After a long and cold winter, spring is a good time to start catering to you asphalt pavement needs. Commercial parking lots in particular endure a lot of damages or wear and tear during the winter months. Frigid temperature fluctuations, heavy heaps of snow, hail, ice, and other elements can all do a lot of damage to asphalt pavement. To prolong the lifespan of your asphalt pavement and save some money on potentially massive future repairs or restorations, it’s important to execute proper asphalt pavement maintenance on a regular basis.
Here’s a comprehensive spring asphalt maintenance checklist to help you get started.
Perform a Detailed Visual Inspection of Your Property
The first thing you should do after all the snow and ice have melted is perform a detailed visual inspection of your property. Do a walk-through and look for minor and severe signs of disrepair. Make note of your observations, so you can come up with an appropriate action plan. Here are few things you should look for.
- Faded asphalt colour. Look for signs of natural wear and tear or fading from constant overexposure to the sun. Restripe faded lines and markings to increase traffic flow efficiency, organization, and safety measures on your property.
- Loose rocks or chunks of asphalt. This is a major sign of asphalt structural failure and should be dealt with immediately.
- Potential tripping hazards. Potholes, cracks, damaged island curbs, etc. can all cause serious injury. Make necessary repairs immediately to eliminate the risk of injury.
Sealcoat Your Asphalt Parking Lot Every Two to Three Years
Sealcoating your asphalt parking lot every two to three years can help extend its lifespan by about 20-30 years and keep future repair and maintenance costs low. If your asphalt is overdue for sealcoating, then spring is the perfect time to do it. The temperature is just moderately warm enough for the sealcoat to cure quickly, which can also help reduce downtime for your business.
Don’t attempt to do it yourself, though. Sealcoating takes a lot of skill and know-how, so it’s better to hire a professional asphalt pavement maintenance contractor in Toronto or the GTA to do it for you.
Repair Cracks and Other Damages Immediately
It’s important to repair cracks and other damages such as rutting as soon as you notice them. The longer you go without filling in even the slightest cracks or correcting signs of distress, the worse these issues will get.
Cracking can escalate very quickly, especially as the rainy season approaches. Water and debris can seep into the cracks, causing them to expand. Once these elements have permeated the surface of the asphalt, they can quickly create below ground tunnels throughout the substrate and cause internal erosion, destruction, and structural weakness.
Asphalt overlays may be required if this happens, and this will end up costing you a lot more money in the long run than if you simply repair these damages immediately.
Restripe Faded Line Markings and Other Pavement Markers
Spring is the ideal time to restripe faded line markings and pavement markers. Line markers designate parking spots for vehicles while pavement markers indicate no parking zones, speed limits, walkways, handicap parking spots, family parking spots, fire lanes, loading areas, and speed bumps.
These are all important components that help keep your parking lot functioning safely and efficiently. Unfortunately, winter weather can do a number on your asphalt pavement and cause line markings to fade. Applying a fresh coat of paint improves the look of your parking lot, exuding professionalism, a sense of safety, and organization. Aside from looking good, restriping faded line markers also communicates to your customers that you care about their health and safety and whether or not they have a positive experience while using your property.
A clean, well maintained parking lot is a sign of a successful business that truly cares about its customers and employees.
Keep Up a Regular Cleaning and Maintenance Schedule
Now that the snow and ice have melted away and the temperatures have warmed up a little, maintaining a regular asphalt parking lot cleaning schedule is a lot more feasible. Truthfully, this is something you should be doing on a year-round basis to keep up safety standards and appearances on your parking lot.
However, the mild spring temperatures make for the ideal conditions to spend more time outdoors and do a thorough sweep of your parking lot. As a business owner, you can get understandably busy trying to run your organization. Sometimes certain tasks like cleaning up your property can fall through the cracks, so to speak. If you don’t have time to clean up your asphalt parking lot or perform necessary maintenance, then you can rely on a local Toronto and GTA pavement maintenance company to do it for you. Try to set aside some time at least once a month or bi-weekly just to do a walk-through of your parking lot, clean up debris, and make minor repairs as needed.
Keep Asphalt Edges Free of Vegetation
Grass and weeds growing near your asphalt parking lot aren’t as harmless as they look. There’s a reason behind the saying “spreading like a weed”. Over time, windblown weeds can permeate the asphalt structure from underneath and weaken it from within. Wind isn’t the only culprit for spreading weed seeds, but it is the main one. Other offenders include waterways or streams, wildlife, livestock, farm equipment, and even vehicles that have driven over grass.
To prevent weeds from destroying your asphalt pavement from within and causing surface cracks, take the time to weed the edges of your pavement and remove all organic matter and vegetation.
Contact Expert Asphalt Paving Contractors in Your Area
Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. is one of the most trusted asphalt pavement repair and maintenance companies in Toronto and the GTA. It’s no wonder that we’re an A+ BBB accredited pavement contractor. Our clients appreciate our commitment to providing excellent customer service and delivering high-quality asphalt pavement maintenance for projects we’ve worked on. Contact us today to book a consultation and find out what all the fuss is about!