Asphalt is an excellent paving option that can create a surprising array of different benefits for your home. However, it can also end up getting damaged and needing repairs to ensure that it stays in great shape. That’s where the best asphalt repair in Champaign, Mahomet, and Monticello, Illinois comes into play. At Elite Paving & Sealcoating, we can provide high-quality repairs to your asphalt. We will use the following techniques to ensure that you get the most out of your repairs as well.
Removal of Damaged Asphalt
When you start the asphalt repair process, the first thing you need to do is break apart the existing surface. The amount that you remove will vary depending on the extent of the damage. Most of the time, you’ll need to remove only a small portion. However, there may be times when you have to get rid of the whole slab. This factor all depends on the extent of the damage to your paving materials.
As you work on breaking apart your asphalt, you have a few choices from which to choose. Some people prefer using hammers and other heavy tools to break apart asphalt. We suggest that you, instead, get professionals who can use jackhammers and other devices. These items will break apart the pavement more easily, thereby making it simpler to pick up and move later on in this process.
And you need to hire forklifts and other hauling equipment to take away the leftover asphalt. Typically, this process is one that shouldn’t take a lot of time to manage if you hire experts. These pros will come to your home or business, carefully load up all of the leftover asphalt, and haul it away in their trucks. In this way, they can make sure that your home is ready for a whole new slab of asphalt.
Repairing the Damaged Asphalt
Though we often have to completely remove damaged asphalt areas from your home’s driveway or parking lot, we may also be able to fix some small issues without removal. For example, there are many types of asphalt patches that we can apply directly to cracks that heal them. These items will either fix the surface crack or fill up the crack and make sure that the asphalt stays connected.
In some cases, though, we may have to pour in new asphalt to make sure that the repair stays strong. This step may seem like it would cost the most money, but it can be surprisingly easy and beneficial. All that we’ll do is bring high-quality asphalt directly to your home, make sure that it stays well mixed and warm, and then pour it directly into the damaged areas to ensure a high level of protection.
At this point, we’ll then grade and slope the asphalt to make sure that it stays at the proper level. This step is usually reasonably easy to perform because it doesn’t take a lot of time in most cases. Sometimes, all you’ll need to do is use a few hand-held tools to get the surface even. We will work hard to ensure that your asphalt repair patch doesn’t seem out of place or too prominent compared to the rest of your driveway.
Adding Protective Sealants
While we are repairing your asphalt, we will also be adding different elements to the surface of your slab that keep it strong and protected. Each of these levels of protection is designed to create a stronger tile and to avoid common asphalt damage problems. In many cases, you’ll likely find that these sealants do a lot of the hard work in preventing other repairs in the future.
For example, a new binder layer can help to keep asphalt secure and stop a lot of damage from spreading throughout its surface. Often, this layer is one of the more critical elements of keeping your pavement looking great. However, other steps must be taken to ensure that a slab of asphalt is strong, well-protected from damage, and capable of long-lasting protection.
Therefore, you’ll need to add a sealant on top to protect your asphalt repair. Typically, we’ll add various asphalt sealers and then a sealcoat directly on top of these. A sealcoat produces a single protective layer that keeps multiple types of damage away from your pavement. This damage protection includes guarding against UV, water, and temperature-related problems with your asphalt that may occur without warning.
Adding Butt Joints and Transitions
Lastly, a typical asphalt repair process ends with installing high-quality butt joints and other transitions to the surface of your pavement. This step is critical because your slab will otherwise lack the kind of smooth look that you want and deserve. Simply put, these joints and transitions help to make the repair spots even not only with the rest of your driveway but with other areas, including roads and the other regions that may run near you.
Butt joints typically connect these pieces of pavement in such a way that they are hardly even noticeable. When you don’t add them, though, you’ll quickly notice the differences in the levels between your repaired spot and the rest of your driveway. You may also not get the same type of runoff and grading that you would if you didn’t install them, which can lead to pooling water on your asphalt and other problems that may cause more damage.
And then, after adding all of these elements to your asphalt, the surface goes through one more roll to keep it even. Typically, this process requires using a new roller truck – or a similar machine – to smooth the surface down to a level that makes sense. Beyond this benefit, a roller truck also helps to prevent loose stones or aggregate coming up through the surface of your repairs. In this way, your asphalt can stay secure and protected.
Keeping Your Asphalt Strong for Years to Come
As you can see, keeping your asphalt in great shape is nowhere near as hard as you may have thought. All you have to do is take several steps to ensure that it doesn’t end up getting damaged. Beyond that, you also have to do whatever is necessary to keep your slabs stable and secure. So if you need asphalt repair in Champaign, Mahomet, and Monticello, Illinois and you want the best results, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Elite Paving & Sealcoating right away. We’ll do what we can to keep your asphalt secure and provide a higher level of repair protection than our many competitors.