How To Prevent Asphalt Destruction 6 Pro Tips

Once installed, asphalt has a lot of benefits on your property. That’s why it’s important to keep your asphalt in a good condition to avoid costly damages. Please note that resurfacing your driveway can stretch your finance—but this is avoidable.

You need to be proactive to prolong the lifespan and prevent damages on your asphalt paved surface. This requires taking care of your asphalt, and observing some good preventive maintenance practices. Routine maintenance on your driveway or parking lot will keep your asphalt in a good condition. However, without proper maintenance, your asphalt paved surface is bound to get damaged.

With that said, let’s look at the top 6 pro tips for preventing asphalt destruction.

Observe the weight limit

Nothing will destroy your asphalt paved surface faster than allowing heavy loads on the surface. When laying the surface for the first time, it’s important to consult with your contractor in order to know the weight limit. After that, ensure that you limit your property to vehicles within the set weight limit.

If you didn’t know, garbage trucks and semi-truck are the most culprits, since they bear heavy loads, which will directly damage the asphalt. Besides, it’s important to avoid letting heavy materials sit on your asphalt for extended periods of time. These materials silently cause damage to asphalt paved surfaces, and the damage is realized after clearing the materials.

Regularly clean your asphalt

Never underestimate what good cleaning can do to your asphalt. Cleaning your asphalt driveway or parking lot regularly is essential, as it helps to keep the surface in a good condition, as well as extending its lifespan. When cleaning your asphalt, ensure that you remove all debris like garbage and leaves from the surface—this will prevent your asphalt surface from being damaged or stained.

Pay special attention to oil or fuel stains—always clean these spots straight away. Both fuel and oil stains can make your surface deteriorate, thus causing costly damages. There are various DIY steps that you can follow to remove these stains from the surface. If not so, you can use degreasing agents designed for asphalt surfaces.

Staying proactive and regularly cleaning your asphalt parking lot or driveway can save you a lot of money in the long run. Besides, removing stains like oil and fuel helps to protect the surface from deterioration, thus extending its lifespan.

Seal all the cracks on the surface

According to Florida asphalt paving contractor ABC Paving you must always deal with cracks immediately they start to develop on your asphalt driveway. The best way to deal with the cracks is by applying a sealant. You can use hot asphalt crack filler too. Failing to take drastic action on the cracks risks them expanding, and becoming potholes. You will need more money and time to repair a pothole than to seal a crack. The best time to seal the cracks on your driveway is during the fall—when the temperatures are cooler. This helps to keep the cracks closed, and the seal won’t reopen because of extreme temperatures.

Repair potholes immediately you notice them

Potholes happen when water expands and contracts after it penetrates the base layer of your asphalt driveway or parking lot. To repair a pothole on your pavement, you should follow these four essential steps:

• Clean the surface
• Allow the area to dry
• Add new asphalt mix
• Allow the new mix to cool down

It’s important to ensure that you repair potholes before they become larger and leads to more damage to your driveway or parking lot. Failing to attend to the potholes risks them becoming bigger, especially as more traffic accessed the area. This can increase the repair costs in the long run, and reduce the structural integrity of the entire surface.

Sealcoat the surface regularly

While most people ignore sealcoating their asphalt driveways, some magic happens when you sealcoat asphalt regularly. This simple process helps to protect and extend the lifespan of an asphalt surface by providing a protective layer that protects the surface from water, ice, as well as destructive UV rays.

Generally, you should sealcoat your asphalt driveway after every 3 years. This not only protects the surface but also gives it a new look. If you fail to sealcoat your asphalt regularly, you leave the entire surface vulnerable to extreme weather elements.

Sort out drainage problems

Water is one of the greatest enemies of asphalt. If water penetrates into the base layer of your driveway, it starts to break the surface from underneath. Now, this is when you start seeing cracks and potholes appearing on the surface—and it will cost you a lot of money to repair such damages. This shows the importance of addressing any drainage issues on your pavement. So, in case you see a lot of stagnant water on your driveway or parking lot after rain, contact a professional asphalt contractor to sort out the problem.

Bonus: avoid using de-icing products

Most de-icing products like rock salt can break down the asphalt binders, thus leading to untimely wear and tear of your asphalt. Therefore, you should consider using a shovel or snow blower to remove asphalt from your driveway instead of de-icers. And in case you opt to use a de-icing product, choose one that doesn’t penetrate the surface, like potassium chloride.

Bottom Line

Keeping your asphalt surface in a good condition helps to extend its lifespan, as well as reducing repair costs. However, you should note two key things: hiring the right contractor and preventing maintenance helps to prolong the lifespan of your asphalt. By following these tips, you will be able to prevent asphalt destruction and the costs associated with it.