Curb Appeal – Benefits of Installing an Asphalt Curb
Are you a business owner considering a new asphalt parking lot or a homeowner in need of a new asphalt driveway? When planning out the installation, your paving contractor should include asphalt curbs. Although an asphalt curb may seem like a small detail, it is far from unimportant. Curbing can have a significant impact on the safety, longevity, and appearance of a parking lot or driveway. What is an Asphalt Curb? An asphalt curb, also commonly known as a berm, is a small curved wall of asphalt that is used to provide definition and boundaries to paved surfaces. They are typically 6 to 8 inches tall. Asphalt curbs are made with a machine that uses interchangeable molds. This allows for different styles of curbing to be created including round top, flat top, and more. Their main purpose is to improve the efficiency of your asphalt installation and protect it from damage. However, there are other benefits of asphalt curbing. Water Diversion An asphalt curb provides rain, melting snow or ice, and other water runoff with direction for drainage. Without curbing, the water would just drain off your paved surface, causing the ground to become saturated. This can cause soil erosion ...
Asphalt Overlay – 5 Important Factors You Need to Consider
Overlaying is the process of putting a new layer of asphalt over existing asphalt. While it can often be a more cost-effective solution than asphalt replacement, it isn’t always the best solution. There are important factors other than cost you need to consider. Understanding these factors will help determine whether or not an asphalt overlay is the best solution. Extent of Existing Damage The current condition of your parking lot is the first thing an asphalt professional will evaluate. Extensive structural damage such as large potholes, root damage, or ruts in the surface will require asphalt replacement, not an asphalt overlay. Minor surface cracks or shallow tire rutting can be eliminated by milling the existing asphalt surface. This will allow the overlay to adhere to the existing surface and cure properly. With full depth cracks, deep tire ruts or underlying base problems such as moisture or deformation, milling wouldn’t be sufficient to effectively prepare the surface for an asphalt overlay. Under these circumstances, it would be necessary to do partial asphalt replacement before putting down an overlay or skip the overlay and completely replace the existing asphalt. Parking Lot Size An overlay can be installed over any size asphalt parking ...
Keeping Your Asphalt Parking Lot Safe in the Winter
If you own a business, the safety of your customers and employees begins with your parking lot. This is especially true during the winter months. If your business has an asphalt parking lot, it is best to conduct maintenance and repairs during the warmer months. Once the temperatures drop, many repair methods can not be successfully utilized. However, there are steps you can to ensure your asphalt parking lot remains in safe condition all winter long. Inspect Asphalt Parking Lot Drainage Pooling water poses a serious threat to an asphalt parking lot, especially in the winter. Water that isn’t properly drained can find its way into the smallest cracks and crevices in an asphalt surface. When water penetrates the asphalt and freezes, it expands, forcing the cracks to expand as well. Come spring, you will have much larger cracks or potholes in need of repair. Inspect parking lot drains regularly making sure they are clear of snow, ice, or debris that could prevent proper drainage. Hire a Professional Snow Removal To help maintain the safety of your asphalt parking lot, it’s important to hire a professional snow removal company that has experience clearing snow and ice from asphalt surfaces. An ...
Asphalt Driveway Maintenance Tips to Extend its Lifespan
Installing a new asphalt driveway is a big investment. As with any large investment, you’ll want to do everything you can to protect it. The condition of your driveway can affect your property value, curb appeal, and even your safety. Cracks and potholes create a potential tripping hazard that could lead to personal injury. Following these asphalt driveway safety tips can keep your driveway looking great and you and your family safe. Cold Weather Asphalt Driveway Maintenance Tips Choose your snow shovel wisely. When clearing their driveway, people often choose a metal snow shovel. This type of shovel may be more effective at breaking up and scaping any ice beneath the snow. However, a metal snow shovel can damage asphalt surfaces. It is best to use a lightweight, plastic snow shovel. The key is to shovel early and often to prevent ice from forming. Be sure to hold the shovel at a shallow angle to prevent damage to your asphalt and never use the shovel as a pick to break up ice on the driveway. Select your de-icer carefully. This is one of the most important asphalt driveway maintenance tips, as de-icers can be hard on the asphalt. Whenever possible, ...
