Parking Lot Maintenance – A Complete Guide in 10 Steps

A parking lot in need of maintenance with some cars parked

Parking lot maintenance is the regular process of maintaining and repairing your pavement to prolong its life and maintain its aesthetics. While some homeowners rarely maintain their parking lots, doing so will keep them in tip-top shape. So what are some of the ways to maintain your parking lot? 

To maintain parking lots, homeowners must perform a series of activities including assessment and planning, regular cleaning, patching and crack sealing, seal coating, drainage maintenance, landscaping, snow removal, and lighting maintenance. It’s also advisable to conduct regular inspections to identify problems early enough. 

If you’ve just set up your dream parking lot and want to ensure the pavement lasts long, then you couldn’t be in a better place. Read on as we take a closer look at some proven ways of prolonging your parking lot’s life and keeping it in top condition. 

What Is The Parking Lot Maintenance?

Parking lot maintenance is the process of inspecting, maintaining, and repairing your parking lot to keep it in good shape. Regular maintenance ensures your parking lot remains in excellent condition both functionally and aesthetically. 

It’s crucial to regularly maintain your parking lot as it is exposed to daily traffic and the elements, which significantly increase the risk of premature wear and tear. Inspecting your parking lot for cracks or any issues allows you to address the problems early enough, and at affordable costs. 

The Benefits of Regular Parking Lot Maintenance

An underground car park fixed after the intervention of maintenance workers

Investing in a paved parking lot can be costly, especially if your outdoor area is large. The costs can even be higher if you use exotic or costly materials to make your pavement stand out. As such, it is vital to take good care of your outdoor investment. Below are some of the main benefits of maintaining your parking lot regularly. 

Attractive Appearance

Maintaining your parking lot regularly ensures it remains aesthetically appealing months and even years after being set up. By restriping your driveway and parking lot, your parking lot will appear neat and tidy regardless of its age. In addition to looking attractive, a well-maintained parking lot increases your home’s value, especially if regularly inspected and repaired. 

Prolonged Life

Investing in a proper parking lot isn’t a cheap affair, and maintaining it regularly will ensure it serves its purpose for decades to come. An ill-maintained parking lot won’t be able to withstand the wear and tear associated with the elements and regular usage. However, by making regular repairs, you’ll boost your parking lot’s overall durability and attractiveness. 

Reduced Costs 

Regular parking lot maintenance allows you to detect issues early and make the necessary repairs and improvements without wasting any time. Fixing tiny cracks and holes will cost you a lot less compared to the repairs you’ll need to make to repair massive issues. This can end up saving you thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs over the years. 

Improved Safety 

Restriping a parking lot and sealing cracks (and holes) improves the overall safety of your driveway and parking area. The increased visibility allows for proper traffic and parking arrangements. Not only does this improve overall safety but it also ensures that cars are well organized outside. 

How to Carry Out Parking Maintenance in 10 Steps

A parking lot for disabled people and women with small children perfectly maintained after maintenance

It’s important to maintain your parking lot if you’re to extend its life and get the most out of it. In this section, we take a look at 10 proven ways to keep your parking lot in good shape. 

1. Assessment and Planning 

Perhaps the most important part of maintaining your parking lot is conducting regular inspections. You should stay proactive and inspect for any irregularities such as cracks or built-up dirt. Ensure you check everywhere, paying special attention to the most commonly used areas, as they’re more susceptible to faster tear and wear. 

2. Regular Cleaning

Cleaning your parking lot regularly is among the best ways to keep it in pristine condition. Pressure washing your parking lot is ideal for removing dirt and spots. It’s advisable to use hot water as it will soften the stains and remove stubborn dirt. Before you pressure wash your parking lot, however, it’s best to sweep the layer of dirt on the surface. 

3. Crack Sealing and Patching

As the parking lot gets more traffic, cracks will start to develop over time. The problem with cracks is that they tend to grow larger over time, and can be hard (and costly) to repair if not fixed early enough. Be on the lookout for cracks and ensure you patch them immediately after you spot them. 

4. Sealcoating

Sealcoating your driveway allows you to protect the surface of your pavement and fill the cracks and crevices. This prevents the water and dirt from getting into those gaps and widening them to form cracks and holes.  In addition to prolonging your driveway’s life, sealing also keeps it looking good. Sealcots also help increase the melting rate of snow and ice. 

5. Striping and Marking 

The view from above of a car park following maintenance

As your parking lot continues to age, so too, will its lines and marks. A good rule of thumb to observe is to restrip your parking lot every 18-24 months, or earlier, depending on its condition. Not only is a newly striped lot attractive but it also enhances overall safety and traffic organization. 

6. Drainage Maintenance

Standing water can severely damage your parking lot, as it increases the likelihood of crack and pothole formation. These repairs can prove costly over time, especially if you don’t take the necessary measures and act fast. Consider installing a drainage system to ensure rainwater doesn’t stand on your parking lot. 

7. Landscaping 

While some homeowners might not view landscaping as important to parking lot maintenance, it can play a vital role in keeping your parking lot neat. For instance, curbing around your lawn or flowerbed helps prevent dirt from building up on your driveway. What’s more, a beautiful landscape will complement your parking lot by enhancing its overall attractiveness. 

8. Lighting Maintenance

The importance of good lighting in a parking lot cannot be overstated. Without proper lighting, it will be difficult to see the striping well. A well-lit parking lot is also a lot more attractive compared to a poorly lit one or one with flickering lights. 

To ensure your parking lot remains in top condition, you should regularly inspect and maintain your lights. It’s advisable to clean fixtures after a couple of months depending on how dusty or windy your area is. Consider upgrading your fixtures or replacing old light bulbs if you’re in need of better lighting. 

Read more: Eco-Friendly Parking Lot

9. Snow and Ice Removal

Removing snow and ice is crucial to maintaining your parking lot during the winter. Snow accumulation is particularly harmful to your parking lot as it thaws and creates puddles. The water that forms around potholes and cracks can freeze to form ice and worsen the issue. To be on the safe side, it is highly advisable to remove snow and ice as soon as you can. 

10. Regular Inspections

The workers are evaluating the conditions of the parking lot and have decided to intervene to repair it

The best way to prevent your parking lot from premature wear and tear is to conduct regular inspections, especially if your parking lot is a high-traffic area. Be on the lookout for cracks, potholes, and built-up dirt. We strongly advise that you fix the problem as soon as possible to avoid dealing with greater (and costlier) issues.  

Cost of Maintaining a Parking Lot

Experts say that in the first 10 years of life of an asphalt or concrete lot, it costs roughly 8 cents per square foot to maintain. Preventative measures will be 14-16 cents per square foot, and more complex preventions can set you back 60-65 cents for a simple overlay and even up to $1 for a more extensive project.

A parking lot located in a place that experiences snow is more vulnerable and will need more repair. Sealing will be scraped off during snow removal, causing the pavement to crack faster than usual. If the owner reseals the lot as soon as needed, it would cost around 19 cents per square foot. If the owner fails to reseal it in a timely manner, the parking lot would then need resurfacing, which on average costs $1.60 per square foot. 

Regrading a gravel lot costs less than 10 cents per square foot.

On average, the cost of painting over faded lines is about $4.25 per 18-foot line. 

While proper maintenance will protect your investment, don’t forget to be sure you have the parking lot installed correctly to begin with! Avoid further damage costs by using proper installation techniques.

Choose a contractor who has experience in your specific lot needs. Find a company that will create a parking lot and a maintenance package that suits your needs and strategizes around your budget

DIY Vs Professionals Car Park Maintenance

A professional is doing maintenance on the parking lot

You might be wondering which option between hiring an expert to maintain your car park or doing it yourself is better. Well, it all depends on personal preferences, the size of the property, and of course, your budget. 

Making parking lot maintenance a DIY project is a great idea if you don’t have a massive driveway (and parking lot) and want to minimize overall costs. However, it does come with its fair share of challenges, especially if you know little about maintenance. Instead of reducing costs, you may end up paying more, especially if you don’t inspect, clean and make repairs early enough. 

While outsourcing parking lot maintenance to professionals might sound expensive, it can end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long run. The experts will routinely inspect your property, making necessary repairs and improvements along the way. The total cost of outsourcing largely depends on local rates, the material needed, and the extent of repair needed or improvements required. 

Wrapping Up

Maintaining your parking lot regularly is highly advisable if you want it to stand out and last for years. Remember to sweep and clean your parking lot regularly to prevent dirt and debris build-up. 

It’s also advisable to inspect your driveway and parking area regularly to identify (and fix) cracks as soon as possible. Consider outsourcing to professionals if you know little about repairs and maintenance or you just want to ensure your parking lot remains in tip-top shape. 

Check out more articles on how to maintain your driveway and parking areas here. 

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Concrete Parking Lot − 5 Benefits That Help Your Business

Concrete Parking Lot

Considering a concrete parking lot is the right decision for your business because it can withstand extreme environmental exposure and significant vehicular loads. Today over 80% of driveways are paved with asphalt. However, its rising prices and ability to deteriorate fast have made concrete the best alternative. 

A concrete parking lot is the first step toward creating a positive impression on potential customers. Parking lots undoubtedly receive a great deal of vehicle and foot traffic, which could cause your parking lot to wear out easily. You need a parking space with low starting costs and minimal maintenance. Concrete parking lots offer low maintenance costs, multiple colors, and texture design options. It’s the best choice if you’re considering cost and aesthetic appeal.

However, there are many reasons concrete can demonstrate its superiority to asphalt and other paving options. It can provide significant cost savings, reduce the amount of energy required to cool buildings, and improve safety. In this article, we explain all you need to know about concrete parking lot as a business owner.

The Benefits of a Concrete Parking Lot for your Business

An excellent parking lot can help your business run efficiently. Your parking lot is the first impression your building gives to your employees or clients. It tells to an extent what they should expect within the building. Concrete helps many business owners design a durable parking lot that can withstand pressure, and the aesthetic is appealing enough to draw more clients. The following are the benefits of concrete parking space for your business:

Low Maintenance 

Concrete requires low maintenance without much work; to maintain its beauty, you must remove debris and debt from the surface. It is the best option for your business if you are always busy and have little time to take care of your parking lots.

It Is Eco Friendly 

Concrete is recyclable and causes zero harm to the environment. It requires less machinery to keep your parking lot healthy and safe, and most concrete mixes are made from natural and chemical-free materials. 

