Best Practices For Parking Lot Paving and Maintenance

For business owners, the condition of your parking lot says a lot about your business. Nice, smooth pavement that’s properly maintained sets the tone for care and professionalism while a parking lot that’s filled with broken glass and cracked pavement tells a whole different story. A parking lot is the front face of your business–it’s one of the first things that your customers see when they arrive. Therefore, by keeping it in excellent shape, your business can maintain a proper professional exterior.

Keeping Your Parking Lot Pavement in Peak Condition

Even the most durable asphalt pavement systems can’t escape the weathering of Mother Nature, which is why consistent maintenance is key to keeping your parking lot in peak condition. To achieve a well-maintained parking lot, there are a few methods property owners can use to ensure pinnacle results. Let’s take a closer look at a few examples:

Preventing potholes and cracks: Preventative measures should always be implemented to ensure that your parking lot won’t succumb to cracking and potholes. With ample cracking and holes in your parking lot pavement, water can collect, freeze, and expand which will lead to further damage during winter seasons. Crackfilling is a great method for cleaning out pavement cracks and preventing future cracks from forming. Crackfilling will reduce the ability for water to seep in and weaken the pavement with moisture. Typically, you can use asphalt emulsions, asphalt cements, fiberized asphalt, or polymer-modified emulsions for crackfilling.

Sealing cracks: Sealing cracks is another excellent method that will help to keep your parking lot pavement in great condition. When using the cracksealing method, you have to grind out the crack a little wider–by at least half an inch–so you can create a reservoir for the crackseal material. The sealant material provides excellent flexibility during various thermal changes, including frigid temperatures. For cracksealing, you can use asphalt rubber or rubberized asphalt. For long-term performance, cracksealing is the way to go.

Surface treatments: Surface treatments are a great way to keep your pavement strong and intact. Depending on your preferences, there are many surface treatments you can choose from. Some options include coatings, penetrating or rejuvenation sealers, and aggregate-based seals. These treatments can help you save money over time since they will protect your pavement from developing cracks in the future.

By utilizing these methods, you will be able to keep your parking lot pavement in excellent shape. With a smooth, crack-free parking lot, the exterior of your property will be welcoming to all.