Residential Asphalt Paving Monticello, IL

How Asphalt Can Minimize Winter-Related Parking Lot or Driveway Issues

When you get commercial or residential asphalt paving for your parking lot or driveway, you need to do what is necessary to minimize damage. Unfortunately, certain times of the year are often prone to serious damage-related issues, particularly during the cold of the winter. After the snow melts on your Monticello, IL or Central Illinois lot, you’re likely to some cracks, discolorations, and other issues.

This difficulty is familiar with residential asphalt paving and commercial jobs and is a very frustrating situation. However, asphalt is one of the most resilient of the paving material types on the market today and withstands an extraordinary range of freezing damage better than other types of pavement. As a result, you should understand the nature of this problem and how you can minimize its impact using a variety of treatment methods on your pavement.

Why Winter Damages Your Pavement

Whether you get commercial or residential asphalt paving, you’ve probably noticed that winter tends to do a real number on your pavement. This problem is one that affects plenty of business and homeowners around the nation and is a very frustrating situation. This problem typically occurs because of the ways that cold weather affects the material of your pavement and causes it to expand and contract.

Simply put, the water inside of your pavement is very prone to weather-related contraction, an issue that can be very frustrating if you have a large driveway or parking lot. As the temperature decreases, the water used to mix your pavement – which is still trapped inside of the material – will expand as it freezes. This expansion will cause potential damage to your pavement, even though this growth is typically minimal and hard to see with the naked eye.

However, the cumulative effect on your driveway or parking lot can be much higher than you’d expect. Even small changes in the size of your pavement can cause damage that quickly spreads not just across the surface of your driveway but through the expanse of the slab. Thankfully, though, asphalt can help to prevent this problem due to a variety of unique design touches. Just as importantly, you can protect your asphalt to make it even stronger against this type of severe damage.

How Asphalt Resists Freezing Damage

Asphalt is a durable and reliable type of pavement that has quickly become one of the most popular parking lot mediums for businesses. However, even residential asphalt paving has become very successful because of the ways it creates a strong and durable driveway. Simply put, asphalt is designed to withstand cold-related damage as much as possible. This type of pavement was designed for this purpose and is tweaked from other materials of the same kind to be even stronger.

For example, the black surface of asphalt naturally absorbs more sunlight and heat, which helps to melt away snow and keep the surface warmer. As a result, the interior surface of the pavement will be higher and more resistant to damage from freezing-related contraction. Just as importantly, asphalt typically utilizes several expansion joints to ensure that it doesn’t experience too much damage. These joints are designed to grow and shrink as the temperature changes outside.

That said, asphalt cannot resist winter-related damage forever. Slowly but surely, the untreated or unmaintained pavement will gradually wear down and start experiencing damage related to cold temperatures. Thankfully, several treatment methods exist that can avoid this problem. Understanding these methods can help you keep your paving as secure as possible during winter. And, just as importantly, you need to make sure to hire professionals to do these steps for you.

Sealcoats Help Even More

Although commercial and residential asphalt paving naturally resists freezing damage better than other types of pavement, you should still add a sealcoat to keep your investment safe. A sealcoat is a sealant that you spray on your asphalt to protect it from weathering damage. For example, a sealcoat will block UV rays from impacting your pavement and protect it from heating damage. A sealcoat will also help to keep out water and avoid excessive absorption.

This issue is one of the most significant contributing factors to pavement damage. Simply put, your asphalt will naturally absorb a small amount of water when it is exposed to rain and snow. Though this water will often dry up before it is fully absorbed, a large concentration may cause the water to soak into the material more heavily and make it more prone to expansion and contraction damage. Even worse, water can wear away the inner layers of your pavement and expose it to more damage.

Thankfully, a sealcoat will block out water absorption and keep your pavement more protected from expansion and contraction damage. A good sealcoat can last anywhere from 3-4 years or more on your pavement depending on the maintenance that you perform. Regularly cleaning the surface of your pavement with a broom or other types of cleaning tools can keep these items from wearing down your sealcoat and leaving your pavement exposed to excessive elements.

Professional Help is a Wise Investment

Although you can probably add a sealcoat to your driveway with minimal effort, this step is not the best that you can take. Simply put, commercial and residential asphalt paving requires a professional to apply the treatment to avoid complications with your driveway. A professional will fully understand how to apply a sealcoat to your asphalt without causing any complications. They’ll also know how to use other types of treatments and repairs to keep your pavement secure.

If you’re looking to keep your asphalt safe from winter-related damage and want to enhance its overall strength even more, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Elite Paving & Sealcoating to learn more about how we can help. Our professionals are skilled and will provide you with the assistance that you need to keep your asphalt safe and robust for years to come in Monticello, IL and the Central Illinois area. We can also offer a variety of repair techniques to keep any damaged pavement from getting too cracked or distorted.

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