Durability 

Concrete parking lots are more robust and durable; you do not need so much money to fix or maintain your parking lots. Under the weight of traffic and heavy vehicles, your concrete parking space will still maintain its integrity.

A concrete parking lot reflect the sunset light

Concrete Reflects Light At Night

To improve the safety and security of your employees, lighting up your parking lot is significant. Concrete reflects light at night and helps you save money on energy over a long time.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Concrete comes in several color schemes, including white, gray, brick red, and brick brown, which can appeal to your taste. It can be constructed with textured and colored patterns to suit your business brand. 

How Thick Should Concrete Parking Lots Be?

The American Concrete Institute’s ACI 330: contains the guide for constructing concrete parking lot. The guide contains the exact inches you need which will vary based on certain factors.

  • The size of the aggregate mixture, 
  • The type of the component (beams, slabs, reinforcement), 
  • The fire resistance standard, soil condition, 
  • The driveway function,
  • Your budget.

Also, the strength of your concrete will affect its thickness. Stronger concrete can be a few inches thinner because it can withstand more pressure than weaker concrete.

Therefore, your parking lot concrete must be at least 6 to 12 inches thick based on the anticipated load and subbase strength. Concrete constructors usually use 6 inches for parking lots that would face a lot of traffic pressure. For seasonal parking lots, 4 inches thick is perfect for your concrete pavement.

Concrete parking lot cost

The price for a concrete driveway or parking lot breaks down to about 4 to 6 dollars per square foot. This price includes the cost of labor and the materials needed to install the concrete. Factors like; location, distance, traffic, size of the parking lot, the scope of work, and lightning requirements may affect the price of your concrete parking space.

A concrete parking lot with design lines

Concrete parking lot maintenance

Concrete parking lots are known to last the test of time; however, as you continue to drive or walk on them, they will start to deteriorate and reveal their age. A proper maintenance routine will help improve its lifespan. 

Below are a few steps that will maintain your parking lot and preserve its life.

Cleaning 

Concrete parking lots will require some regular maintenance. A large push brush assists in removing debris from the surface and keeping it clean for a long time. Power washing is another alternative for cleaning your parking lot. Before washing your concrete driveway, ensure your drainage system is effective and in good condition. 

Fill Up Crack 

Aside from being aesthetically unappealing, cracks and potholes disturb your parking experience. Once your concrete driveway is cracked, ensure you fill it up to avoid crack expansion. Concrete repairs and filling up the surface are always advisable if you want to improve the performance and lifespan of your parking lot.  

Remove Stains From your Concrete Parking Lot

Oil stains are a common problem with parking lots that are always busy or used. Removing these stains will prevent them from sticking to the floor and messing with the aesthetic of your parking lot. Stain removal will help clear every stain without destroying or scaring some parts of your concrete. Removing stains from your pavement is an integral part of maintenance and should be carefully done. 

Different cars parked on the old parking lot

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Concrete parking lot repair

Next to maintaining your parking lot, concrete parking lot repair helps to preserve the lifespan of your concrete pavement. This is because your business parking lot can suffer cracks when heavy trucks or vehicles are always parked on it or suffer from potholes, flakes, salt damage, or other extreme weather conditions. Follow these easy steps for your concrete parking lot repair:

Identify The Source Of Damage

Before you can repair the damage on your parking lot, you must identify the course of the damage and decide the method of repair that will best suit your pavement. For example:

  • if your business parking lot is cracked, a bonding adhesive will help you fix every track and keep them a staple for a long time. 
  • if your driveway has many shifted sections, you can invite a contractor to grind down the high side. 

Knowing the exact cause of the damage will save you time and money. 

Surface Preparation

Preparing the concrete surface is the first step to fixing any substantial damage. Remove any shaky concrete, debris, or shattered parts from the surface. You must ensure that all parts of your parking lots are free from dirt, clean, and ready for repair. 

Fix Cracks, Potholes, or Flakes. 

If your concrete driveway or parking lot is cracked, broken, or has many potholes or flakes, consider fixing them using the correct repair method. You can also decide to do your repairs yourself or contact a concrete constructor to help you handle the job.

Some good repair techniques include: 

  • Leveling
  • Concrete crack repair and patching
  • Joint sealing 
  • Cutting and sectional repair 
  • Overlay and slap restoration
  • Epoxy injections and
  • Complete replacement

Replace Your Parking Lot

After evaluating the cause of your damage, you will have to decide between fixing or replacing your parking lot pavement. Sometimes, fixing alone won’t do the work of keeping it together and preserving its lifespan. Replacing your pavement, especially when it has served you for a long time, is the best thing to do. Replacing your concrete pavement will keep you in business and reduce your stress, worry, and complaints. 

A asphalt and concrete comparison.

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Concrete vs. asphalt

For years concrete and asphalt parking lots have been compared with each other; because they are the two essential pavement materials. Homeowners and businesses always struggle to decide between concrete and asphalt parking lots; pavement materials have a gravel base and many similarities. However, they still have a distinctive difference that gives concrete paving a substantial advantage over asphalt parking lots. 

Lifespan and Durability 

When compared to concrete, asphalt parking lots are less durable. With regular maintenance, asphalt lifespan can be preserved and protected from damage. However, a concrete driveway can last up to 50 years or more.

Maintenance and Repair 

Concrete is less challenging to maintain and preserve. With early maintenance plans, your concrete business parking lot will remain decent for a long time. Remember that asphalt repair is more expensive and hard to carry out than concrete.

Concrete Vs. Asphalt Parking Lot Aesthetic 

It’s easier to be creative with the concrete pavement; you can stain, tint or design concrete to give you the desired effect. Concrete finishing provides different colors or hues to its natural color. While asphalt is easy to install, it must be filled and compressed, and the result is usually black. 

Cost and Price Difference 

The cost of installing asphalt pavement is always cheaper than concrete. It usually costs 2 to 4 dollars to install asphalt pavement and 4$ to 6$ per square foot for concrete.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a good driveway or parking lot that can withstand pressure, you should look towards concrete parking lots. When used for homes or business parking lots, they are more durable, flexible, and require less maintenance. 

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How Much Does Parking Lot Striping Cost?

parking lot striping cost

Without proper parking lot striping, getting cars in and out of the parking lot in a safe and orderly manner is near impossible, which is why striping a parking lot is such a necessary task. Of course, you’re here because you’re likely concerned about the parking lot striping cost.

On average, people pay anywhere from $400 to $500 for striping a parking lot with 30-50 parking spaces, though the price can easily go up or down depending on the size of the lot and your particular needs.

To help you determine a clearer idea of your potential parking lot striping costs, come dive in with us as we take you through our parking lot striping guide.

Parking Lot Striping Cost

So, you just got done paving your parking lot, and now you’re looking to stripe it. 

When it comes to striping a parking lot, the cost is typically determined in two ways, including the cost per linear foot or the cost per line. It’s not often that you will find parking lot stripers that charge by square footage.

Per linear foot, you can expect to pay anywhere from $.20 to $1.00. Of course, this depends on the types of lines needed, which we will get into later.

A single parking stall will often cost anywhere between $4 to $5. The lines are typically a minimum of four inches thick.

Learn more about pavement striping with our helpful guide:

Pavement Striping – A Guide To Professional Services

An asphalt parking lot with newly paint striping.

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What Are The Costs Of Parking Lot Striping?

There are other factors to determine a more accurate number for your parking lot striping cost.

For example, you might need to have additional markings in your parking lot like logos, directional arrows, loading zones, or fire lanes. These kinds of additions will push your costs up. You might also have to mark your curbs, which typically comes out to around $1 per linear foot. 

There are some additional markings that you will need to use color paint for, which can increase your costs overall. 

It’s important to keep in mind that larger parking lots will often mean higher prices, as they will require more spaces and more specialized additions, such as handicapped spaces. 

The Cost Of Different Parking Lot Lines

There are different costs for different types of lines that you’ll need to keep in mind. These line markings can vary in price, though are often anywhere from $20 to $30. Here are some of the different lines you might expect to pay for and their average costs:

  • Single line for parking lot stall – $4 to $5
  • Stop line – $20 to $30
  • Stenciled parking space letters – $2 to $4 per space letter
  • Stenciled parking space numbers – $1.50 to $3.50 per number
  • Handicapped stalls – $25 to $30 per stall
  • Arrows – $10 to $20 per arrow
  • Pedestrian crosswalks – $50 to $75 per crosswalk

If you decide to paint angled stalls, note that you will likely pay more than you would be painting regular stalls. 

Keep in mind that these costs will vary depending on the number of lines that you need in your parking lot, the types of lines that you require, and the amount of paint that you need to use to finish the job. 

A professional painting company will often pay anywhere from $80 to $150 for a five-gallon tub of paint. The parking lot striping company will usually provide you with this cost upfront in your initial quote. 

We highly recommend using water-based acrylic if you want your parking lot to look its best and last the longest.

Old parking lot with arrow paint guide on the building.

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Parking Lot Restriping Cost

Parking lot restriping often costs the same as regular parking lot striping. You can expect to pay anywhere from around $300 to $700 for a regular parking lot with 30 to 50 spaces. Of course, as we said before, these costs can vary based on your specific needs and any additional elements you need to be painted in your parking lot. 

How Much Time Is Needed To Stripe or Restripe a Parking Lot?

The amount of time it takes to stripe or restripe a parking lot will depend on a few factors. 

You’ll have to consider the size of your parking lot, the number of workers you have on the job, and the type of machinery that you are using to get the job done. 

Once the paint is laid down, the time it takes for it to dry will vary.

If you’re working on a hot summer day, the paint can dry and be ready to drive on in about an hour, though we recommend giving it at least four hours to be safe, as that is typically how long it takes for lines to cure. 

Lack of sunlight or cold weather can affect how long it takes. If you’re working in colder weather, we recommend using solvent-based traffic paint. 

Consider sealcoating your parking lot so that your striping job lasts longer.

Further reading: Best Parking Lot Sealer to Consider For Your Lot

A concrete parking lot with white striping.

Read More:

How Much Does It Cost To Remove Parking Lot Striping?  

The cost for removing lines from a parking lot can vary, though it costs anywhere from around $200 to $500 on average. 

Final Thoughts

We hope that you now have a better idea of what you can expect from your parking lot striping cost. Once done, it’s a good idea to restripe your parking lot every 18 to 24 months to keep it looking fresh and new. 

