Sealing your asphalt parking lot is an important part of your property maintenance duties. By keeping the asphalt sealed, your lot will have a longer life and keep you from spending money on repairs that could have been prevented. Here are three things to know about asphalt sealing.
1. A Sealcoat Is Applied During Mild Weather
A sealcoat is similar to paint in that it has to dry and cure once it has been applied. The weather conditions play a role in how well the sealcoating cures. Humid weather prolongs the time it takes, so having the coating put on in a dry spell is a good idea if possible.
However, the most important aspect is temperature control. You can't have your parking lot sealed in the winter unless your parking lot is in a warm state such as Florida, and even then, the weather at night might be too chilly in the winter. Plan ahead and schedule the work from mid-spring to mid-fall.
2. Sealcoating Makes Your Lot Look Better
While appearance may not be the most important reason to have your parking lot sealed, the appearance of your parking lot makes an impression on your customers. If your lot has weeds growing up through cracks and potholes, your customers may get the impression that you're neglectful.
Asphalt sealing restores the dark color to your asphalt. The coating covers faded areas so your lot doesn't look old and worn-out. This might give your customers a favorable first impression when they pull onto your property.
3. A Sealcoat Is A Sacrificial Barrier Of Protection
The most important reason to have your asphalt parking lot sealed is that the coating protects the asphalt from deterioration. A sealcoat is a top layer on your parking lot that eventually wears away while doing the important job of protecting the asphalt.
That's why you need to have asphalt sealing done regularly. Once the coating is gone, the asphalt is exposed to hazards such as rain, UV rays, snow, chemicals from the underside of cars, and oil.
Snow, rain, and UV exposure cause asphalt to slowly break down. That's when cracks and potholes start to form. When cracks and holes are on your lot, rain leaks down to the base, and the base could shift and make the cracks worse.
Problems escalate when the parking lot is exposed to the weather and abuse from cars, but the damage can be prevented by having a new coating applied when the old coating wears away.
Most people do not think twice as they drive over a nice, smooth paved road or park on a flat, well-paved driveway. But there is a lot of work that goes into creating smooth, strong paved surfaces. Paving contractors need to lay out a driveway or parking lot properly to ensure good drainage. They also need to formulate the pavement material properly for the given climate and conditions. As you start reading the articles on this website, you will gain more insight into the life and work of paving contractors. The next time you pull into a parking lot, you will definitely find yourself thinking about what lies underneath your tires.