As a property manager, you have probably heard the saying that maintenance pays rather than costs. Taking proper care of your property’s assets allows them to have longer lives with fewer repairs, and this translates into a better rate of return on major investments. When you start trying to budget for your property maintenance, it is normal to find it easier to allocate funds for some line items than others. One category that often challenges property managers is asphalt maintenance, but you can make things easier by following a few basic tips.
What Should Property Managers Do First When They Need to Create an Asphalt Maintenance Budget?
Your first step is to collect as much information about your pavement as possible. Try to locate the following relevant data.
1. How old is your pavement?
2. What paving maintenance procedures has it routinely received?
3. Are an increasing number of guests, employees, or customers directly or indirectly commenting on your pavement’s condition?
4. Have you seen an increase in trip and fall accidents, fender-benders, or dents in the doors of vehicles parked in your lot?
5. What is the appearance of your pavement? Is the color faded, or are there numerous oil stains? When you walk through your lot, do you see potholes, large cracks, or polished aggregate?
Once you have gone as far as you can on your own, it is time to contact a reputable parking lot repair or paving maintenance contractor to conduct a professional assessment of your pavement. Your contractor can then recommend the specific paving services you need as well as the appropriate schedule for them.
What Are the Asphalt Maintenance Services That Property Managers Typically Need?
Only your contractor can recommend the right paving services for your specific parking lot, and these recommendations will depend on what issues were identified during the assessment. However, property managers usually need the following services at the following intervals.
1. Sealcoating: Sealcoating provides exceptional protection that can help asphalt pavements have much longer lives, and high-quality sealcoats also make them look more attractive. When your Dallas paving company built your pavement, you were probably told to delay your initial sealcoating until after the asphalt cured, which could take anywhere from two months to one year. If your parking lot receives an average amount of traffic, you should budget for fresh sealcoating about every two years.
2. Crack Repairs: The longer significant cracks go with repairs, the greater the chances that water penetration will damage the supporting foundation. Open cracks should be filled or sealed as quickly as possible, and they should not be neglected for more than six months or so.
3. Striping and Marking: Parking lot paint typically lasts about as long as sealcoating, so it is often more convenient to schedule both of these paving services with the same contractor. You should also be aware that sealcoating obscures painted markings, so you will always need to repaint after sealcoating. In addition, you should repaint markings that have been damaged or that have lost 25% or more of their original visibility.
4. Patching: Patching is a type of parking lot repair that is perfect for alligator cracking, significant potholes, and many other types of damage. If your pavement has been well-maintained, you may never need more than one or patches. However, the frequency of your repair needs may accelerate as your pavement nears the end of its useful life. Your contractor can advise you on the estimated frequency of repairs for your specific parking lot.
5. Resurfacing: Resurfacing an asphalt pavement that has a relatively undamaged foundation can be an excellent way to renovate an old, tired pavement. Unless a reputable Dallas paving company recommends otherwise, budget for a resurfacing project about every 12 years.
If you want to protect your asphalt pavement, trust the experts at HI-TEK Paving Services to provide you with exceptional parking lot maintenance services at competitive rates. We have an exemplary reputation for honesty, craftsmanship, and professionalism. Our services include concrete repairs, asphalt paving, crack repairs, asphalt patching and asphalt resurfacing, parking lot striping, and sealcoating. We serve most locations in the DFW metropolitan area. To obtain a free quote, you can either fill out the online request form or call 214-908-9641.