Of course, the amount of time you can leave in between restriping depends on whether or not you have high-volume traffic and what kind of climate you live in.
Here at Paving Finder, we’re consistently looking for new ways to help people find the best paving services for their needs. We highly recommend joining our pro network if you want to get in touch with top-rated paving professionals in your area.

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Parking Lot Sealcoating – What Are The Benefits And Costs?

Parking Lot Sealcoating

When it comes to managing and prolonging the life of your parking lot, sealcoating is one of the most important elements. 

Sealcoating is a thin coat of either asphalt cement or coal tar pitch mixed with emulsifying agents, water, and inert fillers to seal and protect pavement surfaces from UV rays, water, salt, oil, and gasoline.

Of course, you might be wondering whether or not sealcoating is a necessary element for your particular paving job, and whether or not the costs are worth it.

Let’s dive in and explore the ins and outs of parking lot sealcoating so you can make a more informed decision.

What Is Sealcoating a Parking Lot? 

Though asphalt is a long-lasting surface, weather and other variables can wear it down over time, meaning more maintenance must be done to keep it intact. Asphalt will eventually oxidize, becoming faded or grey. When you sealcoat a parking lot, you use a unique mixture (like the one mentioned above) to protect it from weathering and harsh chemicals that can wear it down over time.

In essence, sealcoating can extend the life of your parking lot.

Note that sealcoating is a preventative measure and is not meant to fill asphalt cracks. Always fill cracks before applying sealcoating. 

An asphalt parking lot sealed by worker.

Parking Lot Sealcoating: advantages

1. Reduce Oxidation

When you fill voids on the surface with sealcoating, you essentially reduce its exposure to UV rays and oxygen, which reduces how much gas and oil is able to penetrate through porous parts of the asphalt.

2. Aesthetically Pleasing

After a time, asphalt will become faded and grey. With sealcoating, you can give your parking lot that nice, clean and new look, putting up a positive and professional image of the business, complex, or facility that is attached to it.

3. Reduce Water Entry

Sealcoating also acts as a wonderful agent for waterproofing, which minimizes how much water is able to seep through microscopic cracks in the asphalt. Without proper sealant, water can enter and freeze during cold weather, causing it to thaw and expand, all while shifting the asphalt around it. 

4. Oil and Gas Resistance

Companies will often use coal tars in sealcoating agents, which are impervious to oil and gas spills. When gasoline drips on asphalt when the weather is hot, it can cause the asphalt to soften and break down, meaning more damage in the long run.

5. More Pliable

When you sealcoat asphalt, you darken it, giving it a rich, black color. As we all know, the darker the color, the more heat it attracts and holds onto. Dark black asphalt can retain heat from the sun better, which ultimately makes it more pliable than lighter asphalt. 

When the weather gets really hot, the road will loosen up and its pliability will increase, allowing heavy traffic to drive on top of it without it cracking.

A blue car driving on new asphalt parking lot

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6. Easy Maintenance

When coating an asphalt surface, sealcoating can fill small voids. The end result is a surface that is much smoother and more evened out, which makes it much easier to maintain throughout the year. 

If you are building a parking lot in a place where it snows often, it’s important to note that it is much easier to shovel or plow snow off of a smooth and even surface compared to one that is bumpy and uneven.

7. Easier To Wash

If your parking lot is next to a restaurant, then you more than likely have a dumpster in the area too. With trash floating around, parking lots often need to be pressure washed to maintain a fresh and clean look. You can’t simply sweep grease and food waste away.

However, pressure washing, after many times of doing it, can be damaging to an unsealed parking lot. With proper sealcoating, you can protect your asphalt from pressure washing with high volumes of water and detergents. 

How To Sealcoat a Parking Lot? 

In the United States, you’ll find two major types of sealcoating, including:

  • Asphalt-based emulsion sealcoating
  • Coal-tar emulsion sealcoating

Once you choose the right parking lot sealer, you will use a hydraulic tanker truck to keep the mixture churning as you prepare to lay it down. 

During the mixing process, you will also add anywhere from two to four pounds of sand per gallon of sealcoating emulsion. It’s worth noting that with one gallon of sealcoating emulsion, you can cover around 50 to 60 square feet. 

You can then apply the thin layer of sealcoating with a spray, squeegee, or both. Once applied, you will have to let it dry for around 24 to 36 hours. 

An asphalt parking lot in front of restaurants.

How Often Should a Parking Lot Be Resealed?

If you want to provide your parking lot with the best protection, you will want to reseal it every two to four years on average. However, you want to make sure that you don’t reseal it too frequently, or else you can cause coat peeling, which will ruin your job.

How Much Does It Cost To Sealcoat a Parking Lot?

The cost of sealcoating a parking lot depends on the price of crude oil, which, as we know, is in constant fluctuation. However, on average, you’ll only pay a few pennies per square foot to sealcoat a parking lot, making it a very cost-effective method for increasing the longevity of your parking lot.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this little guide to sealcoating was helpful in maintaining your ultimate parking lot. 

As we said before, make sure to perform and major parking lot repair before you begin the sealcoating process, as sealcoating is not meant to fix large cracks. Here are a few helpful articles on Paving Finder that can help you through the repair process:

If you have any other questions regarding sealing your parking lot, make sure to get in touch with us here at Paving Finder. We look forward to helping you with all of your paving needs!

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Pavement Striping – A Guide To Professional Services

There are several reasons why pavement striping is crucial for any road or parking lot project.

Pavement striping ensures the safety of pedestrians and drivers within your premises, controls the way in which traffic flows to help prevent accidents, maximizes parking space, and improves curb appeal.

Of course, there are many considerations to make if you are planning on hiring someone to stripe your asphalt, pavement, or parking lot. Continue reading to learn more.

What Is Pavement Striping?

In its simplest terms, pavement striping is the process of painting lines on the pavement, such as a road, parking lot, or another surface. We pavement stripe to let people know where to go and set boundaries on otherwise wide-open spaces. 

Asphalt and Concrete Striping

There are many reasons why parking lot managers or road builders make a point of the importance of asphalt and concrete striping. 

Let’s look at a few reasons why a good striping job is so important.

A Good Pavement Striping Job Can Eliminate Confusion

A Good Striping Job Can Eliminate Confusion

Try, if you can, to imagine a large parking lot without any lines. 

It would be an incredibly difficult parking lot to navigate. 

If you’ve ever experienced a parking lot that was really difficult to navigate due to the fact that it wasn’t well-marked, then you already know how handy a well-thought-out striping solution can be. These kinds of marks can eliminate confusion and solve any navigation problems.

A Good Striping Job Can Increase Efficiency

Trying to navigate a very busy parking lot can be stressful, especially when there are tons of other vehicles. A good striping job can be an essential part of a well-planned lot.

It’s important that drifters and pedestrians can enter your parking lot, easily navigate it, and exit without getting into any accidents. 

It also saves people from meandering around a parking lot when it’s crowded, wondering if they are even going the correct way, to begin with. If you own a parking lot attached to your establishment, the last thing you want is a bunch of confused customers who are feeling stressed before they even walk through your doors! 

A Good Striping Job Follows Regulations

There are unique rules in each state, ensuring businesses are accessible to all people. Businesses have to follow strict parking lot guidelines so as to not discriminate against any customers. 

Business owners have to comply with these rules and regulations unless they want to face fines. With a striping job from a professional service, you can bet that your parking lot will be up to code. Ensuring the accessibility of your business is not only an issue of compliance, but it is also great business.

The importance of following regulations when painting lines

How Do You Paint Lines On The Pavement?

While you certainly could paint lines on the pavement by hand, many striping companies will use new technology like striping machines to do a professional job. These machines are far more accurate than painting by hand. 

Here are a few technologies that companies will often use for concrete striping.

Spray Shields

If you’re painting in an area with a lot of wind, spray shields can be helpful. Even high-end striping machines are vulnerable to wind. All it takes is a gust of wind for the paint exiting the machine to change its stream and leave uneven marks all over the surface.

Spray shields are there to protect the paint from the wind to make sure that the stream is uninterrupted with each spray.

Reflective Bead Dispensers

One of the best additions to parking lot stripes is reflective beads. They work to increase visibility for pedestrians and drivers at night. You can attach a reflective bead dispenser to a striping machine, eliminating the need to perform this method manually, which can improve your results and save you tons of time.

Laser Guides

To create a high-quality, professional-looking parking lot, you’ll need to replace faded or dull lines. Of course, without the right tools, this process can be quite difficult. To ensure the best result each time, we recommend utilizing laser guides.

Laser guides work by outlining the location of each new line with a laser beam to make sure things are even and straight.

The different kinds of paints used on pavement

What Kind Of Paint Do You Use On Pavement?

The longevity of your striping job has a lot to do with the kind of paint that you are using on the job.

There are a few different kinds of paint that you can use to paint on pavement. These include:

Oil or Solvent-Based Paint

Oil or solvent-based paint uses oil rather than water. This type of paint is one of the most popular for this application, as it offers supreme durability for how much it costs. Plus, unlike some other types of paints, such as water-based paint, it won’t even freeze in extremely cold weather conditions. 

Water-Based Paint

Water-based paint is mostly made of water. It is the least expensive paint that you can find and the most environmentally friendly. If you’re on a tight budget, water-based paint is one of the best choices. It’s also one of the fastest-drying types of paint out there. 

However, it’s worth noting that it is not very durable.

Thermoplastic Paint

Thermoplastic paint is one of the most durable paint options out there, thanks to the fact that it contains plastics. It is very expensive, however.

Canned Aerosol Line Striping Paint

You can use aerosol line striping paint with a line striping machine to paint your parking lot with ease. With these kinds of canisters, it’s easy to get professional results. If you’re someone who is looking to maintain their parking lot after the initial job is done, having these tools is a great choice.

The duration of pavement paint

How Long Does Pavement Paint Last?

In an ideal situation, striping paint can last for several decades. Of course, this depends on a number of factors, such as the quality of the paint, the volume of traffic, the weather, etc. If durability and longevity are what you’re after, we recommend starting with a higher-quality paint, such as thermoplastic paint. 

Pavement Striping Services

Finding vetted, high-quality striping services can be tough, especially if you’ve never performed a job like this before. Luckily, here at Paving Finder, we have a list of paving companies that you can search through, each of which has been carefully selected.

