Spotlight: Asphalt Maintenance 101 - Exploring the Benefits of Seal coating, Crack filling and Patching

Seal coating, crack filling and patching contribute in different ways to the longevity of a parking lot. In the same way that we preserve many of our national treasures like old colonial houses by painting, caulking and replacing old and rotted boards, asphalt surfaces need the same attention with seal coating, crack filling and patching. In both cases I like to refer to it as the "maintenance barrier triangle".  A barrier is something that provides a line of defense. Let's explore the "barrier" properties of each of these maintenance techniques.

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Seal coating has many "barrier" properties. Sun hardens asphalt and breaks down the functional properties of the surface through oxidation. When asphalt hardens it becomes brittle and can be one of the reasons for cracks to form. Seal coating shields the asphalt from the harmful oxidation effects of the sun. Flexible asphalt can react to temperature changes and the impacts of heavy loads by allowing the asphalt to expand and contract without breaking apart. 

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Since asphalt is just a mixture of stone and tar, the surface can have some voids in it. Some that are there during the initial paving and some that develop over time from the constant traffic flow combined with the oxidation effects of the sun. Seal coating helps to fill those voids reducing or eliminating water penetration into the first 1/4 inch of surface. When water moves across this voided surface it creates friction and friction is another enemy of asphalt. Over time friction will create a point of failure for your asphalt surface. 

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Another barrier property of seal coating is a first line of defense against harmful chemicals commonly leaked by vehicles onto asphalt such as gas, oil and antifreeze. Any kind of petroleum type product will break the asphalt down in the same way we use paint thinner in oil based paints. 

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Crack filling provides barrier protection by treating random cracks with rubberized hot pour crack filler. Properly preparing the crack before crack filling is of the utmost importance otherwise the rubberized crack filler will not adhere to the the old asphalt. 

When cracks are not random and are causing pavement failure, patching and full depth repairs might be a better alternative. 

While crack filling and patching is done on all types of asphalt surfaces, seal coating is not ideal for high speed roadways because seal coating can significantly shorten reaction times. Seal coating is ideal for:

• Residential roadways
• Parking lots
• Greenways, bicycle paths, trailways, golf cart paths
• Airports

Proper maintenance can significantly increase the life of your asphalt not to mention the aesthetic benefits of placing a "like new" barrier membrane surface over your precious investment. 

For more info on some of the other services we offer,  visit  PaveSouth.com.

Pave South & Raleigh Paving is a commercial asphalt paving and site contractor. We serve the Triangle, Triad and Charlotte metro areas of North Carolina including Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston Salem.