Property Owners Hire Professionals to Maintain Asphalt in Columbus

by | Oct 7, 2013 | Construction and Maintenance

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When business owners have to provide parking, they must make sure that it is safe and creates a welcoming environment. Customers and clients shop with their eyes first. A parking lot that is poorly maintained does not give them confidence that a business values quality. Therefore it’s critical for a successful business to have asphalt in Columbus installed and maintained with the highest standards. Installing a parking lot is like constructing a road. It must have the proper gravel base, base coat and then asphalt top coat.

Water can easily damage asphalt in Columbus, so it is necessary to have a maintenance plan in place as soon as the parking lot is complete. Seal coating places a protective barrier on top of the asphalt. In prevents the asphalt from oxidizing and becoming brittle. When the pavement becomes brittle, it becomes more pourous. That allows water to seep into the lower layers. When the weather gets colder the water freezes and expands. Then when the weather warms up, it contracts. This constant movement weakens the pavement. Most parking lots should have a new layer of seal coating every two to three years.

Professionals should inspect asphalt in Columbus each year. That ensures that they identify problems when they are small. Geographic areas that experience wide swings in temperature are more apt to see more problems with asphalt pavement. Cracks may appear in the spring after a harsh winter. Some owners think that they can go to the hardware store and get substances to fill pavement cracks themselves. These are typically cold crack fillers. They are not flexible enough to withstand temperatures below freezing. Professionals can use hot crack fillers to repair asphalt in Columbus. These can withstand much colder temperatures.

If a property owner ignores a crack in the pavement, water will seep into the lower layers. Soon there will be many cracks and eventually the pavement will have potholes. When the damage reaches that point, a paving contractor will have to make major repairs to ensure the integrity of the remaining pavement in the area. Parking lot owners should ask snow plow operators to use shoes on their plows to prevent separating the seal coating and fillers from the pavement.

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