Make sure to check out these pavement striping companies on our companies page. 

Benefits Of Using Line Striping and Pavement Marking Services

Beyond eliminating confusion, increasing efficiency, and making navigation more manageable, one of the main benefits of using professional line striping and pavement marking services that we want to accentuate is safety.

The last thing you want is to be liable for an accident because you cut corners when designing your parking lot.

Parking lot accidents might seem few and far between, though they can still cost people tons of time and money, not to mention the stress of getting into an accident in the first place.

With clearly marked and professional parking lot striping, you can prevent some of these accidents from happening, keeping your customers and employees safe. Of course, the adjacent benefit is that you save yourself from potential litigation in the case of an accident. If you have a parking lot that is marked clearly, then you can ensure any accidents that take place are not your fault.

It’s also important to note that a professional line striping job can increase curb appeal.

Parking lots that have crisp and clear pavement striping look great!

It’s important to be aware of how much first impressions matter in a business. Even before customers walk in through the front door of your establishment, they’ll judge you based on your parking lot. If they see tons of chipping and faded lines, they’ll think about how unprofessional and unattractive your business is before they even get a chance to see it. 

THe importance of good pavement striping for your business

Final Thoughts – Keeping Your Parking Lot In Line

As you can see, pavement striping is crucial for making sure people have a positive experience in your business. Hiring a professional paving service can ensure that people continue coming back again and again. 

It’s worth noting that pavement striping is not an easy job by any means. A good pavement striper knows about the design and layout of parking lots, ADA requirements, different types of paint, and much more. 

Hiring a competent striper who can provide reliable equipment and professional layout plans is crucial to getting a job done correctly. It’s worth hiring a reputable service if you want to have a positive experience. 
If you have any further questions regarding striping or paving, make sure to get in touch with us here at Paving Finder. You can also check out our long list of blogs for expert paving advice!

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Eco-Friendly Parking Lot – 10 Ways to Be Sustainable

Eco-Friendly Parking Lot

With the growing popularity of eco-friendly vehicles, packaging, clothing, homes, and more, it’s time for us to start considering eco-friendly parking lot construction.

There are many eco-friendly parking lot solutions, including eco-friendly pavers, pervious concrete, and direct paths for water runoff.

Today, we want to take you through a few of our favorite eco-friendly parking lot solutions so you can provide an ample place for parking while doing your part to protect the environment. 

How Do Parking Lots Affect The Environment?

Did you know that the environmental costs of a parking structure can exceed the environmental costs of cars?

Creating and maintaining a parking lot requires a large amount of energy and produces an even greater amount of emissions over the course of its lifetime. Beyond that, parking lots often accumulate pollutants, including grease, oils, sediment, and heavy metals. 

When it rains, the water washes these pollutants off into waterways, creating a significant environmental impact. 

Furthermore, the more parking lots we have, the less green space we have room to maintain.

A cars parked on eco-friendly parking lot

How Do You Make an Eco-Friendly Parking Lot?

Use Eco-Friendly Paint

Paint is one of the most common air pollutants. Many types of paint contain Volatile Organic Compounds, such as xylene, toluene hydrocarbons, ammonia, and glycol. These paints are far from eco-friendly and can wreak havoc on the health of humans, animals, and plants.

Consider bio-degradable paints for your parking lot, containing little to no VOCs.

Direct Water Runoff

Focus on where the rainwater will go when constructing your parking lot. Water will go its natural course if you don’t, eroding soil, damaging your asphalt, and bringing pollutants. Therefore, it’s a good idea to construct some type of drainage system that directs rainwater to an area that’s appropriate, such as a lake, swamp, or stream.

Use Eco-Friendly Pavers

The best solution for an eco-friendly parking lot is permeable locking pavers. These unique pavers allow for water infiltration, unlike your standard asphalt or concrete tarmacking. With these kinds of pavers, you don’t need to worry about flooding nearly as much, as rainwater slowly seeps into the ground to recharge local streams and groundwater supply. 

Use Pervious Concrete

While not as green as the pavers mentioned above, pervious concrete provides an element of infiltration when well-maintained. Similar to a plastic pavement system, pervious concrete provides natural rainwater filtration and reduces the number of pollutants found in runoff. 

Plant Grass

Not only do grass parking lots look great, but they are also wonderfully sustainable. Of course, you can’t just plant any only grass, as regular grass attract rut and mud. Instead, we recommend planting plastic pavers to stabilize the grass you plant, thereby improving drainage while keeping your infrastructure intact. 

DO NOTE: Grass is best for parking lots with light traffic. Heavy traffic can kill the grass, leaving you with a bare, ugly, and dead parking lot.

A plants and trees on asphalt parking lot

Related Articles:

Plant the Correct Plants

It’s a good idea to plant plants native to your parking lot’s region, as these plants should be well-adapted to the moisture of the soil and the local climate. For example, consider planting trees and shrubs for islands or planting long flower beds or strips atop raised curbing. Not only will this make your parking lot more eco-friendly, but it will also make it far more inviting. 

Use Recycled Concrete or Asphalt

You can produce an eco-friendly parking lot with recycled concrete and asphalt. The beauty of this process is that it is far less resource-intensive compared to using new materials. In addition, it’s often easy to recycle these materials from old roadways on-site as well, getting rid of the need for environmentally impactful outsourcing. 

Use a Bio-Based Asphalt Sealant

Regular asphalt can take a mighty toll on the environment, which is why it’s a good idea to find ways to make your asphalt as eco-friendly as possible. We recommend finding PAH-free, low-VOC bio-based asphalt sealants. Not only do these work wonders in repairing and resealing surfaces, but they are also much better for the environment than standard products. 

Maximize Shading

Not only do shade trees and landscaping make for a more aesthetically-pleasing parking lot, but they can also lessen ground heat, enhance air quality, and reduce rainwater runoff. With pervious ground materials and proper shading, you can mitigate the negative impacts of the “urban heat island.”

Use Sustainable Lighting

While you should absolutely have lighting in your parking lot to provide safety and security for pedestrians, it’s important that you choose the correct type of lighting to retain energy-efficiency. We often recommend energy-efficient exterior LED lights, as they last a long time (up to 50,000 hours) and have far less impact on energy sources. 

You can even implement an efficient lighting layout that maintains higher brightness levels in areas with more traffic while placing other lights in low-traffic areas on a motion system.

A constructor visit the place where build an eco-friendly parking lot.

Factors to Consider

Costs

Modern eco-friendly parking lot construction costs around $69 per square foot, while a simple asphalt paving job costs around $3.85 per square foot. Beyond that, you can expect a few other standard costs for building a sustainable parking lot:

  • Operation and Maintenance – $0.15 per square foot
  • Drainage System – $45 to $60 per linear foot
  • Striping – $346,000 for a 500-vehicle lot

Of course, the main benefit of building an eco-friendly parking lot is that you can reduce your maintenance and energy costs over time. 

Location

It’s important to select the right location to build your parking lot, as it can significantly impact cost, safety, durability, and effectiveness. Make sure to consider a few things:

  • Accessibility – How easy it is to reach the site
  • Topography – The higher ground your parking lot sits on, the better your natural drainage will be
  • Quality of Earth – Don’t build on hilly topography or muddy areas
  • Soil – Find soil that is dry and compact enough to build on

Final Thoughts

With the right amount of research and proper planning, constructing an eco-friendly parking lot can be cost-effective. Environmental protection and conservation start at ground level. YOU can make the change today.

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Best Parking Lot Sealer to Consider For Your Lot

Best Parking Lot Sealer

Your home or business parking lot is a huge investment, and it’s one that takes a deal of time and resources to get it exactly the way you desired it. That’s why your safest choice for preserving that investment is a decent seal coat.

If it’s been a couple of years since you paved your parking lot and it’s beginning to look rough and worn out, it might be time to seal it. Parking lot seal coating is distinct from resurfacing. Resurfacing is mostly used to cover gaps or holes in your pavement, while seal coating is used to put back the rich look of your pavement and provide a layer of protection to prolong its service life.

But what is the best parking lot sealer?

Based on experts’ recommendations, there are four categories of sealers that work best for parking lots depending on the parking lot’s design, current state, and traffic level. They include Bio-based Parking lot Sealcoating, Refined Tar-based seal coating, Acrylic Concrete Sealers, Silane/siloxane, Asphalt-based pavement sealer Specialty resins. 

They are currently the best parking lot surface sealers due to their superior protection, adhesion, durability, and flexibility they offer your pavement, extending its service life.

There are varieties of brands of parking lot sealers out there to consider. Each one does a pretty decent job of protecting your parking lot from deteriorating with time, but there are some substantial variations between them.

A seal coat product you should consider is one that can shield your parking lot from damage triggered by UV rays, fluid from vehicles, and oxidation while also preventing water penetration into the substrate. Aesthetics and environmental considerations should also be weighed by property owners when deciding on a seal coat.

A process of sealcoating on asphalt parking lot

Best sealer for asphalt parking lots

Below is the list of the top 4 categories of sealers recommended for asphalt parking lots based on experts analysis, including:

  • Bio-based Parking Lot Sealcoats
  • Asphalt-based pavement sealer
  • Specialty resins
  • Refined Tar-based seal coating

The best asphalt parking lot sealer is probably one that utilizes filled-sealer formulations. There are more solid ingredients in these types of sealers that cover tiny cracks and holes leftover during the paving process, shielding them well from the elements than less solid sealers.

Biobased Parking Lot Sealcoats

When you talk of the best parking lot sealer, Biobased Sealcoat is among the top products, using soybean oil as one of its primary raw materials. It is uniquely formulated to shield parking lots from UV, chemical exposure, oxidation, and other common asphalt enemies. The product has also been developed with sustainability in mind, making it possible for striping and reopening of parking lots on the very same day. Biobased sealers cure 4 to 5 times faster than traditional products.

You can restripe the parking lot covered with Biobased sealer within 2 hours of seal coating. This is facilitated by the formula’s chemical properties, which enables the application of the product at 1⁄4 the thickness of traditional parking lot seal coating while offering superior protection. This enables the product’s application even later into the season compared to coal tar sealers.

BioSealcoat sealer cures to a jet-black, matte finish explicitly formulated not to fade with time, guaranteeing a durable, uniform look. While biobased seal coats cost considerably more (on a cost per gallon basis), their improved efficiency enables total project costs to be equivalent to other sealers.

