By admin Asphalt Paving • • • 0 Comments

Spring Cleaning Your Parking Lot: A DIY Guide

Keeping a run down and the disheveled parking lot is a risky proposition. Holes in the asphalt can cause blown out tires, which is a nuisance and can lead to unnecessary tire repair requests. Customers tripping and falling on your property is even worse because they might hurt themselves and potentially sue for damages.

To avoid these scenarios, it’s best to focus on asphalt maintenance and repair. Tackle this project during the warm spring months to get your parking lot up to snuff. And then focus on maintenance to keep your property looking pristine and in good repair.

1. Regular Asphalt Cleanings Are an Absolute Must.

Cleaning your parking lot is about more than presenting an attractive appearance. While it’s certainly nice to keep a clean lot for your customers, cleaning and maintaining your lot will go a long way toward preserving the durability and lifespan of your asphalt.

Start by removing and eliminating all surface debris. Get rid of the garbage, leaves, and other trash and refuse built up marring the surface of your parking lot. By removing this gunk and debris on a regular basis, you’ll prevent damage and unsightly stains from ruining your attractive asphalt parking lot floor.

2. Fix Unsightly Potholes Using Proper Asphalt Repair.

Potholes are going to happen whether you like it or not. When water works its way underneath the pavement’s surface, it expands and contracts and gets underneath in the groundwater. This creates potholes that will otherwise ruin your asphalt.

Proper asphalt repair means completing the pothole repair process. This process consists of four steps and is simple enough for every DIY expert looking to save a couple of bucks by making the repairs themselves.

The 4 step process to fix potholes includes:

  • Cleaning out the pothole by removing unnecessary and unwanted dirt and debris that gets underneath the pavement. This debris can otherwise weaken a pothole repair.
  • Heating up the pothole is necessary for the elimination of excess moisture. Getting rid of this extra moisture from beneath the payment makes it possible to apply new asphalt.
  • Putting new asphalt in the pothole is the third step. For the most part, hot mix asphalt is the ideal choice to perform this repair. After applying it in the hole, you should compact the asphalt to increase resistance and ensure water reduction.
  • Cooling the new asphalt is the fourth and final step. If more debris is discovered around or near the repair, please remove it at this time.

All in all, it’s typically okay to drive on repaired potholes immediately after fixing the problem. So don’t worry about cordoning off the area because it’s an unnecessary inconvenience at best.

3. Sealcoating Is an Excellent Choice for Asphalt Maintenance.

Sealcoating is a powerful way to prolong the health and lifespan of your asphalt parking lot. Why? Simply put, it fills in the damaged areas on the surface by providing a protective coating.

Sealcoating is perfect because it prevents water damage, damage from vehicle fluid, and it even stops harm from powerful UV rays dead in its tracks. To achieve the best results with seal coating, you should apply a new coat every 3 to 5 years to gain maximum surface protection.

Each new seal coating application means giving your surface a fresh and updated look. It’s also the perfect way to guarantee proper asphalt maintenance.

Recap

In conclusion, please remember that parking lot of spring cleaning and maintenance is a must to keep your asphalt in excellent condition. Always remember to clean the surface, repair potholes as they pop up, and apply seal coating every 3 to 5 years to ensure proper maintenance and asphalt repair. If you follow these guidelines, your parking lot will maintain an attractive appearance for many years to come.

By admin Construction • • • 0 Comments

The Top Ways to Remove Paint from Concrete

Do you need to remove paint on concrete, but you aren’t sure where to start? There are a number of methods for stripping it. These create a clean surface ready for repainting or concrete repair. Some important factors include:

  • How much surface area you’re dealing with
  • What condition the paint is in
  • Your technical skill level

Here are five methods for removing unwanted paint from commercial concrete:

Elbow Grease

If you have a small spill of wet or badly weathered paint, you may be able to simply scrub it off. You’ll need a scraper, a wire brush, some upper body strength, and plenty of patience.

Sweep the area and apply a cleaning solution. Diluted trisodium phosphate works well here. If you don’t have that or aren’t comfortable working with it, try soap and water. Wet the area down and let it sit for a few minutes before beginning to work. Re-wet the concrete as you go. If nothing else, you may be able to remove enough paint that you’ll only need one round of paint stripper to take off the rest.

Power Washer

If you have a commercial power washer, there is a chance that it can handle this problem. Power washers can be very effective for still-wet paint from spills. It may also be used to remove old, cracked, or peeling paint. However, dry and cured paint in good condition may require more aggressive methods of removal.

