To help your asphalt maximize its lifespan and to preserve it as much as possible, a professional maintenance plan is essential. When executed properly, maintaining your asphalt could save you significantly and prevent premature replacement. Keeping your parking lot looking its best along with hindering damage are all a part of a proper pavement preservation program.
What is a pavement preservation plan?
To help you better understand a proper plan and the elements of it, Toste Construction is here to explain. The four essential pieces include pothole repair, crack filling, sealcoating, and line striping. Keep reading to learn why each is important to maintaining your asphalt parking lot.
4 Steps To A Successful Asphalt Maintenance Plan
1. Pothole Repair
Potholes are annoying and can be a great liability to a business if left untouched. Typically caused by water finding its way below the surface and heavy loads passing over top. By having a pothole repaired, you will not only further damage to the asphalt around it, but you can prevent vehicle damage or a medical emergency for a pedestrian.
If you notice a pothole forming in your parking lot, you will want to call your local asphalt company immediately. Your local contractor will likely use a hot or cold patch material to fill the pothole and cure the parking lot of these pesky holes.
2. Crack Filling
Similar to potholes, cracks can cause significant damage to an asphalt parking lot. Cracking can happen within a parking lot for several reasons, including climate changes, traffic patterns, drainage issues, or poor installation. When left unfilled, cracking can cause significant damage to any asphalt parking lot, leading to pothole formation and the need for complete replacement.
Cracking is the most common damage done to an asphalt parking lot and is one of the most important aspects of a maintenance plan. By filling the cracks, you can prevent rain and other moisture from finding its way through the pavement. This will prevent erosion and premature pavement failure. Crack filling is typically done alongside sealcoat application.
3. Sealcoating
Over time, weather, UV rays, and chemicals will degrade the binder within your asphalt and cause it to break down. This will cause the surface to turn brittle and lose the rich, dark color it initially had when initially paved. The older the asphalt gets and remains un-maintained, the worse it will break down.
Sealcoating is the process of applying a thin layer of sealer to the surface and will replenish the essential binder lost through weathering and aging. Additionally, sealcoating provides a barrier to moisture intrusion as well as UV rays, chemicals, and salt. Sealcoating should be applied every two to three years for a proper maintenance plan. Doing so could be the most cost effective way to preserve your pavement for pennies on the dollar.
4. Line Striping
Repainting the lines within your parking lot is an essential piece of an asphalt maintenance plan, especially after a sealcoat application is complete. Line striping, also known as traffic markings, provide essential organization for traffic flow and parking spaces. Without them, vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be chaotic and confused.
An effective parking lot layout consists of bright, durable line striping for stalls, arrows for entrances and exits, arrows for directional flow on parking lots, handicap parking spaces, clearly marked fire lane areas and more. Your local asphalt contractor will be able to offer you the best plan for your parking lot and needs. Whether a new parking lot has been installed, sealcoating was just complete, or your lines are faded, line striping is important and should be included in your preservation plan.
Toste Construction provides complete asphalt maintenance to the greater Mooresville area. If your parking lot is faded, full of cracks or potholes, or in need of new lines to be painted, we are here for you. Request a FREE quote today and trust your asphalt to be in good hands.
Toste Construction specializes in sealcoating and crack filling to ensure you and your customers have a smooth surface to drive on. We are your Mooresville asphalt and pavement maintenance company. Our services include asphalt sealcoating, striping, patching, pothole repair and crack filling for both residential and commercial projects throughout western North Carolina.