Time and time again, some business owners have had to learn the hard way that neglecting to take care of your parking lot can be detrimental to your bottom line. Parking lots are the first physical point of contact for customers and their aesthetic and structural condition are both equally important to establishing a positive first impression. Whether it’s subconsciously or consciously done, your customers are judging your business by its outward appearance. Parking lots that are littered with debris, cracks, and potholes don’t exactly illustrate that you care about your business. As a result, you need to hire reliable and experienced asphalt parking lot maintenance services in the GTA to perform regular upkeep and repairs.
If you want to make a good impression and attract more customers, it’s important to take the time to clean up your parking lot, repair damages, and restripe faded lines and directional markers. Your efforts will pay off in the long run by increasing safety standards on your property, improving the flow of traffic, and reassuring your customers that you’re a responsible business and property owner.
During the pandemic, parking lot maintenance and repair services may seem like an exorbitant investment. But this is actually a worthwhile use of your budget in the long run. Keep reading to learn about what every business owner should know about asphalt parking lot installation and maintenance.
Strive for Sustainability
When it comes to installing a new parking lot or repaving an existing one, use sustainable practices and choose an eco-friendly reusable paving material that can be repurposed or remixed. Asphalt is that paving material. Outside of paving parking lots and road construction, asphalt can be used for a number of applications including newspaper ink production, reservoir and pool linings, cable coatings, types of paint, soundproofing, pipe coatings, waterproofing in construction materials, and so much more.
In fact, asphalt is one of the most recycled and upcycled materials in the world and is a great solution for minimizing your business’s carbon footprint during a construction project. Plus, you can reuse existing asphalt from your parking lot to create a new aggregate to make repairs.
Consider the Importance of a Durable Subbase
When it comes to asphalt parking lot and pavement construction, the subbase or foundation is of the utmost importance. Without a durable, resilient, and weight-bearing subbase, the entire structure could easily collapse, causing you a world of trouble. Not only will you lose a lot of money on your investment, but it could also open you up to a lawsuit if someone sustains an injury on your property due to poor construction or maintenance practices.
It’s better to avoid these circumstances from the very beginning by working with a reputable asphalt repair and maintenance contractor in Toronto. Get the most out of your asphalt parking lot by ensuring proper construction, repair, maintenance, and safety standards are being met at all times. From laying down a strong foundation to making surface repairs, it’s important to make sure your asphalt parking lot is the perfect combination of form and functionality. This will inevitably increase your ROI and help you get the most out of your commercial parking lot.
Conduct Regular Asphalt Inspections
Scheduling regular asphalt inspections once a month or as frequently as you see fit can help you identify and repair potential damages or problem areas before they get worse. The longer damages like cracks, dips, and depressions are left in disrepair, the worse they’ll get over time. Repairs will become increasingly complex and expensive. Surface damages like cracks, which are usually indicative of deeper structural issues, can quickly transform into worse damages like potholes.
Whether you prefer to conduct the asphalt inspections yourself or hire a professional pavement contractor to do it for you, it’s important to make sure it’s done thoroughly so as not to miss potentially serious structural issues.
Leave the Parking Lot Alone during the Curing Process
Expect and plan for some downtime during the post-installation or repair curing process. The length of time your parking lot will be out of commission depends on its size, layout, and the scope of the project itself. Parking lots that are under construction or repair can be a lot like a war zone with large pieces of equipment and building materials strewn all over the place. To prevent avoidable accidents and injuries, it’s best to close down your operations for the duration of the project and until the asphalt pavement is fully cured.
Typically, the curing process can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, but once again, that depends on the abovementioned mitigating factors. Try not to view this downtime as your business losing money; instead, think of it as a long-term investment that could potentially increase your revenue and contribute to your success.
Implement Regular Parking Lot Line Marking and Restriping
Canadian winters and the rainy season that follows can be particularly harsh on your asphalt parking lot. After all the snow and ice have melted away, you might find that your parking lot’s lines and pavement markers have faded away. This can cause a lot of chaos and confusion throughout your property and even lead to reckless driving from motorists. To restore, maintain, and maximize optimal parking lot safety standards, organization, and flow of traffic, it’s important to invest in regular parking lot marking services at least once or twice a year as needed.
Parking lot markers delineate regular parking spaces, spaces for expectant mothers, spaces for families with young children, and spaces for handicapped or disabled patrons. They also provide directional prompts, no parking zones, fire lanes, pedestrian walkways, and speed limit restrictions.
Use Experienced Asphalt Pavement Contractors in Toronto and the GTA
There’s a reason that Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. is one of the most trusted and renowned asphalt pavement contractors in Toronto and the GTA. Our award-winning services that include asphalt pavement installation, maintenance, and repairs have earned us an A+ rating with the BBB. Plus, we also offer a comprehensive seven-year warranty on all products, materials, and labour, so you can rest assured that your commercial asphalt parking lot is in the right hands. Contact us today to book a consultation!