By admin Asphalt Driveway • • • 0 Comments

Keeping Up With Curb Appeal: The Top 5 Driveway Maintenance Tips You Need to Know

Whether you have bricks, pavers, concrete or an asphalt driveway, keeping it in good shape is the biggest factor in how long the surface will effectively serve you. Upkeep is also essential to ensuring that they maintain their appearance and add value to the home. Check out these top tips for maintaining the most common driveway materials.

1. Stay Diligent with Seal Coating

Driveway maintenance will be eased with routing seal coating of the installation’s surface. This is a good move for most kinds of solid-surface driveways, and is a must-do for concrete and asphalt materials that can stain and deteriorate with excessive sun and moisture exposure.

However, an asphalt driveway will need around 90 days to cure before being sealed. Most surfaces will need to be resealed about every two years to extend their lifespan and keep them looking attractive. This task is often best left to professionals, as it takes special tools and can be time-consuming for the typical homeowner.

2. Clean Up Stains Quickly

Routine seal coating can help prevent stains from oil, gas and other fluids that can penetrate bricks, pavers, concrete and asphalt driveways. Yet, it’s best to immediately clean up any such spills to keep stains at bay, which is likely to detract from the beauty of the home. Consider regular pressure washing to retain an ultra-clean look throughout the year.

3. Don’t Let Plants Take Over Driveway Surfaces

While green foliage is desirable in landscaping, plants and weeds can be a true menace to driveways. They can penetrate through to the surface by way of small cracks, which can actually widen them over time. Experts recommend filling in any cracks quickly and aggressively.

To prevent grass from taking over the edges of driveways, invest in some type of trim, edging or river rocks to place along the sides. In addition to keeping grass where it belongs, this addition can become a key visual element of your hardscaping design.

4. Perform a Driveway Inspection After Winter or Heavy Freezes

Should you reside in an area that sees freezing temperatures or seasonal snowfalls, the driveway will experience freeze-thaw cycles. Unfortunately, this can be a primary cause of driveway damage and is a particular issue with an asphalt driveway that can easily shift.

Be sure to do a visual inspection after deep freezes or heavy snow to check for cracks, potholes, or any signs of crumbling materials. Be prepared to take care of any necessary repairs right away. Ignoring deterioration will only allow the problem to worsen and spread to other areas of the driveway.

5. Invest in a Driveway Professional

While it’s possible to do a good portion of driveway maintenance and basic repairs as DIY projects, bigger jobs might be best left to professionals. In cases of tough stains or large installations, an experienced technician can make magic happen with greater ease and in less time. Having a local contractor in place ensures fast repairs and regularly scheduled seal coating and cleaning.

Don’t Underestimate the Talents of a Pro

As you can see, the driveway is a large part of a home’s exterior features, and will be seen by neighbors and passersby on a regular basis. Don’t be the neighbor who neglects their driveway and drives down the overall curb appeal on your street. Invest in driveway maintenance!

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • 0 Comments

7 Pavement Preservation Treatments for Your Asphalt Surface

Constructing an asphalt surface such as a driveway, parking lot, or basketball court is a significant financial investment, so it only makes sense to protect it. That means regular maintenance should be performed to preserve the integrity of your asphalt surface and extend its lifespan.

We’re here to help you get the most out of your asphalt surface. In this article, we’ll discuss 7 pavement preservation treatments for your asphalt surface.

1. Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance is necessary to prevent damage and staining. Fuel and oil from vehicles, as well as leaves and debris, can lead to permanent stains on asphalt surfaces. Oil and fuel spills can also seep into the pavement, leading to cracking and other damage such as potholes. Rock and gravel can also harm the surface when they’re run over by cars.

Asphalt surfaces should be swept frequently, especially after storms, to remove dirt and debris. Car oil and fuel, meanwhile, should be cleaned immediately using a long-handled brush and a mixture of water and either powdered detergent, dish soap, or baking soda.

2. Sealcoating

Sealcoating is another great way to preserve the integrity of your driveway or asphalt surface and make it “pop” again. Many people wait too long to sealcoat surfaces, which can lead to premature wear and a faded, gray color. Consider sealcoating every two years.

The benefits include:

  • Prolonging the surface’s lifespan.
  • Preventing water from seeping beneath the surface and causing cracks and other damage.
  • Restoring the black color.
  • Protecting the surface from harmful UV rays.

3. Crack Sealing

Cracks are bound to sprout up on asphalt surfaces over time, and if you wait too long to fix them with a crack filling or crack sealing, they’ll keep spreading. Although this service can be done throughout the year, one of the best times to contact asphalt companies is after winter. The constant freeze-thaw cycle can wreak havoc on asphalt surfaces.

