damage than to repair it. Fortunately, it is possible to prevent asphalt damage through budget-friendly pavement maintenance procedures.
What Are Some Budget-Friendly Ways to Prevent Asphalt Damage?
Whether you call it asphalt paving or blacktop paving, your pavement needs to be protected against the effects of sunlight, water infiltration, and vehicle fluids. Here are the best ways to provide that protection.
1. Sealcoating is a cost-effective procedure that offers several important benefits. It blocks UV rays, which are a major cause of dry, brittle, and easily cracked asphalt pavements. It also slows the rate at which vehicle fluids can reach the actual blacktop paving and damage it. In addition, sealcoating helps prevent fading, and it can restore the pavement to its original rich color.
2. Crack filling or sealing is a vital paving maintenance procedure. Open cracks lead to water infiltration that can destabilize the pavement’s foundation. Furthermore, unrepaired cracks can spawn potholes, and a pothole repair is more expensive than a crack repair. Unrepaired cracks will continue to grow, spawning new cracks and potentially leading to alligator cracking.
3. Clean pavements are less likely to suffer damage. Removing leaked automotive fluids, dead vegetation, and piles of gravel or dirt can help prevent potholes, water infiltration, and cracking.
To Prevent Asphalt Damage, How Often Do I Need the Above Procedures?
Your Atlanta paving contractor can recommend a schedule for your specific pavement. Every experienced parking lot paving contractor knows that there can be significant variances between two parking lots that were built at the same time if they are used differently. That said, paving maintenance companies usually recommend the following schedule for a typical parking lot.
1. Parking lot paving companies typically recommend an initial application of sealcoating as soon as the asphalt has cured sufficiently. Curing could take as long as 10 months or as little as three months, but it is important that you schedule your first application no later than your pavement’s first anniversary. Thereafter, plan for an additional application every two years.
2. Significant cracks should be repaired as quickly as possible to prevent water infiltration. Asphalt paving maintenance contractors typically define a significant crack as one that exceeds a quarter of an inch in width or depth. For budgeting purposes, you should plan to have a professional inspection of your pavement every spring and autumn to identify and repair all significant cracks.
3. Cleaning schedules can vary a great deal. Some parking lots will only need a sweeping service every week or two, but some need daily sweepings. When it comes to cleaning up oil leaks, however, it is better to handle the task sooner rather than later. Ideally, you should clean these fluid leaks every month, but you should at least clean them every four to six months.
The Surface Masters would be happy to tailor an asphalt maintenance program for your parking lot. We offer asphalt patching and pothole repair, asphalt sealcoating, asphalt milling, crack sealing, concrete curbing, asphalt paving, pavement markings, and asphalt resurfacing. We have impeccable references and an exemplary reputation for craftsmanship, professionalism, and dependability. If you are interested in receiving a free quote, you can use our online form to submit your request. If you prefer, you can send an email to Info@TheSurfaceMasters.com, or you can call us at 770-250-6392.