Paint Stripper

Paint strippers are very effective and can clear off large areas of paint. However, these chemicals can be dangerous, so follow the instructions carefully.

Start the process with a thorough concrete cleaning. Use a broom or vacuum. If necessary, scrub off sticky residue with soap and water.

Next, get a chemical paint stripper from your local building supply or home improvement company. If you know whether the paint is oil based or water based, use a paint stripper formulated for that. Otherwise, try products intended for oil based paint.

Apply the paint stripper. Make sure that you wear protective gear. Once the stripper has set for enough time (this varies by the brand), scrape up softened paint and scrub the area with a wire brush. If some paint remains, repeat the process.

Scouring Paste

To make a scouring paste, simply mix a chemical paint stripper with something absorbent. Many people use crushed cat litter or powdered clay. Next, apply the paste and wait. Fast acting paint strippers may require 20 minutes to soak in, while slower formulations may need several hours.

Scrape the excess paste off and then scrub the area. The combination of an abrasive with the chemicals should help lift the paint in one or two applications.

Soda Blasting

This is a ‘dry’ form of scouring that blasts the area with chemical powders. Like with paint strippers, this is effective for larger areas. Baking soda is the most commonly used chemical. You’ll need to rent a pot blaster and purchase some coarser soda. Sand blasters cannot handle this job, and household baking soda is too fine to be effective. You should be able to buy the right kind of soda from the same place where you got the pot blaster. Follow the directions carefully, and don’t forget to use a respirator or dust mask while working.

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • • 0 Comments

THE AVERAGE COST OF PREVENTING AND FIXING POTHOLES IN 2020

Pothole repair can be quite frustrating but it doesn’t have to be. By being proactive and fixing asphalt cracks, you can prevent potholes from occurring in the first place. However, if you need to fix potholes in the area where you live, there are professional options you can use. In this article, we’ll go over the basics behind how potholes are made and what the average cost of preventing and fixing potholes is in 2020.

How Potholes Are Made

Understanding how potholes are formed in the first place is one key to preventing them in the future. They are caused by the expansion and contraction of groundwater that is located underneath the pavement and can begin to form during the winter season thanks to the expansion of this groundwater that freezes as a result of the cooler temperatures. This expansion underneath the pavement causes cracks in the asphalt. Over time, as more cars and trucks pass over this area, the concrete material continues to weaken. This forms a hole that can trap melted water. This melted water can then freeze again and begin a cycle that leads to the expansion of the now formed pothole.

Pothole Fixing Costs

If this cycle has had enough time to repeat over and over and over again, you might find yourself face to face with a major problem, be it on your driveway, sidewalk, or roadway in front of your home. Especially with the winter here and cooler temperatures upon us, that groundwater has had time to freeze over and produce cracks in the pavement. The amount you pay depends heavily on the severity of the pothole which is why it is important to take notice of and fix asphalt cracks early on.

But going back to the matter at hand, the cost to fix pothole in 2020 will typically be around $100 to $350. Additional asphalt sealing costs can range from $200 to $600 and, again, depends on the severity of the pothole. Because fixing a pothole in freezing conditions, it is not for the faint of heart. Your best bet is to hire a trained professional that has experience with a wide range of pothole and asphalt crack issues. In addition to how large the pothole is that you are looking to fix, the quality of the materials, the slope of the pothole, and piping that needs to be taken into consideration and worked around can factor into raising costs.

Taking Preventative Measures

As we mentioned, pothole repair is not easy and you will be dejected after you find out that you’ve incorrectly filled the pothole with the wrong amount of concrete. However, by taking stock of your current driveway’s wellbeing, you can prevent potholes from occurring in the first place by dealing with those initial cracks. Even better, try finding the source of groundwater leakage and prevent it from freezing underneath the pavement. Some other precautionary measures you can take include repairing the crack as soon as possible with infill and overbanding to prevent water from entering the pavement and softening the material. Overbanding uses a thermoplastic material to stop water from entering the roadway surface and is ideal for high traffic areas.

By admin Asphalt Paving • • • • • • 0 Comments

Why is Parking Lot Striping Important?

If you’re like most people, then you spend a lot of time in parking lots. From going to the grocery store to heading to the mall for four hours on a Saturday, we spent a great deal of time in these areas. But while you park, leave your vehicle, then hop back in for the ride home, you probably don’t really think about the different aspects of parking areas and how they work. From the striping to the flow of traffic, there are many aspects that result in a well-functioning and great looking parking area.

In this post, we’ll discuss parking lot striping and talk about five reasons why it’s important.

