A professionally applied sealant can prolong the life of your asphalt pavement and save you a considerable amount of money. If you have a parking lot of 30,000 square feet and consistently include fresh sealant in your paving maintenance program, you could save an estimated $120,000 in asphalt repairs over a period of 15 years. When combined with other parking lot maintenance procedures, including repairing cracks, cleaning clogged drains and removing corrosive automotive fluids, you can extend the pavement’s life by more than 10 years. Some property owners have found that an effective program that includes fresh sealant can often double the pavement’s life expectancy. In addition to providing outstanding protection, sealants make your parking lot more attractive as well as safer. The problem that many property managers and owners have is that they do not know how to tell when their pavements are ready to have a sealant applied.
How to Know Your Asphalt Is Ready for Sealcoating
What Are Some Ways to Tell Whether Asphalt Pavements Needs an Application of Sealant?
The best way to tell whether your pavement needs to be sealed is to contact an asphalt contractor who offers asphalt sealcoating services. An experienced professional can inspect your pavement for signs that your sealant and/or pavement needs help. Until you can schedule an appointment, you might want to review some of the obvious signs that you need fresh sealant.
• How long has it been since your sealant was applied? Most asphalt paving contractors recommend that customers have fresh sealant applied every two to four years. The schedule will primarily depend on the number of vehicles supported by the pavement and their weights.
• Is your pavement new? New asphalt pavement must cure sufficiently before a sealant is applied. Your Atlanta paving contractor can perform some simple tests to determine whether the pavement is adequately cured. As a rule, however, asphalt sealcoating is seldom applied before the pavement is at least three months old, and it is usually applied before the pavement is a year old.
• What color is your pavement? Newly installed or freshly sealed pavement will have a lustrous black color. If the surface color has faded to gray or dingy brown, you should have new sealant applied. The leading cause of a faded asphalt surface is exposure to sunlight. The same rays that fade the color also rob moisture from the pavement, increasing the rate at which the pavement will deteriorate.
• Is your pavement covered with stains left by motor oil, antifreeze, gas and other automotive fluids? These petroleum-based products can break down asphalt pavement. The sealant’s hard shell will make it much harder for corrosive chemicals to reach the pavement, giving you more time to remove stains before your pavement is damaged.
• Are there hairline cracks or other minor imperfections in the pavement? Sealants are not a substitute for crack repairs, but they can often fill in hairline cracks, shallow dimples and similar surface flaws. The pavement will have a smoother, more even appearance.
If you need asphalt sealcoating or other parking lot maintenance, contact MH Greeson. We can help you care for your pavement through routine maintenance services, including sealcoating, crack repair, asphalt patching, asphalt striping, traffic signs, asphalt overlays and pavement marking. We offer high-quality results at reasonable prices. To request a free quote, call our office at 770-335-2983 or submit the online request form.
