Asphalt maintenance is essential for your parking lot. Typical maintenance items include pothole repair, crack sealing, and sealcoating application. However, there are a few unexpected maintenance items you can perform to help care for your parking lot.
While asphalt typically does not require a lot of maintenance, when left untouched, significant damage can be done and require major repair. If you are in need of asphalt maintenance, consider a few of these items before you call in the professionals.
Look At Your Landscaping
Landscaping could be causing significant damage to your asphalt or do so in the very near future. The most common issue landscaping causes comes from large trees either growing along the edge of the parking lot or within a parking lot island. Large trees come with extensive root systems that can lift the asphalt. As the owner of the parking lot, you can either opt to install root barriers to prevent the roots from spreading under the asphalt or choose to plant less invasive shrubbery.
With large trees, shrubs, and other landscaping plants comes organic debris. This might include leaves, sticks, branches, dirt, or other debris that can find its way onto your asphalt. When left to sit in piles, moisture easily gets trapped against the asphalt before it easily finds its way below the surface. This can result in cracking or pothole formation over time. Keeping your landscaping trimmed, clean, and maintained can help prevent damage to your asphalt.
Invest In A Cleaning Service
Annually cleaning your parking lot can help maintain it. Trash, dirt, and piles of leaves can make the asphalt look bad and give off a poor impression of your business. Investing in an asphalt cleaning service can help properly maintain the asphalt while also keeping customers happy. A cleaning service will also remove damaging vehicle fluids, such as oil or coolants. When left untouched, these fluids can break down the asphalt and affect the integrity of the parking lot.
While cleaning the surface, always be sure to check drains. They should be clear of any debris and water should easily flow to and into each drain. If water is left to pool on the surface of the asphalt, it can cause cracking. Examine each drain and clear it of debris to help maintain your asphalt parking lot.
Use Salt During Winter
There is a common misconception that salt can be harmful to asphalt. Salt does not deteriorate asphalt pavement and the hot-mix is created to withstand the freeze/thaw cycle in which the parking lot may incur. Salt is a way of maintaining a parking lot because it helps remove ice from the surface.
When ice is melted with salt, the salt particles become a part of the moisture that created the ice in the first place. This moisture will have a difficult time refreezing if temperatures dip low again. You can always work with a local snow plow company to ensure your parking lot is well cared for, even during the winter months.
Restrict Traffic
One final unexpected way to help maintain your asphalt is to restrict the traffic and help prevent the damage to being with. Heavy vehicle traffic can cause cracking and depressions to form on your pavement. Large semi trucks or vehicles carrying a heavy load should be restricted to only certain parts of the parking lot. If left for a long period of time, they can really cause significant damage.
If you have the ability during construction, you could reinforce certain parts of the parking lot if you expect heavy traffic to be using the spaces. Doing so could help save you significantly in the long run.
Need Help Maintaining Your Asphalt?
Toste Construction provides professional asphalt maintenance to the greater Charlotte and Mooresville area. If you are in need of pavement sealcoating, pothole or crack repair, or line striping, contact our office today. Our team will assess your parking area and provide you with a FREE estimate to complete any necessary maintenance items.
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.