Asphalt pavements are ideal choices for many municipal, commercial, and industrial properties. The combination of a rapid installation, an economical cost, a long life, and the pavement’s aesthetics has helped make asphalt the leading paving material in North America. However, asphalt pavements do need a bit of maintenance to maintain their visual appeal, reduce the need for repairs, and have a long life. Periodic applications of a high-quality asphalt sealant can often add many years to the life of your pavement, but you need to hire a competent sealcoating contractor who will adhere to the industry’s best practices.
What Are the Best Practices That a Sealcoating Contractor Should Follow?
Asphalt sealcoating can be a tricky product to apply. Sealcoating is highly sensitive to the weather conditions at the time it is applied and while it is curing. It must also be able to form a strong bond with the pavement. Furthermore, it cannot be applied to a wet pavement, and it cannot be applied over open cracks or potholes. Therefore, the best practices can be grouped into the categories of environmental conditions and pavement conditions.
What Are the Environmental Conditions That a Sealcoating Contractor Must Consider?
The environmental conditions that an Atlanta sealcoating contractor must consider include the weather for the day of and the day after the application and the hours of sunlight available. If the environmental conditions are unacceptable, the best you can hope for is that the sealcoating will take longer to cure. The worst-case scenario is that the job will be completely unsuccessful, requiring immediate remediation to provide your pavement with the proper protection.
1. If the water in the sealant is to evaporate properly, the relative humidity can never be above 90%, and the air and ground temperatures cannot be less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. The wind speed must be considered. A light, steady breeze is desirable, but extremely high winds can prevent an even application. High winds can also blow the sealant onto objects that could be damaged when they are cleaned. The wind speed and direction can be especially critical when sealcoating parking lot pavements.
3. When contractors sealcoat parking lots, they must ensure that the sealant will receive at least four hours of exposure to direct sunlight so that the sealant will cure properly.
4. Parking lot maintenance contractors must monitor the weather forecasts carefully to ensure that no rain will fall immediately before, during, or immediately after the application.
What Are the Best Practices for Pavement Conditions That a Sealcoating Contractor Should Follow?
Typically, an Atlanta sealcoating contractor will inspect the pavement prior to scheduling an application. This lets them know what will need to be done to prepare the pavement properly.
1. The pavement must be clean. Piles of dead leaves, caked-on dirt, trash, loose gravel, and other debris must be removed.
2. If vehicles have leaked oil or other fluids onto the pavement, the puddles must be removed. The pavement underneath must be examined to ensure that the fluids have not softened the asphalt. Sealcoating companies often find it necessary to apply a primer so that the stains will not interfere with the bonding process.
3. Asphalt sealants can hide miniscule cracks or pits, but they are incapable of acting as a crack filler or crack sealer. Cracks or other breaks in the pavement must be repaired prior to sealcoating.
The Surface Masters is an asphalt paving company and can provide you with a wide range of pavement-related services, including asphalt sealcoating, parking lot maintenance, crack sealing, asphalt repairs, asphalt paving, concrete curbing, pavement markings, and milling and reclamation. We have an exemplary reputation that is based on our superior customer service, extraordinary craftsmanship, and professional project execution. For a free quote, fill out our request form online, call 770-250-6392, or email Info@TheSurfaceMasters.com.
