Laying Down the Pavement

Essential Tasks for a Long-Lasting Asphalt Pavement

4 August 2021 by Clifton Sullivan

Asphalt sealing, crack filling, and repairs are essential steps for your pavement to last for decades. To help you manage its maintenance and care, here are some essential tasks to help you keep up with the condition of your pavement and its long-lasting durability.

Be Sure to Crack Seal

Before you can complete any surface sealant or apply a new top finish layer on your asphalt, you need to repair the existing structure. Crack filling is one of the most common types of repairs, especially the more aged and dried out your pavement's surface becomes. Wind, rain, sun's rays, and freezing temperatures can all put wear on your pavement's surface, resulting in cracks that grow larger and eventually lead to holes. Be sure you follow a regular crack filling and patching schedule to repair these areas of damage, especially if you are planning to seal coat your pavement.

Look at the Application Process

The process by which you apply a seal coat treatment to your pavement can make all the difference in your time and budget. There are a few different ways you can apply a seal coat, whether you hire it professionally or you complete it as a DIY project. If you want the project completed professionally, the seal coat crew will usually spray on the application to apply the emulsion evenly and fill in all cracks and imperfections over the pavement. 

However, some professionals will apply the seal coat with a slurry that they spread by using a squeegee. This squeegee application is similarly effective and will give your seal coating a uniform consistency. If you are applying your own seal coating, be sure to use a squeegee specifically for seal coating. This will provide you a long handle and wide coverage to help you smooth it evenly over the pavement.

Add on Additional Repair Materials

In addition to applying a single layer of protective seal coat emulsion, you can add to the treatment of your pavement surface to provide additional strength and durability to your pavement. When you have a driveway or private roadway that has become cracked and you want to strengthen its use, you can do so with seal coating and without having to repave with a new layer of hot mix asphalt. 

After a seal coat treatment has been applied onto your repaired surface, the crew can cover the seal coat with a thin layer of crushed aggregate material, such as rock, recycled concrete, or slag to be compressed together to build a strong top layer to your traffic area. This is a very durable layer that keeps your budget on track and gives you good pavement.

Keep these tips in mind when looking for asphalt sealing services.

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