Have you ever had to tear out and re-pave a parking lot? It’s expensive and requires that you close down the parking lot while the job is being completed, meaning you could be missing out on business. However, a little commercial asphalt maintenance can drastically extend the life of your parking lot.
The Benefits of Maintenance
Regular commercial asphalt maintenance will keep your asphalt looking great for longer. But aside from a great looking asphalt pavement and appreciation from your customers, residents, and employees for a smooth ride, there are cost and business benefits to consider as well.
Lengthen the Life of Asphalt
Small repairs to asphalt as wear and tear occur can extend the life of your asphalt by multiple years. You won’t need to worry about a big paving project nearly as often as those who sit by as small cracks get bigger and spread.
Save Money
Have you ever been told you need to tear out old asphalt and start from scratch? That’s not an inexpensive ordeal. Compared to completely re-paving, maintaining asphalt with small fixes will help the pavement last longer and save you money in the long run.
Prevent Closures
Big paving projects that require you to close the parking lot are not ideal. It’s an inconvenience for everyone and may even mean losing good business to a competitor.
Assessing Commercial Asphalt
You can stay proactive with asphalt maintenance by employing basic observation skills. Once a month, when the parking lot is empty, take a moment to assess new cracks and damage. As you look around, take note of the following:
- Amount of new cracks
- Locations
- Sizes (depth and width)
- Areas collecting water
- Color (jet black vs. dull gray)
- Any loose sand (often found near the drains)
Water that seeps into cracked asphalt damages the subsurface of the asphalt. The longer this goes on, the larger the cracks become and the harder they are to repair. With regular assessments, you can catch trouble areas before they get out of hand.
Types of Commercial Asphalt Maintenance
The type of asphalt maintenance required depends on the extent of the deterioration and cracking, but typically there are three types of projects that provide a quick fix to damaged asphalt.
Surface Patching
Surface patching is best for isolated areas of cracked or broken asphalt. With this type of commercial asphalt maintenance, you’ll install a thin layer of asphalt over the surface of that area to fill in the cracks without needing to touch unaffected areas of pavement.
Adding an Overlay
When a large percentage of your asphalt parking lot is cracked and broken, an overlay is often the best option. It involves installing two inches of new asphalt over the entire asphalt surface. An asphalt overlay essentially gives you the effect of a brand new parking lot without needing to tear out the current asphalt.
Sealcoating
Sand and water collecting on the surface of your asphalt indicate deterioration. Sealcoating prevents surface water from penetrating down into the pores of the asphalt. It’s best to do this when the pavement is newer and in good shape, as this will not fix cracks that have already occurred.
These three standard types of commercial asphalt maintenance can keep your asphalt parking lot structurally sound and looking great for many years to come.
If you have questions about commercial asphalt maintenance, our team can help you decide what makes sense for your project or surface. Contact us today.
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