Safety

Parking lots can be massive with hundreds of spaces crammed into a little area. With so many people walking to and from their vehicles—not to mention the hundreds of cars leaving and coming in at the same time—staying safe can be a tough task. That’s were parking lot striping comes in. This striping helps to label pedestrian areas in order for drivers to know to stay clear of these locations. In addition, striping on parking lot paving can help to improve the flow of traffic. From angled parking spaces to arrows that label the direction of traffic, this striping helps the parking lot function properly to limit accidents and other complications.

Handicap Access

Another reason why striping on parking lot paving is so important is that it gives proper access to handicapped individuals. Some parking lots don’t clearly label these areas, which could lead to others parking in these reserved spaces. In order to provide access for these handicap individuals, parking lot striping makes it easy. This striping can help drivers and pedestrians clearly see these parking spaces to ensure the right individuals park there.

Appearance

Have you ever noticed a parking lot that was just recently completed or one that was just repainted? If so, then you probably noticed how great it looked. That being said, another benefit of parking lot striping relates to the curb appeal. In fact, this can be a deciding factor for a customer to walk into your store or not. In addition, it’s vital to routinely re-paint your parking lot to give off a great impression and welcome customers into your store.

Guides Traffic

One of the more beneficial purposes of striping is to properly direct traffic. Given how some parking lots can fit hundreds of cars, it’s important to have the right traffic guidance in place—including freshly painted striping that clearly marks parking lot spaces, the direction of traffic, walking paths, and more.

Maximizes Parking Area

Another reason striping is vital for parking lots is because it helps to maximize the parking area. If you have faded striping or no striping at all, this can make it confusing for drivers, which could lead to an ineffective flow of traffic and a lot of wasted space. That being said, it’s best to strategize where to place your parking spaces, then ensure that the striping is done appropriately.

Striping Does it All

From helping businesses get customers in the door to providing safety for those customers, parking lot striping is probably more important than you thought. So the next time you head to the grocery store or bank, take a look at the parking lot striping and think about how important it really is.

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Four Advantages of Parking Lot Curbing

The easier it is for people to park and visit your place of business, the more likely you are to turn a profit and stay open. Yet, many business owners overlook the importance of the layout of their parking areas. A well-designed and properly built parking lot helps to streamline visitation and greatly enhance business potential. Curbing helps to define parking areas and make a business much more attractive and inviting to new and returning customers. In many ways, curbs are highly useful business tools that often get ignored.

Curbs are very useful tools for controlling vehicular and foot traffic. They also help to control water runoff and debris, while enabling faster and more efficient cleaning. When you own a commercial property, do not make the mistake of overlooking the importance of parking lot curbing and how it impacts your business and personal property. Here are four advantages that you get from a high-quality parking lot curb:

1. More Attractive Appearance

Good, clean parking lots always are more appealing than dirty, disorienting layouts. The old saying “curb appeal” describes the ideal parking lot curb that provide clean, straight lines and readily apparent borders between parking and pedestrian areas. The more attractive the external appearance, the more likely people will choose to stop and visit, rather than move on to a more appealing location.

2. Improved Safety

A parking lot can enhance safety when its curbs and lines are laid out clearly. That makes it easier to separate foot traffic and vehicles and improve general safety conditions for customers and business owners alike. It also helps to cut down on fender-benders and other accidents in your parking lot. The easier it is for drivers and pedestrians to navigate the parking area, the safer it becomes. The safer it is, the less stress drivers and pedestrians have while visiting your place.

3. Easier Cleaning and Maintenance

A parking lot curb helps to trap and isolate dirt and debris moved around by wind, rain and people. The curb provides a barrier between foot traffic and the parking area that traps dirt and debris. That makes it much easier to collect and dispose of, while improving drainage during rainstorms. Street sweepers and other cleaners can get at the isolated debris and clean it up faster and more readily than when there is no curb. Snow removal also is much easier when the curb provides a barrier between the plow and sidewalk.

4. Better Parking Areas

Curbs do more than control traffic and improve safety and cleaning. They also strengthen the parking lot by anchoring asphalt paving. Concrete curbs improve compaction when parking lots are built. They also increase the parking area’s stiffness and strength with their weight, and maintain edges against roadway traffic. The curbs also work well for deflecting vehicle loads that otherwise might damage walkways and parking areas. Instead, the curbs deflect those loads, which extends the life of your parking area.

Your parking area is a very important part of your business plan. You need to ensure it has an optimal design that enhances your business aims and makes it easier for people to visit you in person. Curb appeal always helps to make any business better.