Signs It’s Time to Sealcoat Your Parking Lot
Commercial properties rely on beautiful-looking landscaping and exterior areas to help attract customers. Many property owners will turn to professional landscapers to create lush displays of greenery, but often, parking and walking areas are overlooked. However, if you don’t take precautions to protect these spaces, you could wind up paying for it in the long run.
At American Asphalt, we offer dependable services like sealcoating and crack sealing to help our customers in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania avoid unnecessary headaches down the road. Let’s explore more about this process.
What Is Parking Lot Sealcoating?
Sealcoating involves adding a protective layer to your asphalt surfaces. This layer works as a protective barrier that helps prevent damage from the elements. This includes damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays, winter elements, and heavy traffic. This service is a staple for many commercial parking lot owners as their parking lot is one of their largest expenses.
Why Is Sealcoating Necessary?
While the sealcoating process isn’t overly complex, it can have a profound impact on your property’s exterior spaces. Paved surfaces rely on flexibility, and as asphalt oxidizes, it becomes brittle, fragile and cracks. Sealcoating helps prevent deterioration from the sun’s UV rays, causing premature oxidation which leads to cracking.
Sealcoating also helps to fill in microscopic cracks. In the colder northeast climate, these cracks allow water infiltration. With a regular freeze thaw cycle, these cracks will widen and become more costly repairs.
Extending the Life of Your Pavement
Asphalt is a durable materials, especially when installed by professionals. That said, the constant wear and tear of traffic, the sun, and cold weather can take its toll. Sealcoating gives your surfaces a fighting chance by protecting them for years to come.
Preventing the Need for Costly Repairs
Without the additional layer, your surfaces may take a beating. The formation of potholes, cracks, and oxidation can lead to more extensive and expensive repair costs beyond your surface asphalt.
Offering Unrivaled Protection
Life in New Jersey and Pennsylvania brings excitement with the changing of the seasons. However, these weather extremes can do a number on your pavement. Any water that enters cracks on the surface can cause a big problem come winter. The freeze-thaw cycle, which involves water freezing, expanding as ice, and then thawing in a short period of time, can be disruptive for asphalt.
Sealcoating also protects your surfaces from the damaging effects of the sun, which can hurt your surfaces throughout the year. UV rays wear away at asphalts binding agents, causing premature deterioration.
Providing a Beautiful Look
First impressions matter. Commercial properties need to be both safe and aesthetically pleasing to tenants, customers, and the public. A damaged parking lot or remove sidewalk can be a turn-off to prospective customers, so preventative measures such as seal coating is a cost-effective way to maintain your appearance.
When Is Sealcoating a Good Idea?
Some property owners may not bother fixing issues with parking lots until they become a bigger problem. Unfortunately, this line of thinking can lead to both liability issues and more costly repairs. In an effort to cure properly, manufactures recommend that it’s best to perform the service when temperatures are above 50°F. It is also important that you check the forecast and make sure rain isn’t expected for at least 24 hours. Sealing is often performed when days are longest, allowing the sun to dry and cure the newly applied sealer.
Our Sealcoating Process
The asphalt paving contractors at American Asphalt are ready to perform this preventative service. If you’re looking to get your parking lot sealcoated, our team has the experience and the tools to get the job done right.
We will start by cleaning your surface with blowers and mechanical brooms to remove excess debris. Next, areas that are designated for sealcoating will be professionally edged in and sealed. Upon drying, our team will provide a sealant layer on top for additional protection.
Once the area is fully coated a second time, you’ll need to let it dry and cure for up to 24 hours. If the area requires line striping, we can tend to that once the surface is cured. We also provide crack-sealing services prior to sealcoat if needed.
Look to the Sealcoating Team at American Asphalt
There are plenty of factors that can affect the life and look of your parking and walking areas. From the icy winter weather to the blistering summer sun, it’s easy to overlook how much we ask of our asphalt. At American Asphalt, our team is dedicated to offering high-quality services like sealcoating to help business owners in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
We pride ourselves on our great reputation, and our experience has made us a staple in our community. We can handle big jobs, ensuring your space is ready to go quickly. We can also undertake emergency repairs to help you out when something unexpected comes up. If you are interested in learning more about our sealcoating services or have any questions for our team, contact us today.