Sealcoating is a highly demanded service among companies with asphalt parking lots. Applying a sealcoat timely can prevent your asphalt pavement from deteriorating quickly.
Without sealcoating, your parking lot may develop serious damages in just a few years. With proper care, it can last as long as 20 years.
While a sealcoat protects your asphalt parking lot, to do its job, it requires maintenance. Proper sealcoat care can maximize the protective layer’s efficiency and keep your asphalt surface in top shape.
Let’s take a closer look at five key sealcoat maintenance tips.
Let It Dry
Once you apply the sealcoat to your asphalt surface, you need to allow it to dry. According to Florida asphalt paving experts from ABC Paving, it takes about 24 to 48 hours for the protective layer to dry.
If you hire a professional sealcoating company, they will do the job when the weather is sunny and not too humid. However, if you apply a sealcoat without weather considerations, then it may take the layer longer to dry. If the weather is hot, humid, or rainy, allow the sealcoat about 72 hours for drying.
Once the sealcoat is fully dry, you can open your parking lot. If you need to speed up the drying process, talk to the sealcoating experts. Sometimes, it’s possible to use an additive in the sealcoat material to allow it to dry faster.
Keep It Clean
Just because a sealcoat protects your asphalt, it doesn’t mean you can forgo all the maintenance. Without proper care, the sealcoat can give out, leaving the asphalt beneath it exposed.
Your parking lot probably gets significant traffic. Meanwhile, dirt, grass, dry leaves, and other debris are likely to settle on it during the day. If you don’t clean the surface, water may start puddling under the debris and making its way through the sealcoat slowly.
While it may take several weeks for the sealcoat to give out, eventually, it will. That’s why it’s important to keep the asphalt surface as clean as possible. Consider cleaning your parking lot at least once a week.
Inspect Your Sealcoat
While sealcoat is strong, it may still get damaged. Excessive traffic, poor maintenance, and bad weather may cause it to give out earlier than you hope for. By catching the problem early, you can prevent it from spreading.
That’s why it’s imperative to inspect your asphalt surface on a weekly basis. If you see a crack in the sealcoat, it’s easy to fix. Once this crack gets bigger and lets water and chemicals inside, your asphalt surface will begin deteriorating.
Eventually, you could be facing formidable repaving expenses. The average cost of paving a parking lot is between $2.50 and $7 per square foot. Meanwhile, fixing a small crack doesn’t usually cost more than $100.
Choose Professional Repair Services
If you find a problem with your sealcoat, don’t try to fix it on your own. Even a small crack may signal bigger problems with your parking lot. By patching it up, you could be trapping water inside the pavement. This in turn will lead to formidable damage and repair expenses.
If you encounter a sealcoat problem, contact a sealcoating company. The experts will inspect the parking lot and offer an optimal solution. You are likely to pay less for professional repair than for eliminating the consequences of DIY repairs.
Apply a Sealcoat Regularly
To be effective and keep your asphalt in top shape for decades, a sealcoat has to be reapplied regularly. Depending on the traffic your parking lot handles, this has to be done every one to two years.
Ask the sealcoating company you work with for recommended resealing interval. Even if the pavement appears fine visually, it still needs to be resealed on time. Sometimes, the problem isn’t visible until it’s too late.
The Takeaway
Asphalt sealcoating is vital to the integrity of your parking lot. Just because a sealcoat is protective, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to take care of it. By cleaning and inspecting the protective layer, you keep the asphalt from being damaged.
With regular maintenance and resealing, your asphalt pavement can stay in excellent shape for many years.