BioSealcoat was also developed with sustainability in mind; it is among a couple of seal coating products on the market with no identifiable PAHs (based on EPA testing) and releases no unpleasant odor. As the only USDA Approved seal coat on the market, integrating a biobased seal coat into a pavement maintenance practice can show a dedication to the environment.m

Asphalt Based Pavement Sealer

Asphalt-based pavement sealer is an environmentally sustainable, mineral enhanced asphalt emulsion pavement sealer formulated with unique surfactants for optimal adhesion, longevity, and flexibility. It is also another best parking lot sealer that regenerates the binder that is depleted by weathering and aging, offering more excellent protection against environmental disruption. 

This type of sealer is suitable for protecting all forms of asphalt pavement surfaces such as parking lots, low traffic roadways, driveways, and much more.

Specialty resins

This type of coating possesses highly performing properties similar to the ones in Refined based seal coating (RTS). It is exceptionally resistant to degradation as a result of ultraviolet rays, weathering, salts, and petrochemicals. The exciting thing about this coating is that the specialty resin formulation is tailored to each customer’s needs.

Refined Tar-based seal coating

This coating consists of TR-12 (a highly refined coal tar) commonly created when coal is being transformed to coke for metallurgy. Refined tar-based sealer consists of various steady chemicals that remain unaffected by damaging elements of sunlight, petrochemicals, and salts. RTS is extremely dependable since it is regarded as the workhorse of the industry. 

Its compositions and properties are thoroughly delineated to support your lifelong coating necessities.

An old concrete parking lot on shopping mall

Best sealer for concrete parking lots

The following are the highly recommended sealing options for your concrete parking lot:

  • Silane/siloxane sealer(Siloxa-Tek 8510)
  • Acrylic Concrete Sealers
  • Mold-inhibiting concrete pavement sealer(Aqua-X)
  • Quikrete Concrete and Masonry High Gloss Sealer
  • Foundation Armor SX5000 Clear Concrete Sealer(Solvent-based)

Silane/siloxane sealer (Siloxa-Tek 8510)

The Siloxane-Tek 8510 can permeate through the surface openings of the concrete to saturate the concrete itself. The sealer will cover up the air pockets inside the material, resulting in deep and permanent protection from the climate, oil, road salt, heavy usage, and other vehicle stains. 

If you are considering getting the best parking lot sealer for your concrete lots, Siloxa-Tek 8510 is a good option.

With the Siloxa-Tek 8510, any water from snowmelt or rain, and any other liquid stains, will bead on the concrete surface. Its performance is plain to the naked eyes, and you can see it with your eyes working, helping to give you peace of mind regarding your concrete parking lot.

Acrylic Concrete Sealers

Acrylic sealer is the most commonly preferred sealer for a concrete parking lot. In addition to being cost-effective, their application is precise and swift. They can be applied almost immediately after the concrete is installed and are considered to have outstanding recoating capabilities. Besides, some acrylics are resistant to ultraviolet rays.

Furthermore, acrylic is an excellent type of sealer if you are looking for a concrete sealer that works well against deicing salt, moisture, and chemical or oil penetration.

Mold-inhibiting concrete pavement sealer(Aqua-X)

AQUA-X is reinforced with mildew and mold inhibitors and is a great option if you reside in a rainy or moist area. Two coats stave off mildew and mold, offer a clean, flawless appearance, and shield concrete from freezing and thawing cycles and water for up to 5 years. 

Solvent-free AQUA-X is an environmentally-friendly, low VOC sealer (so no concern about chemical fumes), and one gallon, poured or rolled on, fills up to 500 sq ft.

Quikrete Concrete and Masonry High Gloss Sealer

This concrete pavement sealer is fantastic for stamped concrete parking lots when a wet look is sought. It retains a glossy sheen as well as protection from chemical deicing products, oil and grease spills, and food stains. 

Foundation Armor SX5000 Clear Concrete Sealer(Solvent-based)

This type of sealer provides parking lot protection you can rely on even in cold environments. This penetrating sealer’s singular coat can create a protective bond with the parking lot surface, shielding it for seven to ten years from damage triggered by salts, deicing chemicals, stains, and freezing & thawing cycles. 

The SX5000 won’t alter the appearance of your parking lot or create a film, and one gallon fills up to 200 sq ft.

A new asphalt parking lot with proper drainage system and striping parking guide.

Why it’s important to seal your parking lot

It is vital to have your lot sealed with any best parking lot sealer over time (especially for asphalt surface) since an asphalt pavement surface oxidizes over time and becomes gray or faded in color. Seal coating offers a vivid black finish that preserves and enhances your parking lot’s life expectancy. In addition to the traffic on the lot, weather conditions will play a role in seal coating frequency. 

It is the right choice to get your parking lot inspected by a paving expert if it shows any signs of cracking, fading, and wear and tear.

How sealers can protect your lot

The following are ways sealers can protect your lot:

  • Slow oxidation rate: Sealcoating covers surface voids, decreasing oxygen and UV ray exposure and reducing the extent to which the pavement can be penetrated by oil or gas.
  • Slow the rate of water penetration: Sealcoating serves as a waterproofing agent, which minimizes the level at which water reaches the pavement. Water will penetrate more easily without it, leading to the pavement freezing and thawing expansion and pavement.
  • Resistant to gas and oil spills: Gasoline leakage during hot weather from a topped-off fuel tank can soften and break down unsealed asphalt pavements. Coal tars used in seal coats are resistant to the spills of gas and oil.
  • Improves pavement pliability: Sealcoat offers your pavement a dark black shine. The more black it is, the more heat is absorbed from the sun by the pavement. And, the hotter it becomes, the more it becomes malleable, allowing it to endure traffic without cracking. Hence, it is a smart idea to have your parking lot seal coated with any best parking lot sealer.
  • Protects asphalt from washing by pressure: Restaurant parking lots usually stretch to areas close to dumpsters where pressurized washing of food processing equipment occurs. If food waste that is close to the dumpsters can’t be swept up, it will need to be washed away—seal coating shield asphalt cement from the detergents and high volume water pressure being utilized in pressure washing.
A clean asphalt parking lot with proper striping guide.

How often should you seal your parking lot?

How often seal coating should be done depends on many factors, which include, but not limited to the ones that follow:

  • The quality of the pavement sealing material
  • The number of material you applied
  • Adequate sealer mix design
  • Geographic area
  • The number of coats you applied
  • The level of daily traffic

Sealcoating is usually recommended every three to four years to offer sufficient pavement protection and appealing curb appeal for your commercial property or home. After the original asphalt application on your parking lot, the optimum time is typically one to two years to ensure adequate cure. 

Besides, the sort of components you choose will also enable your paving contractor to ascertain the number of coats needed for your parking lot.

The process of sealing your lot

An asphalt parking lot surface will typically need two seal coat applications at first to penetrate the surface, resulting in a deep, protective coating.

  • Assess the surface. Your paving contractor would have to first evaluate the current condition of the lot’s surface before proceeding further. You will not need seal coating for 12-24 months if it is a new surface. However, if it is an existing surface, your contractor will first check for potholes, oil stains, cracks, and other damage that might require fixing before applying any best parking lot sealer you may have in mind.
  • Make the surface clean: The parking lot surface would need to be extensively washed using brushes, brooms, or power washers, ensuring the seal coat can bind adequately. This is also vital because before repairs can commence, all potholes, cracks, and damaged sections will have to be cleaned as well.
  • Recognize cracks and fix, as required: If there are cracks, holes, or depressions, they should be covered with a correct aggregate mix to guarantee prolonged asphalt integrity and longevity.
  • Reparation of Pothole: Fix or patch all potholes to ensure that the surface looks and works at its best before seal coating.
  • Surface priming and cleaning of oil spots: Before seal coating, it is necessary to remove oil stains from the asphalt parking lot because the seal coat will not adhere to vehicle pollutants of any sort. If you could not have the stain removed, try using a primer agent (somewhat like a wall primer) that will cause the seal coat to adhere to the surface of the asphalt lot.
  • Apply a minimum of two coats of quality pavement sealer. After ensuring that the surface pavement is free of any dirt, stains, or any form of damage, you can then apply a top-quality sealant to the surface.
A man sealing a potholes on asphalt parking lot.

What are the conditions for conducive long-lasting seal coats?

Weather conditions significantly impact seal coats, particularly during construction. The proper conditions under which seal coating should be carried out are warm temperatures and sunny days with low humidity since cool weather and humidity will slow the curing time, causing seal coat’s tendering for a prolonged period, making it more vulnerable to traffic damage. 

This is, however, the reason contractors recommend getting the best parking lot sealer when you consider carrying out seal coating for your lot.

Rain can trigger severe issues when seal coating. If you carry out the application prior to the asphalt binder’s curing, it can become diluted, rising above the aggregate cover top.

After the water has evaporated, asphalt can fill the whole surface, triggering tires to track the binder around the surface or pick up the aggregate. It would be best if you avoid seal coating your parking lot when showers are making threats. Also, ensure the asphalt surface you want to seal coat is relatively in a good state. 

This implies that load-related distress like rutting, alligator cracking, and potholes should be minimal. If all these conditions exist in your parking lot, avoid seal coating until they are addressed first.

Conclusion

When you are planning seal coating for your parking lot, it is best to choose the right sealing product that would work best for your pavement. There are varieties of sealers on the market, but not all can deliver the required good result.

Hence, it would be best if you employed a pavement maintenance specialist who has excellent ability to assess the pavement surface and offer the best possible solutions to your parking lot maintenance requirements for the best performance.

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Asphalt Parking Lot Repair – What To Look Out For

Asphalt Parking Lot Repair

An asphalt parking lot that exhibits signs of disrepair and lack of maintenance provides guests a poor impression of your business to guests before they walk through the door. Without regular maintenance, a pavement’s foundation breaks down and results in potholes or alligator cracking. Failing to repair and maintain your parking lot shortens your parking lot’s lifespan and opens your business to lawsuits if a guest is injured due to debris in your parking lot.

In order to be able to properly care for your parking lot you must be aware of the most common failures that can occur and know what causes them and what asphalt parking lot repair may be needed to resolve them.

Cracks

Cracks on asphalt surface

Types of cracks that are common in an asphalt parking lot

There are different crack types, which can be easily identified by their pattern. 