Asphalt Repair – Keep Small Issues from Becoming a Major Expense
Asphalt is an incredibly flexible and durable material, making it an excellent choice for paving surfaces as small as residential driveways or as big as commercial parking lots. Although asphalt can last for 30 years or more if properly taken care of, it’s still at the mercy of the elements. Like a bike left out in the rain, asphalt weathers over time causing cracks, chips, or even large potholes. If your asphalt surface is displaying the following signs, it may be time to consider asphalt repair. Tending to small problems now will ultimately protect your investment and keep your asphalt surface from becoming a major financial burden. Daunting Discoloration Over time, your asphalt surface may experience some fading and discoloration. Typically, this color change is caused by years of exposure to the sun’s powerful UV rays. While discoloration is a sign of normal wear and tear, it can also mean that the constant contact with UV rays have weakened the asphalt. To avoid unnecessary asphalt repair, it’s best to seal coat the asphalt surface once it has cured. Seal coating protects asphalt against the elements and the harmful effects of chemical exposure, extending the life of your asphalt surface. Seal ...
It’s Not Too Soon to Prepare Your Asphalt Driveway for Winter Weather
Let’s face it, your driveway takes a beating. It’s walked on and driven on daily not to mention it’s constantly exposed to the elements. With fall here and winter just a few short months away, now is the time to prepare your asphalt driveway to survive the winter weather. Taking a few precautionary steps now will help you avoid major issues from popping up in the spring. Repair Cracks and Sealcoat If your driveway has cracks, they should be sealed well before the cooler temperatures arrive. When water seeps in and freezes, it expands and can turn even minor cracks into major ones. Cracks in your asphalt driveway should be filled and then the driveway should be sealcoated. Sealcoating can only be done when the overnight temperatures remain at 50 degrees or above. If the temperatures have fallen below that, you should schedule your sealcoating for the spring. However, those cracks should still be filled with cold mix asphalt before winter weather arrives. Beware of Pooling Water Small valleys on your asphalt driveway that allow water to collect, can turn into potholes by spring. Like cracks, potential potholes should be repaired before they become a more serious problem. Not only ...
New Asphalt Driveway Installation – When is the Best Time?
Planning to have a new asphalt driveway installed? To ensure a quality installation and the best possible lifespan, it’s important to choose an experienced asphalt contractor. The time of year schedule your new asphalt driveway installation is also an important factor. Experts will tell you – the warmer the weather is the better. The spring and summer months through early fall provide the optimum temperatures for asphalt installation. Why Warm Weather is Better Both the ground and air temperature dictate the best time is to install a new asphalt driveway. The longer the hot mix asphalt has to cool, the better results you’ll get. The asphalt contractor and their crew need ample time to properly lay and smooth out the asphalt. Although hot mix asphalt is heated and liquefied at 300 degrees, lower temperatures can accelerate the cooling process. If the asphalt cools too quickly, you could end up with bumpy or uneven asphalt which could not only negatively impact the appearance but also the integrity of your new asphalt driveway. It’s Not Too Late So with fall just around the corner, is it too late to schedule asphalt driveway installation? It depends on where you live, but for those ...
Commercial Asphalt Sealcoating – Protect Your Business Parking Lot
Chances are, you do not spend a lot of time thinking about the parking lot outside your business. That is until there is an issue with it. Damaged asphalt can cause serious issues for business owners.From a car getting a flat tire in a pothole to a major lawsuit over an injury. To protect their investment and ensure their parking lot does not cause issues, many business owners opt for regular asphalt seal coating. Commercial asphalt sealcoating is an effective way to extend your parking lot’s lifespan, protecting your business and customers. What Is Asphalt Sealcoating? Sealcoating is a process where a protective coating is applied to asphalt-based pavement to provide a layer of protection from the elements. These include things like water, oils, and UV damage. An asphalt paving service will first clean your parking lot thoroughly using street sweepers, blowers and rotary booms. They will then treat any oil spots with a primer that allows the area to adhere to the sealer. Cracks will be blown out with an air compressor and filled with rubberized crack filler. The area will be shut down from all traffic and pedestrians – so business owners should figure out a way to ...