If you want to keep your asphalt pavement in good condition, you’ll need to seal it. Crack filling, preparation of the asphalt surface, and applying a coal tar-based pavement sealer under ideal weather conditions are essential to the success of a sealcoating program.
To seal paved surfaces, a liquid substance is sprayed over the surface of the asphalt to fill in the gaps and protect the asphalt from the elements.
If the asphalt isn’t sealed, it becomes more brittle and prone to breaking. Leaving asphalt pavement exposed to the elements for an extended time may cause significant harm.
What Does Asphalt Sealcoating Do?
Asphalt sealcoating materials come in various forms, but they always operate by first cleaning and mending the existing surface, then saturating the asphalt with a liquid sealer and letting it cure to produce an impenetrable barrier.
It extends the pavement’s life.
Sealcoating helps keep a road surface longer by doing all of these things. When adequately cared for, a well-built asphalt surface may live well into the 15-year mark. Sealcoating is a critical step in this upkeep.
It slows deterioration from oxidation.
Pavement sealer is applied to the pavement surface to preserve the asphalt binder from exposure to the elements rather than the binder itself. You can extend the life of your pavement if you apply sealer regularly, often every two or three years.
It prevents subsurface water infiltration.
The fine aggregate used in almost all sealers fills in hairline fractures, an early symptom of aged asphalt. Filling these fractures increases the lifespan of the asphalt pavement by preventing water from seeping under the surface.
It prevents the asphalt binder from being contaminated by oil and gas.
Any oil-based liquid that seeps onto asphalt will “join” with the binder and soften it. As a result, the pavement might be damaged much more quickly and extensively. In a leak of this sort, sealcoating will keep your pavement safe.
It enhances flexibility.
A “flexible” surface like asphalt pavement is compared to a “stiff” surface like concrete pavement. Asphalt pavement bends (in a small way) with the weight of vehicles driving on it. Traffic may cause fractures in the pavement as it ages and becomes more fragile. It is possible to prevent cracking and brittleness in the pavement by applying sealer regularly.
It increases traction.
The tiny sand-sized particles wear away first on an asphalt surface as they mature. A sealer containing sand or boiler slag keeps the particles in place and refills the surface, allowing for some more traction to be added to your driveway.
It enables easier pavement cleaning.
Even though this does not affect the pavement, it may be helpful. If you don’t believe it, try it with a push broom on your concrete sidewalk and then on a portion of sealcoated pavement. Sealing the surface of the concrete helps the broom glide over it more readily.
We all know that nothing lasts forever, and asphalt pavement is no exception. You may, however, prolong the life of your asphalt parking lot with regular maintenance and repair, including sealcoating.
There’s no need to go further to find an asphalt sealcoat paving firm. You can rely on A-Rock Asphalt Services for all of your asphalt needs. Contact us now to learn more.