The Most Common Factors Which Can Harm Commercial Asphalt Paving

What’s Wrecking Your Commercial Asphalt Paving?

April 20, 2018/0 Comments/in Commercial /by Ben House

When you have a commercial asphalt paving installation, it’s going to need periodic maintenance and repairs from an asphalt paving company.  However, there’s a lot you can do to help reduce the amount of maintenance that needs to be done!

By understanding what causes harm to your blacktop, you can avoid those factors and significantly extend its lifespan.

The Most Common Factors Which Can Harm Commercial Asphalt Paving

1 – Standing water 

Commercial paving is robust and weather-treated, but one thing it is simply not designed to do is hold water for long periods of time.  A standing puddle of water will quickly eat away at the sealant and start working its way into the pavement itself.  That’s how cracks begin.

If you spot standing water on your asphalt frequently, that usually means there’s a dip or depression at that spot.  You’ll want to call in an asphalt paving company to re-level your blacktop, and ensure water flows away without settling.

2 – Heavy vehicles

The heavier the vehicle, the more it’s going to tear up the surface it’s driving on.  This isn’t an issue with standard cars, but it will become more and more of a problem as you allow larger vehicles, like big rigs and delivery trucks, onto your blacktop.  And heavy machinery can chew it up incredibly quickly.

Whenever possible, keep heavy vehicles off your asphalt.  If it will be unavoidable, talk to your asphalt contractor about extra-sturdy asphalt blends for heavy traffic areas.

3 – Poor initial laying

This is why you should do a lot of research before hiring an asphalt paving company.  If the contractor uses the wrong mix of asphalt, doesn’t properly prepare the soil below, or doesn’t allow the asphalt to set long enough, the result will be a failure-prone blacktop.  In some cases, the only solution is to rip it out and start over – at significant expense.

But, perhaps the biggest factor in asphalt paving damage is…

4 – Ignoring small problems

The best time to fix a small crack in your pavement is right now.  Aside from installation issues, nearly all big problems with an asphalt surface begin as small problems.  Minor cracks or the beginnings of potholes can be fixed cheaply and easily.  But once they’ve gotten bigger, the costs rapidly spiral upwards.

For reliable commercial asphalt paving and repairs, contact Mt. Pleasant Blacktopping – trusted by Ohioans for over sixty years!

 The Most Common Factors Which Can Harm Commercial Asphalt Paving