4. Patching

Like cracks, potholes are also a common enemy of asphalt and can form when water seeps into cracks, freezes, and expands. Potholes are not only an eyesore, but they can lead to trips and falls, and vehicle damage. Patching these areas is an extremely cost-effective solution to improving the appearance and safety of your asphalt surfaces, as well as extending their lifespan.

5. Overlays

Asphalt overlaying is a method of applying about two inches of asphalt over areas of the existing base layer that have deteriorated due to significant potholes, cracks, or uneven surfaces. An overlay can extend the life of your asphalt surface by as much as 15 years depending on its age.

6. Slurry Sealing

Slurry sealing is a type of sealcoating used to protect asphalt and add value to asphalt surfaces. While normal sealcoating uses liquid asphalt, slurry sealing contains water, aggregates, and asphalt emulsion. Slurry sealing is commonly applied every five to seven years on roads that have received severe deterioration due to traffic.

7. Microsurfacing

Microsurfacing is an asphalt maintenance technique that can extend the life of blacktop roadways by an average of five to seven years. It’s a third less expensive than repaving and is commonly used by local governments for roads. Microsurfacing is the process of using a mixture of aggregate, water, and asphalt emulsion and adding it to an existing surface. Microsurfacing doesn’t rely on water evaporation in the asphalt emulsion, and, instead, uses chemical additives that can harden quicker.

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • 0 Comments

4 Reasons Why Your Asphalt Surface Needs a Good Foundation

As the saying goes: you can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. The same holds true for asphalt surfaces.

Asphalt surfaces also need strong, durable foundations so they don’t crack and break apart under pressure. Building an asphalt parking lot or driveway is a big investment, and it won’t last nearly as long without a solid foundation underneath it. A poor foundation means you could be paying for expensive repairs – or even complete replacement – prematurely.

A good asphalt foundation typically consists of the best materials and compact gravel available and should be strong enough that the gravel doesn’t break apart when you put your foot on it.

In this article, we’ll explain 4 reasons why your asphalt surface needs a well-built foundation during the asphalt installation process.

1. Your surface will have proper drainage

An asphalt surface’s foundation has a tremendous impact on drainage. Asphalt should be laid in a specific way to funnel water away.

During heavy rains, all of that water must go somewhere. An improperly designed and constructed foundation can lead to low spots or dips on the asphalt during the paving process, which can cause water to gather and puddles to form. Foundations that aren’t completely smooth can also create dips or sinks while being paved.

Many asphalt drainage problems, including slow draining, occur during the initial design stage. Asphalt parking lots, roads, and driveways need an appropriate level of elevation drop to remove water effectively.

2. Your surface will need fewer repairs

A properly built asphalt surface foundation can lead to fewer repairs throughout the surface’s lifetime. For example, if you notice “ponding” on the surface, it’s usually because the asphalt’s foundation has sunk in certain areas or become uneven due to the foundation losing some of its base integrity. This can happen over time.

A foundation that breaks down prematurely can be caused by rocks shifting and moving due to pressure, which can lead to warping and cracking. Early cracking is often caused by a poorly constructed foundation.

3. Your surface will be safer

When asphalt parking lots, driveways, and roads have strong foundations, they are significantly safer to drive and walk on. Cracks and dips that form when the gravel below the asphalt sinks can cause people to trip and fall.

The well-built foundation will also insulate the upper layers of the asphalt during the winter to stop ice from forming on the surface, preventing hazardous surface conditions in the process. If the foundation was poorly constructed and excess moisture is allowed to the surface, the constant freeze-thaw cycle can create new cracks and cause existing ones to expand.

4. Your surface will last longer

Asphalt pavement can last about 15 to 30 years on average, but its lifespan largely depends on how well the foundation was laid and whether regular maintenance was performed.

In fact, the condition of the foundation plays a large role when determining whether to resurface or replace an asphalt surface. If the foundation is still strong and intact after 20 years, you may want to consider resurfacing. Replacement is often recommended if the driveway is 20 to 30 years old and the foundation has completely failed.

Consider hiring only asphalt companies with good online reviews and a strong Better Business Bureau score.

By admin Construction • • 0 Comments

What is Pervious Concrete?

Pervious concrete is just as the name implies – it’s a pavement application that allows stormwater through it so that it can seep into the ground. It’s made in a similar fashion to standard concrete, but without sand or water. Excluding sand and water in the mixture creates voids in the material that allows water to pass through. These voids typically account for 15-25% of the area once it’s hardened.

