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Benefits of Sealcoating Your Parking Lot | Sealtech Asphalt

  • By Admin
  • •
  • 10 Sep, 2018
  • •

4 Benefits of Sealcoating Your Business's Parking Lot

Asphalt — Rain Drop in the Ground in Graham, WA
If you have recently had a new parking lot paved for your business, you may believe that the job is completed. While this may be true as far as the structure of your lot goes, you should consider the four benefits of finishing the job by having sealcoating applied to the surface.

1. Protects the Asphalt From Chemicals

You never know the condition of your customers' vehicles. A vehicle can leak oil, transmission fluid, and even gasoline.

Any of these chemicals are harmful to the asphalt, which readily absorbs them. These chemicals not only stain and mar the appearance of the
parking lot but also penetrate deep into the surface. Over time, these areas can start to crack and crumble as the chemicals break the asphalt
apart.

When your parking lot has sealcoating, it has a layer of protection against these chemicals. The chemicals not only take longer to penetrate the
surface but are also easier to rinse away.

2. Forms a Barrier Against Moisture

If you have a business in Washington State, you know that the area receives quite a bit of precipitation. With an average yearly rainfall of 43
inches, the amount of moisture your parking lot is subjected to is above the national average.

When asphalt is exposed to tremendous amounts of rain, it deteriorates faster. As the asphalt breaks down, puddles form on the surface. This
puddling creates more breakdown and causes cracking, crumbling, and potholes.

However, after sealcoating is applied, the asphalt is protected from the moisture. The barrier formed by the sealcoating helps the water glide off
the surface instead of penetrating down into the porous material.

3. Speeds Up the Melting of Snow and Ice
Although Washington State typically only receives, on average, around 4 inches of snow per year, snowfall still poses a threat to your parking lot.
When snow and ice embed themselves inside the nooks and crannies of the asphalt, they slowly melt and expand at the same time that the
material contracts from the cold.

This combination of expansion and contraction quickly leads to damage if the snow and ice are not removed. Then, when the precipitation melts, it stays inside the porous surface of the asphalt, creating even more breakdown of the material.

However, sealcoating helps speed up the melting of snow and ice. Because the layer traps in the warmth from the sun's rays, the asphalt remains warm longer. This warmth then radiates upward and melts the snow and ice. Then, when the frozen precipitation melts, the sealcoating protects the lot's surface from the sudden increase in water.

4. Improves Your Business's Overall Appearance
When your parking lot is still new, the dark tones of the asphalt look clean and professional. These traits then add to your business's overall
appearance and give new customers a good first impression as they drive into the lot.

However, over time, exposure to the sun's rays and excessive moisture make the color of the asphalt fade. Also, the drying effects of the sun and
the destructive properties of moisture create cracks and potholes. The imperfections of an older parking lot could then leave a bad first impression on new customers.

When your parking lot is sealcoated, however, the surface layer protects the asphalt from UV rays, allowing it to retain its color and pristine condition. Your parking lot looks like new for longer, improving the appearance of your business.

Consider these advantages of sealcoating your business's parking lot, and contact Sealtech Asphalt for more information or to discuss your
options. We provide our services to Tacoma, WA, and the surrounding areas, so contact us today to discuss your sealcoating options.

Maintenance Tips That Make Asphalt Parking Lots Last

By Admin • 30 Nov, 2018
Don't let your asphalt parking lot fall into disrepair. Read to learn about several maintenance tips any business owner can implement.

4 Types of Compaction Forces

By Admin • 22 Nov, 2018
Compaction lies at the heart of every paving project, whether you're using asphalt or concrete. In the case of asphalt,compaction helps to ensure a tight, smooth surface. However,even before asphalt or concrete can be placed, the underlying ground must be evenly compacted. This process ensures a stable foundation and prevents problems that might otherwise occur as the result of shifting soil density.

