Asphalt Maintenance FAQ's

Performing maintenance on an asphalt parking lot on a regular basis can increase the life expectancy dramatically. As a matter of fact, not keeping up with maintenance can be just like not maintaining the brakes on our cars… the longer we wait... the more expensive the cost of repairs can become. So it's important to have failing areas patched, cracks sealed and the surface coated regularly.

But what kind of maintenance is needed on your parking lot?
If your parking lot is newer then the answer is pretty simple… a fresh coat of sealer and sealing any cracking that’s occurred!

On the other hand, if your parking lot is older and needs a little more TLC, then patching, crack sealing and a fresh coat of sealer will probably be in order.

But here’s a few things to consider before having these maintenance services performed on your asphalt parking lot.

A) Is the contractor you plan on hiring a reputable contractor?

Unfortunately, the asphalt maintenance industry is inundated with dishonest and unethical contractors who are out to make a quick buck without putting one single thought into building a long term, repeat business. They know you’ll probably forget them within a year or two and they will have taken your money for sub-standard work that brought you zero value! It happens all the time. See for yourself… watch these videos in our Media Coverage.

So how do we know who’s a reputable contractor and who’s not? Easy… watch our free video series “The most common ways contractors rip us off and how to avoid them!”TM You’ll be able to spot a reputable contractor instantly!

Or simply locate a contractor in our Trusted Contractor Resource Center. Our contractors have been checked out thoroughly and have agreed to perform all asphalt maintenance work at or above industry standards!

B) What will the long term effects be?

What we mean by that is, will there be so much patching and crack sealing that when the sealer begins to fade that your parking lot looks blotchy and patchy with all kinds of different shades of grays and blacks?

Sure it may be great looking at first or even the first year… but when the sealer begins to fade what’s it going to look like then?
A friend of mine once said… “If your parking lot is old and beat up and you patch it, seal the cracks and throw a coat of sealer on it… it’s still an old beat up parking lot. It would be just like painting a wrecked car!”

And that’s ok “IF” and that’s a big IF… if you as the customer knows exactly what your options are and what the long term effects are. Sometimes that’s the only option and we need to save money. Other times it may be better to have an overlay installed or completely remove and replace the parking lot if cost isn’t a big influence on your decision.

Which brings us to C) Budget!

 
If budget is a factor it’s important to know what will be the best long term outcome for the dollars being spent.

But what kind of patching should be performed... remove and replace, infrared, or will simple cold patch work? What's going to last the longest?

How many coats of sealer should be applied? How long will it last? Will it get you through for 1 year, 2 years… how long?

These are good questions to ask so that a good long term plan also has a budgeting factor for a new parking lot in the future.

If budget is less of a factor and maintaining a uniform look is important to you then overlaying the parking lot, which is a little less expensive, or completely removing and replacing it may be in store.

But not all parking lots are candidates for an overlay and in some cases can make a bad situation much worse!