Although pervious concrete has been around for centuries, it’s only gained popularity in the United States in the last 50 years. It actually gained popularity in Europe after World War II due to a shortage of cement.

 

What are the benefits of pervious concrete?

There are a lot of benefits to using pervious concrete, namely reducing the amount of stormwater runoff that makes its way into the sewers. While this may sound harmless, runoff water picks up a good deal of surface pollutants along the way before it reaches the sewer.

Because pervious concrete reduces the amount of pollution in the water, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) named it a Best Management Practice for Stormwater.

While the chief benefit is its pollution reduction, there’s plenty more upside to using pervious concrete. Reducing surface water means fewer puddles and – in colder climates – fewer icy spots in the cold winter months. Conversely, its light color reduces the amount of heat stored, thus maintaining a lower surface temperature than standard concrete. That means safer walkways and driveways all year.

Pervious concrete is also better for surrounding landscaping, like grass and trees. When the water seeps back into the ground, it supplies the surrounding root systems with valuable water that it would not otherwise get.

 

Where can pervious concrete be used?

Pervious concrete has been most widely used as a pavement material, so concrete contractors are increasingly using it for driveways and walkways. However, it’s worth noting that because of its porous construction, pervious concrete will potentially degrade faster in high-traffic areas.

Don’t let that be a deterrent for you, though. The benefits of using pervious concrete far outweigh the drawbacks. In fact, many cities and towns throughout the United States have begun utilizing pervious concrete for their municipally-owned areas like parks, parking lots, and public walkways.

That it reduces the amount of water and ice that can form at the surface has made pervious concrete an appealing option for roadways as well. Reducing the number of accidents caused by hydroplaning through water or losing control on ice is an immediate benefit to any public roadway.

Keep in mind that there is a bit of maintenance that comes with using pervious concrete. Regular cleaning of the area helps the concrete maintain those voids that allow water to pass through. Again, the long-term benefits of going with pervious concrete for your driveway or walkway should outweigh any drawbacks.

If you’re interested in further exploring pervious concrete, talk to your concrete contractor or concrete company about it. They can help you decide if it’s viable for your specific use case and help you weigh the benefits of pervious concrete versus other options that are available.

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • 0 Comments

Asphalt Milling VS. Asphalt Resurfacing

Asphalt is the general term used to describe the material that makes up the majority of roads around the world.

It is a mixture of various sizes of rock and oil as a binder. The process of developing an asphalt mix and laying it down to form a road is complex. However, without this process, roads that have been damaged over years of use would not be replaced or upgraded with new asphalt. There are a number of steps to replacing or upgrading an asphalt road, and while it is very rare for a road to be completely removed down to the dirt and repaved, the process of asphalt resurfacing is an important task for any asphalt company.

Asphalt resurfacing is the term used to describe the process of removing a portion of a road, usually no more than an inch or two, and then laying down new asphalt. This is something that needs to be done periodically, especially as new mixes of asphalt are developed to better withstand damage. The process of resurfacing a road can be broken down into just a few steps. However, sometimes the processes involved in a resurfacing project may be confused with one another. Understanding the differences among these individual steps, and their importance to the entire process, will enable you to better grasp what is going on during the resurfacing of an asphalt road.

The first step of the process is asphalt milling.

You may have seen milling machines working on a road. They are used to remove old asphalt, which is ground up and may be recycled. The milling process provides an asphalt company with something like a “blank canvas” to go back and repave with new asphalt. Milling can take place along a long stretch of a road, or in just a small area that needs to be repaired. Either way, the process takes off old and damaged asphalt, providing room for laying new asphalt without raising the height of the road.

After the milling process comes the process of asphalt resurfacing itself.

This is when the new pavement is laid down on top of the milled surface. The new mix is poured and rolled out to form a new surface to drive on. This process will involve a number of pieces of paving equipment, each of which plays an important role in ensuring that the new asphalt road meets the necessary standards.

As you can see, while the entire process may be referred to as asphalt resurfacing, the actual resurfacing is just one aspect of the process. It is important that the old asphalt be removed in order to provide a good place to start laying a new layer of asphalt. By using a milling machine to scrape off the top inch or two of asphalt, the new pavement can be laid without raising the level of the road. After the surface is prepared, the new asphalt can be laid. Sometimes, the laying of the new asphalt is what is referred to as the asphalt resurfacing process.

Understanding the difference between removing the asphalt, milling, and laying new asphalt, resurfacing, is important for knowing what is going on throughout the process of a paving project. And while some of the terms may be interchanged, these two processes are separate but key parts of repairing an asphalt road.