  • Longitude cracks appear in a long, straight line. 
  • Block cracks appear like a rectangular or square shape and can intersect at right angles. 
  • Alligator cracks appear in a haphazard pattern.

Cracks should be isolated and measure not more than ¼-inch to 1-inch wide to be repaired by crack sealing.  If breaks are widespread and measure greater than one inch, asphalt removal and replacement may be necessary.

What causes these cracks

Cracks in asphalt parking lot pavement, regardless of geographic location, allow water to seep through the surface to the underlying base.  Parking lots exposed to typical winter weather will experience water inside the asphalt that freezes and then thaws several times, causing expansion and contraction of cracks. In turn, the cracks widen and ultimately break up the surrounding asphalt. And, before you know it, the potential for slip-and-fall or other injuries exists.

Water runoff can damage the subgrade, resulting in raveling, rutting, or widespread areas of cracking.

Repairing Cracks and Its Cost

1. Crack sealing

It is crucial to perform asphalt parking lot crack sealing as soon as possible. When cracks measure ¼-inch to 1-inch wide, sealing them will minimize water infiltration. If left untreated, water can permeate through openings in the asphalt and quickly erode the sub-base. Crack sealing is the best defense and the most cost-effective treatment.

Rubberized asphalt materials are the most commonly used for crack sealing, and they’re very budget-friendly. 

Most product manufacturers recommend an air and surface temperature of 40°F or above for crack sealing. You can do repairs at this time of year using premium cold mix asphalt. 

When performed regularly, crack sealing is the best defense against weather-related issues such as excess rain and freeze-thaw cycles. Crack sealing helps prevent water from seeping into the base and destroying the asphalt. 

2. Sealcoating

Seal coating helps protect and preserve the structural integrity of your asphalt parking lot pavement. Once the cracks have been repaired, you should follow up with a seal coat. Parking lot seal coating provides a protective barrier against UV rays, water, salt, oils, and gasoline. Seal coating is a type of insurance against erosion.

Sealcoating fills surface voids and helps prevent oxidation or fading due to excess sun exposure. When seal coating, the temperature and weather will dictate the best time of year, it should be performed. And, after the initial application, seal coating should be performed every 24 to 36 months. 

Potholes

Large pothole on asphalt roads

What causes potholes in asphalt parking lots

Potholes are bowl-shaped cvities that result from the localized break-up of the pavement.Moisture intrusion is the leading cause of pavement deterioration. Rainwater seeps into small cracks in the asphalt and puddles between the asphalt layer and the road. Low temperatures freeze the water, forcing the asphalt upwards.

Once the ice thaws, the water is absorbed into the weakened roadbed and leaves behind a cavity. Vehicle traffic breaks the surface apart and pushes it down into the weakened roadbed. Larger cracks and potholes form when the crumbling asphalt fills the cavity. 

Repairing Potholes and Its Cost

If you have existing potholes or widespread cracking, these areas can be filled or patched using premium hot or cold mix asphalt. 

Cut the pothole area in your asphalt parking lot to a square or rectangular edge with a cut saw or a jackhammer. Excavate down to the aggregate sub-base.  Prepare the hot or cold mix asphalt and fill the cavity to a compact depth of at least 3”. 

Adequate compaction is critical for preventing the new material’s deformation material and keeping water from entering the pavement. Seal the edges with asphalt emulsion to ensure it bonds with the surrounding asphalt. 

Other common asphalt issues that require asphalt parking lot repair

An asphalt repair by workers

Deteriorated Joints 

Poorly constructed asphalt parking lot joints result in joint failure. Joint failure begins when air, water, and contaminants enter the joint through segregation, not enough compaction, or a lack of bonding between adjacent strips.

Many types of pavements suffer structural failure due to deterioration from heavy load traffic. Failure shows up initially as “alligator cracking,” a form of fatigue cracking. Cracking occurs under repeated traffic from heavy loads due to subgrade weakness, insufficient pavement thickness, excessive loading, or a combination of these factors.

When a base failure occurs, remove the failed pavement, shore up the material underneath and replace the asphalt. You need to know what caused the asphalt failure and address it. If the problem is a weakness in the subgrade, you must repair the weakness. If the problem was too little pavement thickness, thin pavement should be undercut, and a thicker layer of asphalt added.

Raveling

Raveling is the loss of aggregate particulates from the pavement surface of the asphalt parking lot. In fact, raveling occurs when the asphalt binder hardens and loses its grip on the stone or when you use a poor-quality mix. 

If caught early, you can address raveling by seal coating. If the condition is severe, an asphalt overlay or surface treatment is needed.

Rutting

Rutting in an asphalt parking lot is a channeled depression from wheel-tracks. It is caused by:

  • too thin pavement;
  • lack of compaction of the asphalt, soil, stone base; 
  • a weak mix of asphalt; or
  • moisture infiltration. 

If rutting is minor or has stabilized, the depressions can be filled and overlaid with either hot or cold asphalt mix. If  deformations are severe, the rutted area should be undercut, removed, and then replaced with suitable asphalt material.

Slippage

Slippage cracks are small crescent-shaped cracks or tears in the surface layers of the asphalt parking lot where the new material has slipped over the underlying existing pavement. A lack of bonding between layers causes this problem. 

The lack of bond could occur because the installer did not develop a bond between the asphalt layers with a tack coat. The lack of bond could also be because they did not bond the asphalt with a prime coat of the underlying stone. Contaminants like oil and dirt will prevent the asphalt layers from bonding or adhering together. 

Remove all of the pavement layers showing slippage. After removing the failed pavement layer, wait until the remaining pavement is clean and dry. Then, apply a tack coat to hold the old and new material together. Place and compact the new layers of asphalt.

How to avoid common parking lot issues

The process of asphalt sealcoating by worker.

Routine inspections

Routine asphalt parking lot inspections are the best way to be proactive and prioritize repairs, thus saving money over time. But, the time of year matters, too. Isolated cracks that are ¼” to ¾” wide are good candidates for crack sealing. As soon as the weather permits, it would help if you sealed the asphalt cracks. However, if you notice rutting, alligator cracking, or potholes, call your preferred paving contractor.

A typical maintenance plan for an asphalt parking lot will include routine crack sealing, a seal coat, and lot marking. A maintenance plan can save $0.10-$0.30/SF per year over ten years.

Proper Drainage

Water is the #1 enemy of asphalt parking lots. Supplement your drainage system by installing new catch basins in low-lying areas. Routinely inspect existing catch basins to keep drains clear of debris and to perform any adjustments or other maintenance. Having proper drainage installed is one of the best ways to avoid needing asphalt parking lot repair.

Proper maintenance

Routine maintenance slows the deterioration of your asphalt parking lot pavement by protecting it from its natural Enemies, sun, water, and air. Parking lots that are maintained last for a more extended period when compared to those without any maintenance plan.

Identifying pavement cracks and sealing them as soon as possible is the most cost-effective preventative maintenance procedure.

An asphalt parking lot with proper drainage system

Parking lot maintenance tips

Be sure to follow these maintenance best practices to ensure your parking lot is properly cared for. If you want to avoid the need for potentially costly asphalt parking lot repair, do not overlook the importance of proper maintenance.

  • Perform monthly inspections, so you don’t miss anything that requires attention. You should also schedule an annual check-up of your asphalt parking lot once every year.
  • Keep it Clean. Sweep away the dirt and debris or hire a parking lot cleaning company to keep it clean for you. Trash makes a parking lot look abandoned, and that’s the last thing you want your customers to think as they drive past.
  • Clean Oil Stains. Oil will break down the components in asphalt, making it wear out more quickly.
  • Keep current with repairs, such as crack filling and seal coating.  It is essential to extending your asphalt parking lot’s lifespan. 
  • Annually before each rainy season, fill the cracks in your parking lot to reduce damage from all water sources.
  • Make sure all storm drains are working correctly. Water should drain away from the pavement. Water left on the surface can seep through the asphalt openings and cause damage. 
  • Repair any tripping hazards in your asphalt parking lot to prevent accidental falls. Tree roots can lift asphalt and make it very uneven, resulting in a trip and fall hazard for your customers.
  • Every two or three years, your parking lot should be seal coated. Sealing revitalizes old asphalt parking lot surfaces that have become dry and brittle with age. Small surface cracks and voids need to be sealed to prevent more extensive damage and expensive pavement replacement.

Preventive maintenance strategies that might be appropriate for one situation may not be for another situation.  How do you know what the right maintenance option is?  When is the best time of day for this work to be done? Local pavement maintenance contractors can help you choose a preventive maintenance plan.

Asphalt parking lots appropriate for preventive maintenance applications include new parking lots as well as twelve-year-old lots. Such parking lots could experience early to mid-stage deterioration, such as surface cracks and pavement raveling.

Protecting asphalt parking lots from environmental factors, such as water penetration of the base through cracks and potholes, along with oxidation of the pavement’s upper surface, can add years to its life. Preventive maintenance isn’t viable for pavement that exhibits structural deficiencies or failures.

Leveling a new asphalt road by constructors.

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Conclusion

Protecting your asphalt parking lot investment should include planning a regularly scheduled pavement maintenance and repair program with a qualified paving professional in your area.

Most professional paving contractors offer inspection and maintenance plans that will fit your budget and keep your asphalt parking lot clean and in good repair.  Local paving contractors will be familiar with the weather patterns in your area and schedule parking lot maintenance when you need it most. They will help you prevent damage to our parking lot by providing regular preventative maintenance. 

Taking care of your asphalt parking lot is your responsibility as a business owner. Customers need to feel safe parking in your business’s parking lot. Regularly scheduled parking lot maintenance and repair reduce the number of lawsuits on a business’s property. Additionally, regular preventative maintenance and repair are the most cost-effective means of extending the life expectancy of your asphalt parking lot.

Asphalt parking lot repair and maintenance is an ongoing commercial service. Trust us to help you locate a paving contractor near you to handle your asphalt parking lot maintenance and repair needs.

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Concrete Parking Stops Installation

Concrete Parking Stops Installation

As a homeowner or business owner planning to build or renovate the parking lot of your home or commercial property, the design needs to provide an ideal parking experience for your visitors, customers, and staff.

Several variables go into a safe and adequate parking lot, including well-marked parking stops and safety signage. The idea of concrete parking stops installation has been adopted by many property managers. However, the importance of parking stops is yet to be wholly appreciated by lots of people. 

