Asphalt paving services in Murfreesboro, TN, will come in handy when you’re trying to maintain your driveway or any other such surfaces. In addition to offering exceptional traction for vehicles, asphalt is also environmentally friendly, not emitting any harmful gases or by-products into the environment. If you have asphalt surfaces at your residence or place of business, good maintenance is key to ensuring they reach their full lifespan, generally between 12 and 15 years.
Asphalt paving will ensure this.
Things That Compromise Asphalt Integrity
Numerous things can be detrimental to asphalt surfaces. These include:
-Running water, especially if it regularly gets into pavement cracks
-Oils
-Vegetation, which can weaken the soil structure around asphalt surfaces
-De-icing chemicals and pesticides
-Proximity to construction sites, which tend to have heavy equipment whose vibrations can gradually compromise nearby asphalt surfaces
-Untreated sewage from spills, which can lead to asphalt deterioration
These are some of the many enemies of asphalt. When asphalt becomes compromised due to any of these factors, paving is the only option.
Types of Asphalt Paving
These include seal coating and asphalt patching.
Sealcoating
This is a type of asphalt maintenance procedure whereby a coating material is applied on an asphalt surface. Overuse and natural elements like rainfall are some of the most common factors responsible for eroding asphalt surfaces. Sealcoating helps to keep these factors in check.
The common types of seal coating materials include:
i)Acrylic polymer driveway sealers: This man-made chemical concoction has several ingredients all aimed at shielding asphalt surfaces from the corrosive effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays, gasoline, water, and oils. These types of sealants also have very low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions, making them premium quality as far as asphalt maintenance is concerned.
ii) Coal tar driveway sealers: The primary ingredients in these types of sealers are refined coal and other chemical additives. They provide better protection compared to most asphalt-based sealers. Their main drawback includes VOC emissions.
iii) Asphalt driveway sealers: These types of sealants are made from the same constituent materials that make up asphalt, including crude oil. They mainly offer protection against water. They produce no VOC.
The process of applying any type of sealant begins by ensuring that the asphalt surface is in good condition. Otherwise, the necessary repairs are needed beforehand. After all, sealcoating is more of a preemptive measure rather than a remedial one.
Applying sealcoating requires warm temperatures minus rainfall, with the whole process requiring 24 hours from start to finish.
This is usually a job for professionals. Once a hot mix of the sealer has been prepared, two layers are applied, after which time is required for it to cure.
Sealcoating is an easy and affordable way to maintain asphalt surfaces. In addition to providing a new look, sealcoating also helps to improve a property’s curb appeal. The increased traction due to sealcoating also ensures safer driving and parking on such asphalt surfaces.
Asphalt Patching
Asphalt patching is all about repairs to ensure that extensive damage doesn’t ruin a particular asphalt surface completely. In addition to being quite unsightly, a damaged asphalt surface poses a real risk for drivers or people pushing things like trolleys. Injuries could result, potentially opening the door for lawsuits.
Asphalt patching involves using cold mix asphalt to seal up any holes or cracks on the asphalt surface. Cold mix asphalt is the compound of choice during such repair works. One of its major ingredients is a polymer adhesive, allowing for permanent asphalt repairs.
The common types of asphalt damage that may require asphalt patching include:
i)Cracks: These usually develop as a result of poor drainage. Similarly, unusually heavy vehicles like 18-wheeler trucks and heavy machinery like bulldozers can also cause cracks on asphalt (alligator cracking). Also, previous poor workmanship of an asphalt surface can cause alligator cracking. A repair of such cracks will need to be a full-depth one, involving laying the cold mix asphalt systematically to seal all the layers up to the asphalt surface.
Sometimes, half-mooned cracks occur at the asphalt’s edge (moon cracks). These usually develop due to overgrown vegetation or poor underlying support.
It’s crucial to remember that any such repairs should also involve addressing the underlying problem that resulted in the cracks. For instance, if poor drainage is the issue, redirecting water away from the asphalt area is necessary to ensure that the repairs last long.
ii) Potholes: Potholes are much like cracks, compromising an asphalt surface’s integrity by allowing debris and moisture to permeate its structure. Fixing it requires removing the damaged asphalt pieces and leveling the hole to a certain depth. A hot mix is then poured into the hole. This mix will bind with the surrounding asphalt surfaces and the ground to form a strong, solid structure.
When repairing potholes or cracks using cold or hot mix asphalt, it’s always a good idea to apply seal coating on top once the repairs are done. This provides extra protection for the entire asphalt surface.
All in all, seal coating and asphalt patching can ensure that you get to enjoy your asphalt surfaces for many years!