Paving contractors carry out the process of compaction using heavy-duty machines appropriately known as compactors. But not all compactors are the same. These machines may differ in terms of the particular types of compaction forces they utilize.

This article will help to further your understanding of paving installation by discussing the four types of compaction forces used to ensure stable, long-lasting paving results

When to Seal Asphalt Driveways

By admin • 18 Oct, 2018
This guide tells you when you should seal your asphalt driveway. Contact the experts at Sealtech Asphalt for their sealing services.

SealAsphalt Cracks the Right Way | SealtechAsphalt

By Admin • 11 Jul, 2018
Asphalt is one ofthe most durable pavingmaterials,and good repairscan help it lastalong time. Read this blog to learn aboutsealing asphalt properly

Why Your Asphalt Parking Lot Needs Patching | Sealtech Asphalt Inc.

By Admin • 12 Dec, 2017

4 Reasons Your Asphalt Parking Lot Needs Patching

Asphalt parking lots may look relatively invulnerable, but like anything else left out in the weather, they can degrade over time. Whether you've fallen behind on maintenance or whether the asphalt is cracking and crumbling because of faulty construction or installation, seeing potholes and alligator cracks appear can be quite a disconcerting experience.

If this does happen to you, you may want to find out what the underlying problem is in order to make informed decisions about repairs. Here are four reasons these types of damages can occur.


1. Weathering

The weather doesn't have any immediately apparent effect on your parking lot, but over time, the damage builds up. Different types of weather, such as UV rays, fluctuating temperatures, and freeze-thaw cycles, can affect the asphalt in various ways:

  • UV rays degrade the quality of the tarry substance holding the pavement together, making the pavement less supple and more crumbly.
  • Fluctuating temperatures cause the asphalt to expand and contract, causing cracks, especially after the pavement has sustained some UV damage and is more brittle.
  • Freeze-thaw cycles attack your asphalt by causing water that's settled in little crannies in your pavement to expand, forcing the cranny's edges apart to cause cracks.

As you can see, the outside world is no friend to your parking lot. Even if this is the only factor causing cracks, you still need to keep up with maintenance if you want a long-lived asphalt surface and hope to avoid potholes.


2. High Traffic

Heavy traffic levels (especially extremely heavy vehicles) can not only cause cracks but also other types of damage such as buckling — and they can eventually lead to potholes as well.

The more customers you get, the more stress your pavement takes, which is why experts recommend that you occasionally have your parking lot re-painted. By repainting your parking lot and designating new parking areas, you allow different areas of the parking lot to take the heaviest traffic, extending the life of your parking lot.


3. Incorrect Installation

You may have inherited your parking lot from the previous facility owner, and if so, you may not have been around when the parking lot was installed. But you can probably imagine how many problems can occur if the contractor did a poor installation job. Here are just a few of them:

  • Alligator cracking
  • Sunken areas/depressions
  • Buckling
  • Slippage cracks
  • Ruts

Some of these, such as alligator cracking, can be caused by other problems. However, if your pavement is only one or two years old and already has alligator cracks, that's not normal.


4. Oil Leaks

Depending on the type of business you have, your customers may leave their cars in your parking lot for hours at a time — and some of the cars may have slow oil leaks. Oil leaks are a problem for you because the oil breaks down the tarry glue holding your parking lot together, leaving the spot unprotected. If they are not cleaned up, these oil spots can actually lead to potholes.

The initial damage is less extreme. First, the oil eats away at the surface of the asphalt and allows water through. Next, the water works its way all the way down through the layers and causes water damage to the parking lot's foundational levels. Then the entire area of asphalt deteriorates, becomes shot through with cracks, and eventually breaks up until a crater forms.

If you don't patch the area before the pothole finishes forming, the damage could already be spreading to the surrounding asphalt and weakening it as well.

Knowing that your asphalt needs patching is the first step towards getting it patched. The next step is contacting a reputable and experienced company  in your area for a quote, so give Sealtech Asphalt Inc. a call today to discuss how we can help you.

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