A perfect pavement is a key to your building’s curb appeal. You may be surprised at how much the appearance matters to your clients. Dirty and cracked pavement may turn some people away before they even enter the parking lot.
Taking care of your pavement is just as important as washing windows or power washing the walls. Keeping the pavement in top-notch condition doesn’t just increase its longevity, it keeps it looking beautiful regardless of the season.
Experts from ABC Paving And Sealcoating Company shared a few pavement maintenance secrets to help your business thrive.
1. Don’t Avoid Simple Sweeping
Rocks, leaves, dirt, and other debris make your asphalt look unattractive while keeping it unsafe for cars and pedestrians. Dirt and leaves can clog the drains leading to dirty puddle formation and unpleasant smell. With time, water can cause the pavement to deteriorate, leading to extra expenses. Regular sweeping doesn’t take long but it can prevent many unfortunate consequences.
2. Pay Close Attention To The Surface
Over time, cracks, birdbaths, and holes may appear on your pavement. It’s much easier to take care of them when they are small than to deal with substantial damages. While sweeping the pavement, pay close attention to its structure. The faster you notice the problem, the lower the repair costs will be.
3. Eliminate Weeds
Nature abhors the vacuum. That’s why as soon as there is a small crack in your asphalt, the weed starts growing though. It may seem nice and green at first. You may even find some pretty little flowers. However, with time, these seemingly nice weeds will make large cracks in your pavement. Get rid of them while they are small.
It’s important to fill in even the smallest cracks caused by the tiniest grass. A small crack can turn into a large one very fast, thus increasing the expenses.
4. Watch Drainage Problems
Drainage problems can ruin your pavement faster than anything else can. So you have to watch the drainage carefully and fix it as soon as anything goes awry. Just like in the case with weeds, you can’t wait for it to “go away” or “fix itself”. With time, the problem will simply get worse. You may need something simple such as a drain inlet to fix the standing water problem.
5. Keep Heavy Vehicles Away
Heavy vehicles damage the pavement. Even though the asphalt pavement can take a big load, large and heavy vehicles may crack and deform it over time. Think about how to keep them away from your pavement, and it will serve you for many years to come.
6. Sealcoat Your Pavement
Sealcoating is a great way to improve the integrity of your pavement. It protects the asphalt from the elements and water problems. At the same time, it helps deal with the minor damage. Sealcoating can be done either on your own or by hiring a contractor. The cost of such sealing process depends on the quality of the material.
7. Invest In High-Quality Pavement
If you are paving the ground from the scratch, invest in high-quality materials and professional contracts. The paving process determines the longevity of the pavement. It makes sense to make a larger investment from the start in order to avoid maintenance problems in the future.