If you own or manage a commercial property, you may already realize the importance of maintaining assets to lengthen their service lives and avoid unnecessary repair bills. However, you may not be aware that the concept also applies to your parking lot and other asphalt pavements. You may also be unaware of just how significant the savings can be if you are proactive about your asphalt maintenance.
How Much Savings Might Asphalt Maintenance Provide?
There are many factors that must be considered to estimate your savings. For example, how old is your pavement, and how much maintenance has it received throughout its life? How much traffic does your pavement receive? Although it is impossible to provide an accurate estimate without knowing the specifics, there have been numerous studies conducted on the topic. Overall, the indications are that every dollar spent on preventive maintenance will save between $4 and $10 over the life of the pavement. Savings include repair costs as well as the cost to reconstruct the pavement prematurely. To give you some idea of the impact preventive maintenance can have, repeated studies have shown that regular parking lot sealcoating can often more than double the life of the pavement. Parking lot resurfacing can be half as expensive as a reconstruction, and the savings are equivalent for asphalt driveway resurfacing.
What Paving Maintenance Services Are Recommended by Texas Contractors?
Texas asphalt contractors typically recommend the following procedures for maintaining all types of asphalt pavements
1. Sealcoating: Sealcoating is the most cost-effective procedure to protect your asphalt pavement and improve its appearance simultaneously. Parking lot sealcoating helps defend your pavement against the effects of vehicle fluids, UV rays, and chemicals. A new pavement or overlay should receive its first sealcoating before it is 12 months old. After that, the sealcoating should be reapplied every two to three years.
2. Asphalt Crack Repairs: Open cracks allow water to enter and be drawn down through the pavement’s structure. Once the water reaches the base layers, erosion will occur, resulting in an unstable, weakened base. A compromised base will lead to alligator cracking, pavement subsidence, and potholes. It is best to identify and repair new cracks every six months.
3. Parking Lot Patching: Although there are skin patches that can be used to temporarily repair surface damage, most patches use the remove-and-replace technique. Texas asphalt contractors typically use a saw to remove an area of pavement slightly larger than the pothole or other damage. New asphalt will be installed to replace what the contractor removed. If your pavement has damage that requires patching, you should call your contractor immediately.
4. Parking Lot Resurfacing: Texas asphalt contractors are divided over whether to classify resurfacing as a maintenance, rehabilitation, repair, or paving procedure. The procedure is also known as an asphalt overlay installation. The process involves milling the surface to remove a predetermined depth of pavement. After preparing the milled surface, the contractor places and compacts a sufficient number of asphalt courses to restore the height of the pavement to its original elevation. Most parking lots require resurfacing every 12 to 15 years.
If you have additional questions about proactive maintenance for your asphalt pavement, contact HI-TEK Paving Services. We have an exemplary reputation for delivering extraordinary service and exceptional workmanship on every project. Our services include parking lot maintenance plans, asphalt paving, asphalt repairs, asphalt resurfacing, parking lot striping, asphalt sealcoating, asphalt crack repairs, and concrete repair and installation. For a free quote, submit our online request form, call us at 214-908-9641, or email Kevin@HI-TEKPaving.com.