Parking stops, both for drivers and pedestrians, are major preventative measures for the parking lot of your home and business.

Your parking lot can create a first impression on customers visiting your business premises. So, installing safety features will ensure vehicles are not only parked in order but are also prevented from entering any danger zone that will cause damage to vehicles and buildings.

What are concrete parking stops used for?

Concrete parking stops serve as obstacles, preventing a vehicle from going over or cruising past the allotted parking space onto open ramps, adjacent stalls, or sidewalks in case the driver forgets to put on the floor or hand brake on time. The primary objective of these stops is to guarantee the protection of drivers, people’s movement, and the property itself.

In general, concrete parking stops installation helps direct drivers and coordinate parking in any parking environment. These stops are installed at the end of parking areas and can help guarantee that cars do not park too close to a sidewalk or curb where car bumpers are positioned over the edge, causing obstruction to pedestrians. 

Parking stops are also designed to offer a restriction between two rows of parking spots, preventing unintended collisions.

A newly installed parking stops with a yellow paint.

What are the steps involved in concrete parking stops installation?

You can install concrete parking lots’ stops (once they have been built) with Lag Bolts & Anchors following the below steps:

  1. Place the parking stop in the spot where you want to mount it.
  2. Use a high-speed hammer drill to drill (a 4″ to 4 1/2″) deep hole in the concrete with a 3/4″ masonry bit at each specified place.
  3. Use a hammer to attach a lag anchor (with the wide round hole drilled into the anchor pointing up) into every hole.
  4. Shift the parking stop such that the holes you drilled pair up upwards with the molded-in holes.
  5. Place the wedge bolts into the parking block via the holes and screw up the bolts with a 3/4′′ socket. Complete the tightening of each bolt until cozy.

If you are considering installing a concrete parking stop for your home or commercial parking lots and want to handle the installation yourself, you might be curious to know how to go about it. It’s not always as simple as it sounds, as they are also bulky and difficult to maneuver.

Concrete wheel blocks are usually precast and ready to install by the time they are delivered to the site. There are heaps of specific tools and procedures required for installing concrete stops, and these can change depending on the surface you are installing them. Whether it’s concrete or gravel or asphalt, you’ll need to clean the surface properly and have the capabilities to move and position them.

For the installation, the concrete slab stopper is positioned in its designated setting, and marks are laid to match the parking stop’s fixings. Holes will then be bored into the pavement, and the concrete stop is laid back to its targeted setting. 

Either concrete epoxy, galvanized pins, metal bolts, or metal rebar can be utilized as the fixings, based on the specification of the manufacturer. Concrete stops do not shift easily once mounted, which is a significant benefit.

If you intend to handle the installation yourself, you may find it challenging and time-intensive due to the heavy weight of concrete. It’s not just that; they typically need a specialized tool like lifting slings to put them in place. 

First, you will need to estimate the critical distance from the pavement or wall to the stop and consider whether the park is labeled as rear-in or front-in. Concrete parking stops installation requires the right tools and equipment. You will be needing tools such as fixing pins or screw bolts to fix the stops in place and a drill with the correct masonry bit. 

You will also require some epoxy to add to the holes of the drill if you want to install it on an asphalt or gravel surface.

These concrete slabs are weighty since they weigh at least 100 lbs. Each parking stop would require 2 to 3 individuals to have it installed. This can tend to be time-intensive in a parking lot with at least 50 spaces. Heavy equipment could be needed to ship and install all parking stops required in a bigger facility with hundreds of parking spaces. 

It’s a daunting process, and you’re going to be needing appropriate tools and equipment to have them installed and the help of skilled installers, or at least many people who can assist you.

A concrete parking lot with a numbers and arrow guide.

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Are concrete parking stops suitable for your parking lots?

Concrete parking stops are recommended for every parking area due to their significant advantages. They can be laid both outdoors and indoors. One big pro of concrete stops is that they are heavier compared to other materials. As a result of this, they are very robust and can do a very fantastic job of restricting vehicles from moving beyond their allocated parking spaces once set in place.

What are parking stops?

Parking stops are also referred to as parking blocks, wheel stops, or truck stops. They are commonly found in parking lots, rental garages, medical facilities, shopping areas, and some other facilities providing temporary and lengthy parking to keep vehicles from going above their assigned parking space, preventing damages or injuries.

Parking stops are an important safety feature for community parking lots, hospitals, college campuses, churches, office parks, shopping malls, etc. Parking stops are dependent on, in tightly populated, head-on parking centers, to restrict drivers from moving into sidewalks or other parked vehicles. 

It is often used to protect fixed items, such as garbage containers, shopping carts, utility poles, and signs. Parking stops are placed as obstacles for pedestrian walkways, sidewalks, and motorcycle lanes, offering extra protection from moving vehicles.

Concrete parking stops installation is well recommended for every parking lot-at home or business for safety purposes. Although there are other types of parking stops available, concrete stops are commonly used due to their durability and flexibility.

An asphalt parking lot with paint guide and proper water drainages.

Why does your lot need parking stops?

Below are the reasons why your lot needs parking stops:

  • They help to prevent fender benders in your lot
  • They help to boost traffic flow
  • They help to improve your commercial parking lot’s overall appearance

Parking stops are necessary for all parking lots to mark the parking area’s boundary and protect landscaping from vehicle intrusion. They are needed in a highly dense parking lot. 

They help to prevent fender benders in your lot.

Parking stops are installed in lots to restrict cars from parking on sidewalks or other restricted areas. They prevent drivers from pulling through parking spots or trying other dangerous movements by physically restricting a vehicle’s wheels. 

This helps to prevent houses, roads, fragile landscapes, and other vehicles from being damaged. In addition, concrete parking stops installation is necessary as they can protect other motorized vehicles (like forklift trucks) when working in warehouses and factories.

They help to boost traffic flow.

As a property owner, there is a high probability that your parking lot will always be busy, especially during rush hours of the day. This involves both staff and customers driving in-and-out of the facility. Parking stops are required to organize your parking lot in the most effective way to help direct the flow of traffic while observing both state and federal safety codes.

It helps to improve your commercial parking lot’s overall appearance.

Customers highly value the aesthetic importance of a well-operated and well-maintained parking lot. A perfect way to improve the overall appearance of your parking lot is to add parking stops. Parking stops are typically used for enclosing parking lots and help preserve the look of your parking lot landscape.

A concrete parking lot with a proper parking stops and different cars.

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Other common types of parking stops

Below are other common types of parking stops to consider:

  • Rubber Parking Bumper
  • Plastic Parking Stop
  • Metal Bollard

It is vital to consider customers’ safety, whether you have a single row of parking spots or a separate lot for your commercial property. Also, you have to consider your building’s safety. Parking stops are perfect if you consider making your lot or storefront more convenient. Below are other common types of parking stops to consider:

Rubber Parking Bumper

Most businesses today prefer rubber parking bumpers since they are easy to fit with asphalt, which most companies use as a pavement option to improve the look and also save money. Rubber parking bumpers are more efficient than some alternatives because recycled tire rubber is usually made from them. 

A rubber parking bumper is also malleable and is less likely to be broken or cracked. They have less weight than concrete stops. This makes their installation very easy. Although concrete parking stops installation is still a preferred choice for most people, they are more sturdy and last longer. 

Rubber parking bumpers are robust enough to prevent slow-moving cars from moving too far forward. However, if they lack translucent paint or the paint disappears, they can not be as easy to see.

Plastic Parking Stop

The main drawback of this option is that plastic is not eco-friendly. Many businesses, however, are making reliable parking stops from recycled plastic. One advantage of choosing plastic is that it is cost-effective. Also, the installation of plastic stops is effortless enough that one person would generally do it alone. They are parking lot fixtures with low maintenance, and they are extremely resistant to chemicals and severe weather conditions.

Metal Bollard

Metal security bollards resemble that of small/thick poles that project from the ground. One benefit of bollards is that they are easily visible, and you can use reflective paint to coat them for enhanced night vision. It is more costly to use high-quality steel bollards in individual parking spaces. They are, however, perfect for putting on corners or row ends in a lot.

How Are Concrete Parking Stops Made?

Most concrete parking stops are precast, which means that they are manufactured in one piece with molding and left to set and dry prior to turning out. They often have inner steel rods integrated for greater strength, but this also contributes to their already large amounts of weight. 

There are various concrete mixes, based on the manufacturer, to obtain the longest – lasting blend. When you are considering parking stops, you may likely think of concrete parking stops installation, but sadly, concrete mostly struggles to hold up with time and can quickly crack and chip.

A cars parked on concrete parking lot

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The Advantages and Disadvantages of Adding Parking Stops to Your Lot

Properly used parking stops can offer your parking lot or garage a good deal of utility. Sadly, many lots feature parking stops used at awkward times or poorly mounted, which contributes to a lot of discomfort for drivers on the lot who see more harm coming from the stops than good. 

The below are some essential things to consider, ensuring that you get the best possible outcome if you are considering installing parking stops to your property:

Advantages

A parking stop that is being appropriately utilized should be in place to prevent more significant harm from happening than the parking stop would trigger on a vehicle that strikes it. There are three basic conditions in which the installation of a parking stop is incredibly beneficial:

  • Installing a parking stop when a parking space is up against a wall minimizes the likelihood of a vehicle hitting the wall. This offers protection to the vehicle, the building, and any person inside the building.
  • Permanent structures, such as metal poles, are often protected by parking stops. If the pole is robust, it can create immense damage to the vehicle or elements connected to the pole. Hence, installing stops is often beneficial.
  • Concrete parking stops installation is an important safety feature to decrease the risks of a vehicle unintentionally striking a person when a parking space nears a pedestrian walkway.

Disadvantages

The primary worry when it comes to the installation of parking stops is a potential error during the installation process. 

  • Parking stops that are poorly aligned can pose more risk than they can prevent. Laying stops with narrow gaps between them produces a pedestrian lane that is too small, which is a hazard.
  • Another thing that poses a safety risk is choosing the wrong size for your stops. While it is almost certain that too big stops will decrease pedestrian access, a parking stop that is not wide enough for the anticipated vehicles may not stop the vehicle appropriately.

Conclusion

Parking stops are mostly used in commercial and industrial parking lots (both small and large). They are vital because they prevent vehicles from colliding with other cars and with buildings, gardens or disrupting pedestrian lanes.

