Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Improve The Quality Of Drives And Parking Lots With Asphalt Sealcoating

By Helga Stokes


Part of the continuous maintenance plan for your driveways and parking lots is sealcoating. Newly constructed and existing asphaltic pavements need to be covered with a membrane layer of weatherproof material. This layer prevents the blacktop from damages caused by environmental and man-made elements like sunlight and snow. An asphalt sealcoating contractor can help you preserve your pavements by installing a sealcoat on the blacktop.

Sealcoats also prevent substances like oil spillages, transmission fluids, engine oils, and de-icing salts from causing damages on your asphaltic pavements. Asphaltic material goes through an oxidation process once it has been laid down. This oxidation takes place in the rest of the life of asphaltic material once installed.

After installing pavements, they start to age with time. The asphaltic material oxidizes with time causing the pavements to degrade. This process of oxidation is accelerated by factors like sunlight and gasoline products. Although it is normal for asphaltic materials to oxidize, this usually takes place in a slow pace. However, then the surface is not covered with a weatherproof sealant material, the oxidation process increases significantly making the surfaces to degrade speedily.

When you sealcoat the surface, you ensure that it does not crack easily. Water causes the aggregate materials to become loose meaning that it may not support the load that turns over the roads. If the cracks are not repaired, you may spend a lot of money in road maintenance. The cracks can cause water to collect at the base where it freezes and melts down leaving voids. Potholes are likely to occur if cracks are not repaired in advance.

Sealcoats are not intended to correct defects within pavements. If cracks have already formed, you need to repair them before a sealcoat is applied. When you apply a sealcoat on top of cracked pavement, it only masks the problem. This means that soon the coat will peel off and expose your blacktop surface to the destructive elements like sunlight and water.

Pavements are landscapes, which can enhance the image of a business. If you want to create a positive image for your business, you need to ensure that the surrounding features like driveways, walkways, parking lots, and gardens are maintained in good condition. When customers see beautiful pavements, they have more confidence with your business.

You need to apply sealcoats in the right time. You have to do proper timing as to when the sealcoats are applied otherwise you may not get the best results. A new pavement will need about 6 to 12 months to cure properly. This is the duration you need to allow the pavements to cure before you apply your first sealcoat. Following your first coating, you also need to ensure that other successive coats are applied after a period of 3 to 5 years.

If you have a proper sealcoating program for your drives and parking lots, you can extend their lifespan. You also spend less money in repairs because you prevent huge damage from occurring. If you have to repair major damages, it means that you spend more money but you can avoid such costs by sealing pavements with asphalt sealcoating products.




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