Learn How Sealcoating Your Pavement Pays You Back

Learn How Sealcoating Your Pavement Pays You Back

To understand how to maintain your pavement correctly, you first, must understand what asphalt pavement is made of. Asphalt pavement consists of two parts:

1. Aggregate: Stones of different sizes depending on the type of pavement you are installing. 

2. Bitumen or “Asphalt chemical:”  The stone aggregate is heated to 350 degrees and then mixed with bitumen.  Then, the bitumen cools and hardens like a rock holding all of the aggregates together. This process makes the beautiful smooth black surface that we call asphalt pavement. 

Over time, sun, rain, snow, and freeze/thaw cycles affect your pavement by wearing away the topmost layer of bitumen. As a result, the aggregate starts to dismantle. Once this happens, ordinary things like driving a car or truck on the pavement, push the stones out of the pavement, thus resulting in its breakdown. In the asphalt industry, we call this “unraveling.” 

 

Pavement Failure is Avoidable

Crack filling and sealcoating the asphalt pavement on a regular schedule continues to replace that top layer of bitumen. Sealcoating keeps the pavement in a like-new shape for its entire life. Many customers have 30 plus-year-old driveways or parking lots when they follow the proper maintenance schedule. Asphalt parking lots or driveways are like cars – changing the oil and filter as per regular maintenance standards, protects the asset, and keeps it in high functioning attractive order for many years. Comparatively, performing regular maintenance to asphalt avoids the major capital expense of buying a new parking lot or driveway!

 

Benefits of Regular Sealcoating

1. Protects pavement from oxidation, oil, and chemical spills
2. Protects against water penetration, rain, frost, and snow damage
3. Enhances the appearance of your building or home and landscape
4. Prolongs pavement life, safeguarding your investment

A 30-year parking lot or driveway is POSSIBLE when you properly maintain your pavement. 

 

Swan Company’s Advice 

 

Crack seal and sealcoat within three years of installing new pavement and every other year after that. If you’re thinking that’s a lot of money, think about the fact that you may never need to pave your driveway or parking lot again!