Some concrete parking stops can not endure the elements outside; hence, they are best suitable for indoor use only. The first step in the parking stop installation is to select the correct stop for the job. There are also various types of methods of installation to consider.

You can hire a professional installer to efficiently get the job done for you if you are not sure what type of parking stops to choose for your business parking lots.

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Estimated Parking Lot Life: Get the Most Out of Your Lot

Estimated Parking Lot Life

In this article, you will learn all about the estimated parking lot life. A durable structure can offer a service life of thirty to forty years. Many factors affect this tenure, including timely repairs, proper maintenance, and taking corrective measures against the harsh elements.

For all the homeowners, structures are a form of major capital investment. Considering the life expectancy, you have to fight against the exceptionally harsh environmental factors to achieve that life period. 

Let’s discuss all the factors in detail below:

Factors that Affect the Longevity of a Parking Lot

If you are in the process of paving a parking lot or having a newly paved one, you must surely be concerned about its longevity. For all homeowners, longevity is the utmost desire. Considering what a huge investment building a structure is.

However, a lot of factors have a direct and huge impact on the lifespan of your lot—these range from pavement material, traffic level, drainage to others. In comparison, concrete tends to be far more durable than asphalt if you maintain the right conditions. 

Having said that, let’s take a look at the factors that impact how long your parking lot lasts.

Surface Type

No structure, no matter how solid, can last forever. This rings even truer for those who live in areas where winters are on the extreme side. You surely are aware of what damage a rough winter can cause to your parking lot, be it of asphalt or concrete. In fact, the weather is just one factor, as several others can take a toll on particular surface types. 

Every pavement surface must have specific elements that will help it withstand traffic load, weather elements, and others over its lifetime. If you allow inadequacy in the asphalt’s depth or type, or if certain negligence leaves anything lacking in the base support, you can expect premature surface failure.

Then there are also certain other factors relevant to surface types that you need to consider. Bituminous concrete is another composite material that commonly goes into the surface for parking lots. Some common conditions could also cause the surface to deteriorate and the life expectancy to reduce.

The conditions include:

  • Shoving actions causes the surface to deform. This happens when traffic pushes the surface, producing an abrupt and short wave-like movement on it. 
  • Rutting is another harmful factor for the surface. This action includes a lateral or consolidated movement of the surface’s material. This occurs due to a heavy traffic load. 
  • Raveling may also reduce the estimated parking lot life. This happens when the surface wears away because of tar binder, asphalt or concrete loss, and dislodged aggregate. But only certain conditions create the threat of raveling for your surface. This includes a particular type of traffic, such as aggressively treaded or tracked vehicles. Other conditions that categorize as raveling include oil spillage causing softening and dislodging of the surface. 
A worker leveling the newly installed asphalt roads.

Weather

Weather can be brutal to your parking lot, and the after-effects can also significantly reduce the service life of the lot. Let’s look at the weather elements that are detrimental in this regard:

  • Ice- one cannot underestimate the severe damages and hazards ice can create on your parking lot. In addition to making the surface extremely slippery, ice causes driving to become hazardous on your lot and also creates deep structural problems. After every ice season, your parking lot may require repaving. 
  • Rock salt- you may be in the habit of throwing rock salt all over the snow pile in your parking lot. This is perhaps the most damaging thing because rock salt may be melting the ice fast, but it also causes refreezing later. When the melting and refreezing process happens repeatedly, it sneaks into the porous asphalt and starts breaking away at it. Consequentially, you will notice more wear and tear and potholes. 
  • Weather also causes cracks in your parking lot. The cold and hot weather causes repeated contraction and expansion of the asphalt, and it ultimately develops weak spots and cracks. The ground underneath your asphalt also shifts over time, causing more cracks. This happens because water from the melted ice gets through the cracks and then freezes and expands more. This causes cracks to become bigger year by year. 
  • Rain, too, causes a lot of wear and tear from puddles and stagnant water. Over time, rain begins to wear down your parking, creating small holes that widen significantly over time. Not only are potholes damaging to vehicles but also dangerous for pedestrians walking over the parking lot. 
  • Hail may not be too common in your area, but if it is, then your parking lot is in for more trouble. Hail worsens the effect of erosion. 

Traffic Type

If you subject your parking lot to heavy traffic, it will have adverse effects on the life of your lot’s structure. This is especially true if your parking lot does not feature a design that caters to current loading patterns. The opposite is also a problem here: very little traffic or parking lot usage means the asphalt will become brittle sooner, and shrinkage cracks will form throughout the structure. 

Drainage

Two main water problems are detrimental to the estimated parking lot life. These are:

  1. Sub-surface water saturation
  2. Insufficient surface drainage

Sub-surface water saturation is the larger of the two menaces because the high water tables or leaking irrigation saturate the support structure under your asphalt. The load-bearing exerts additional stress and eventually cause the asphalt to fail and the base structure to weaken or collapse. 

Maintenance

Consistent maintenance can contribute largely to maximizing the life of your parking lot. However, negligence in this regard will cause the cracks to widen, the seepage to worse and other damages to turn worse with abandon. 

When you regularly seal and fill the cracks, you slow down the oxidation rate and also protect your structure from water seepage. Proactive repairs go a long way in preventing and minimizing damages to the surface and load-bearing structure of your parking lot. 

A comparison of asphalt and concrete parking lots

Durability Comparison between Asphalt and Concrete Parking Lots

Till a few years ago, rarely would you have come across a parking lot featuring concrete: it was asphalt all the way. With time, you must have seen the widespread popularity of concrete, and they’re all the valid reasons for it. 

Concrete sure has several advantages over asphalt apart from durability alone. This includes strength and sustainability, among others, but sadly, concrete still is not the first option for many because of their unawareness. 

When it comes to big construction projects like a parking lot, concrete is definitely worth the investment. Let’s take a look at some essential components of asphalt and concrete below to compare the two materials. 

Concrete

Many are of the belief that asphalt parking lots last for approximately twenty to twenty-five years. In truth, asphalt lots require major repairs in as less as five or seven years after you install them. But when we talk about concrete, you can trust this material to last you far longer. 

You find it interesting to note that experts expected the original concrete roads to last for twenty years. The same roads not only completed their twenty-years life expectancy but are going strong even thirty, forty, and fifty years later. 

Concrete even has the potential to spread heavy loads over its larger areas. Hence it is more durable in the long term. It minimizes pressure on its sub-base too. Due to this characteristic and considering the soil type and application, concrete lots can even use lesser aggregate in your base than asphalt. 

This proves the optimal longevity and durability of concrete. In comparison, you will hardly find any asphalt parking lot or even roads that outlast their initial or speculated lifespan. But with concrete, you can expect this as a standard because concrete is meant to last. 

When you put the travel, vehicle load, and weather into consideration, you’d find it sensible to choose concrete that can withstand massive daily stress. 

Asphalt

Asphalt does not last as long as its own life expectancy, let alone outlast it like concrete. Those who own asphalt parking lots will tell you how they had to conduct repairs in less than five years after the installation and have had to do so repeatedly. 

Asphalt also lacks the ability to spread loads and, as a result, creates high points that exert higher pressure on the subbase. As a result, the likely degradation escalates, and the subbase begins to deteriorate.

You find yourself conducting maintenance and repairs on the asphalt parking lot sooner than you had expected. 

A newly installed asphalt parking lots with paint guides.

Proper Asphalt and Parking Lot Maintenance 

Proper maintenance is key to having your parking lot remain in top shape for as long as possible. If you have an asphalt parking lot, you can follow certain best measures for its maintenance. Let’s take a look at those below:

  • Repair pothole as soon as they appear
  • Ensure proper signage 
  • Seal and fill the cracks as soon as they appear and before they have a chance to widen
  • After every two years, you must treat your parking lot to seal coating
  • Conduct inlet repairs the moment you notice signs of failure
  • Never take standing water in your parking lot lightly. Find out its root cause immediately and remediate it. Many parking lots have suffered failures from standing water and the eventual free-thaw cycles. If you leave small cracks untreated, they will soon turn into potholes, and the pavement will likely fail. 

We can define the proper asphalt maintenance practices into three categories, based on the order of priority. 

What you must do

You must immediately attend to parking lot troubles that revolve around personal and property liabilities. This includes hazards like potholes, broken curbs, large cracks, raised sidewalks, failing inlets, and alligatored areas. 

What You Should Do

You should pay due attention to parking lot areas that concern with preventive maintenance measures. These will also help you stay ahead in cost savings by preventing a lot of complicated problems that could occur due to neglect in maintenance. 

What You Could Do

You could reconstruct the parking lot when your budget permits and when you feel your parking lot has served you sufficiently without asking for attention. This way, you can avoid a lot of costly base repair if you perform paving and milling early. 

Different cars parked on concrete parking lots.

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Proper Concrete Parking Lot Maintenance

For concrete parking lots, you can conduct maintenance every three to five years. To this end, you will have to address small issues really and not heavy structural issues. A proper concrete maintenance checklist must include the following:

  • Surface sealing- you must use a sealant to block the porous surface against salt and water’s corrosive effect. Sealing the surface is a fine idea because it prevents more damage from occurring and will also reduce the need for further concrete repairs in the future. 
  • Filling chips and cracks- for repairing cracks, you have to fill with concrete, pourable crack filler of a leveling caulk. You can use hydraulic cement if you have to patch up chips. 
  • Deep surface cleaning– for this, you can power wash your concrete lot annually. It will clear all the dirt piles and uncover the beautiful and fresh concrete underneath. 
  • Stabilizing sinking or low areas- for this, you will have to pump cement slurry below your problem area. You may even use a cold mix pothole filler for patching the pothole. 
  • Uneven section grinding- concrete sections tend to shift, causing uneven surfaces. You can fix this problem by grinding down the high sides and attaining a smooth surface. 
  • Protective coating application- for this, you can add a protective layer of the acrylic coating to your concrete lot. It will serve as a barrier until the parking lot needs a replacement, which is typically after years or more. 

Conclusion

The estimated parking lot life is typically around twenty to twenty-five years, unless it is concrete that can last even beyond. The key to maximizing the life of your parking lot is making time and set aside a budget for its preservation. Proper maintenance, regular checks on your parking lot, and proper measures will suffice in achieving the service life period you expect from your parking lot. 

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