Asphalt Care: Repair or Replace?
An asphalt driveway, parking lot, road, or highway is something that many of us take for granted. However, if you manage commercial roads or lots, you know that maintaining them means safety and care for vehicles, drivers, and pedestrians. Asphalt is by no means a permanent substance; however, it can be difficult to tell whether one should repair or replace it. Here are a few pointers on this matter.
Signs of Asphalt Damage
Asphalt usually lasts around 20-25 years before it needs total repaving, although, with proper maintenance, one can perhaps enjoy it for longer. One major sign of asphalt damage is cracking. Various types of cracking exist, including:
- Alligator cracks: As the name implies, these cracks spread across the surface in an irregular, alligator skin-like pattern. It is also called fatigue cracking, because it often happens due to overloading.
- Block cracks: Lines form in block-like shapes across the pavement, possibly because of temperature changes.
- Edge cracks: These long cracks run lengthwise along the edge of the pavement, showing a lack of support to keep the asphalt in place.
Many types of asphalt cracks happen because of overloading, temperature changes, poor installation, or just old age. Other signs of damage include:
- Depressions or Rutting: Depressions in the road by themselves or along the wheel path indicate the poor condition of the lower pavement layers.
- Raveling: After wear and tear, the asphalt may disintegrate and loose gravel accumulates.
- Potholes: These bowl-shaped indentations happen due to various causes such as cracking or subgrade deterioration.
Types of Asphalt Repair
Standard asphalt repair is there to take care of any emergency issues or regular wear and tear over the years. For example, hot-pour crack filling is a service that remediates thin pavement lines and keeps them from getting worse. Without it, asphalt pavement would last much shorter. Similarly, one can seek professional repair for potholes, in which one replaces the affected sublayers or refills the hole.
Another common and necessary service is sealcoating. Sealcoating preserves the pavement from grime, water and ice, vehicle fluids, and UV rays and can extend the pavement’s life considerably.
Asphalt Replacement
If your asphalt has lasted for more than 20 years, it may be nearing the time to get asphalt replacement. Likewise, if the damage is extensive, it may be too much to fix with just crack filling. If you are in doubt, call a professional at Teniseal/Parking Striping Corporation for an evaluation.
Contact Teniseal/Parking Striping Corporation for Your Asphalt Repair!
Teniseal Corporation specializes in the application, restoration and maintenance of all types of asphalt surfaces. It makes sense to trust your asphalt job to experts with the experience and technical know-how to do your project right from the start to provide a long-lasting result. Teniseal offers services for Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Prince George’s, Harford, Carroll, and Montgomery counties in Maryland. For more information, email them at [email protected], call 1-888-436-4732, or call the alternative numbers 410-485-5660 or 410-485-0717. Keep in touch on social media through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn!
