When you own a commercial building, you need to be concerned about the safety of the people using your building. This includes your parking lot. If your lot has holes and cracks, it's a safety hazard since someone could trip and get hurt. If you've noticed damage to your parking lot, call a commercial paving company and have repairs done. Here are some types of asphalt damage they can repair.
Straight Cracks
Straight cracks can be filled in and patched with new asphalt. If there aren't very many cracks, the paving contractor might make spot repairs around the parking lot. If the lot has cracks spread all over it, the contractor might suggest an overlay.
An overlay involves putting new asphalt over the entire parking lot without tearing out the old lot. This restores the appearance of the surface of your lot and makes the lot a uniform dark color. The contractor needs to ensure the overlay doesn't cause drainage problems, and this might require milling down the edges of the parking lot so there is good drainage and so the overlay itself doesn't pose a trip hazard.
Alligator Cracks
Alligator cracks are different since these indicate a problem underneath the asphalt. This is commonly related to poor drainage and shifting of the base. The commercial paving contractor can't put on an overlay without repairing the alligator cracks first because they don't want to cover up problems with the base.
If the base is bad, the parking lot will continue to develop damage. Alligator cracks are usually cut out to expose the base. The base is then repaired and new asphalt is put down to cover the soil. If your parking lot is in such bad shape that alligator cracks cover a large portion of it, the contractor may recommend tearing out the old lot completely so the base can be rebuilt before putting in a new lot.
Potholes
Potholes are signs of neglected damage. They usually start as cracks and can be prevented when cracks are filled early. The commercial paving contractor might fill in a pothole with gravel and hot asphalt. In certain cases, they might use cold asphalt patch material, but that is usually considered a temporary solution.
It might be necessary to cut out the asphalt around a pothole to fill the base and then add new asphalt to the hole. Filling potholes and cracks without adding an overlay may leave your parking lot multicolored since the repair material is darker than faded asphalt, but at least the trip hazard is removed and the damage should stop escalating.
For more information on commercial paving, contact a professional near you.
Share11 May 2023
Do you love your yard? Do you use your yard? Most people can't answer yes to both of these questions, which is why it can really pay off to start looking into different ways to pave spots that you could use in different ways. From installing basketball areas to adding better walkways, it is essential to consider adding pavement as part of a careful landscaping plan. On this website, read about all kinds of great uses for paving around your home and yard, from creating a better crawlspace to making a basketball court outside for your kids. Check out these blogs for more information.
