subject: Keatorbuilt paving, Maintaining asphalt driveways and parking lots [print this page] Keatorbuilt paving, Maintaining asphalt driveways and parking lots
Asphalt driveways and parking lots will get more expensive as oil prices rise.To keep your blacktopdrivewaysand parking lots from burning a hole in your pocket, Asphalt needs to bemaintained every couple of years.Through my paving experiences I havecome to find that filling cracks and sealcoating is the best way to maintain asphalt. After a year or twoyour new driveway or parking lot willbegin to fade from black to grey.This is a sign of your blacktop beginning to age. Every daythat thesun is shining on your asphalt it is drying your driveway or parkinglot out.
What you need to do is have yourasphalt driveway or parking lotsealcoated with a coal tar application. The sealcoat will put flexablity back into your blacktop and give it that new dark look that you remember seeing when it was first paved. Most people dont know that this has to be done every couple of years and sometimes yearly. Yearly depends on how much sun your driveway gets during the day.You must also consider the harsh wintersand the snow accumilationduring that winter.Salt and melting componds are especially damaging to asphalt.I have found that driveways thatare protected byshade can sometimes last longer but still need to be done every few years. Sealcoating your blacktop should be no different than doing your yearly leaf clean up or cleaning out your gutters. Sealcoating yourdriveway will be the difference between you getting your moneys worth out of the aspalt.
I have seen many driveways fall apart long before their time because of lack of maintenance. In my experince with talking to people the main misconceptionI hear is that they dont sealcoat roads so why shouldI seal my driveway. The difference between the road and your driveway is a lot of blacktop. When a driveway is insatlled in New Jersey the amount of blacktop that is actuallylayed is 3 inches compressed to 2.5 inches over gravel..The road is made of gravel, 4 inchs of I-2 base course blacktop. Finally another 2.5 inchlayerof I-5 top course is layed and roll.This amoumt of asphalt that I just described would be the equivalent to three driveways thick and it would not thebe cost efficient to the customercompared to blockpavers or stamped concrete. The cost of blacktop installed is between two and three dollars a foot. Imagine what the cost of blacktop will be in years to come? http://keatorbuiltpavingandsealcoating.com
