One area that property managers are frequently responsible for is the parking lot serving their company’s location. Whether the lot is for employees only, customers, tenants, or patients, it must meet certain criteria to provide the maximum benefits. A parking lot pavement must be safe, attractive, and compliant with all local and federal laws. There are numerous procedures that can ensure one or more of these necessities, and some of them can also help the pavement have a longer life with fewer repairs.
What Are Some Important Procedures for a Parking Lot Pavement?
An effective parking lot maintenance plan is the key to a long-lasting, legally compliant, attractive, and safe parking area. Because there can be significant variations in the volume and type of traffic, the size of the lot, and the type of asphalt used for construction, you may not require every available procedure. However, a typical parking lot will require several of the following asphalt maintenance procedures.
1. Asphalt sealcoating your parking lot every two to three years will provide protective, cosmetic, and safety benefits.
2. Asphalt crack sealing or filling once or twice each year will help prevent additional damage and enhance the safety of your parking lot.
3. Asphalt repairs to mend potholes or alligator cracking should be performed as needed to enhance safety and prevent additional damage.
4. Parking lot striping, along with pavement markings, can help you achieve legal compliance, enhance your pavement’s appearance, and make your parking lot safer.
5. Routine cleaning procedures can make your parking lot safer and more attractive, and they can also help prevent damage to your pavement.
Why Does a Parking Lot Pavement Need Asphalt Sealcoating?
When your asphalt company built your parking lot, you were probably advised to sealcoat it within 12 months, then reapply the sealcoating periodically. Typically, at paving contractor in Chicago will recommend an interval ranging from two to four years between applications. Sealcoating protects asphalt pavements from the destructive effects of automotive fluids, the sun, and corrosive chemicals. It also prevents the sun from bleaching the color from the asphalt, and it can usually rejuvenate the color of pavements that have already faded. Furthermore, sealcoating enhances traction, making your pavement safer.
What Is the Difference Between an Asphalt Crack Repair and an Asphalt Repair?
Crack repairs are usually considered an asphalt maintenance procedure. An asphalt repair, often called a patch, involves the removal and replacement of a damaged area of asphalt. Therefore, asphalt contractors use the different methods to mend different types of damage. Both methods can make your parking lot safer, and both methods can help prevent additional damage, especially the types of damage that result from water infiltration. Under certain circumstances, both methods can play a role in ensuring that your parking lot complies with the ADA and other laws.
Why Are Pavement Markings and Stripes Important for a Parking Lot?
Highly visible, crisp lines and markings make your parking lot more attractive. However, they also play a crucial role in achieving legal compliance, maintaining an orderly flow of traffic, and preventing accidents in your parking lot. You should repaint your markings and stripes whenever they become faded or damaged, and you will also need to repaint after applying asphalt sealcoating. Having your asphalt sealcoating company handle your crack repairs, sealcoating, and parking lot striping usually save you time and money.
Why Does a Parking Lot Pavement Need Routine Cleanings?
As a general rule, a clean parking lot will be more attractive, safer, and less vulnerable to damage.
1. Sweeping away loose sand or gravel can prevent damage to your sealcoating as well as your pavement. Sand and gravel are abrasive particles that can inflict damage when they encounter pressure from the tires on vehicles or the shoes worn by pedestrians.
2. Piles of dirt, dead leaves, grass clippings, and trash can trap water beneath them. The moisture can find small cracks to infiltrate beneath the pavement, or it can encourage the growth of fungi or mold that may gain a foothold in the pores of your pavement. Cleaning away debris can help make your parking lot more attractive, protect your pavement, and reduce the chances that pedestrians might slip and fall.
3. Most liquids used in cars and trucks are petroleum-based fluids that will break down the binder in an asphalt pavement. Once the binder is destroyed, the affected area will deteriorate into a pile of soft crumbs that leave behind a pothole. If vehicles leak transmission fluid, oil, power steering fluid, gas, brake fluid, or other liquids, it is important to clean them up before they can damage the pavement. Sealcoating can give you a little more time for removal, but it cannot hold these fluids at bay forever.
Black Hawk Paving is a local Chicagoland paving business founded in 1975. We serve both local and national clients with a wide range of services. We offer asphalt paving, asphalt milling and grinding, asphalt repair, asphalt sealcoating, parking lot striping, excavation and site grading, concrete flatwork, car stops, concrete curbing, hot crack sealing and routing, traffic signage, asphalt fabric, and sewer repair. We are known for our exemplary service, extraordinary craftsmanship, and exceptional professionalism. To request a free quote, fill out the online form, email Info@BlackHawkPaving.com, or call our main office at 708-479-0400.
