What Are the Different Types of Pavement Preservation Treatments?

It used to be common practice among asphalt contractors and property owners to take a reactive approach when it came to implementing asphalt repairs or reconstruction. Essentially, they’d wait until significant damage became overwhelmingly apparent before taking steps to repair or reconstruct asphalt overlays. Over time, this has proven to be a vastly inefficient and costly practice that could compromise the overall structural integrity of the asphalt. Respectable and experienced pavement maintenance contractors in Vaughan, Ontario have rightfully and astutely taken on a much more proactive asphalt maintenance approach, which could save property owners a great deal of time, money, and stress in the long run.

What Is Pavement Preservation and Why Is It So Important?

To put it simply, pavement preservation entails long-term and routine maintenance for your asphalt pavement, parking lot, driveway, or roads. It allows property owners to evaluate the structural durability of their asphalt pavement and anticipate and prevent any future damage before it occurs. You can hire professional asphalt contractors who provide high-quality pavement preservation services in your area to prevent the development of serious structural damage to your asphalt.

Benefits of Using Pavement Preservation Techniques

More companies are utilizing preemptive pavement preservation techniques due to their numerous financial, practical, and time-saving benefits. While it’s certainly true that there’s no way of eternally preserving your original asphalt and eventually, it’ll need to be replaced with a new mixture, it’s also true that there are specific pavement preservation treatments that can extend the longevity of your asphalt. As long as you adhere to the 3 R’s when it comes to asphalt maintenance—using the right treatment on the right road at precisely the right time—you should be able to reap all of the following benefits of routine asphalt maintenance.

Reduced Oxidation

Oxidation can harm the appearance and structural integrity of your asphalt, making it look dull, outdated, and unattractive. Since appearances are extremely important when it comes to making positive, meaningful, and lasting first impressions both in professional and casual settings, the way in which you care for the exterior of your property speaks volumes about your business practices and personality.

Cost-Effectiveness

It might not seem apparent at the moment, but taking preventative measures to protect your asphalt from harsh outdoor elements can actually save you a great deal of money and stress in the future. Upfront preventative costs might seem overwhelming now, but they’re nothing compared to the cost of complete asphalt reconstruction, overlays, inlays, and more.

Sustains Appearance of Asphalt Pavement

Applying pavement preservation solutions on a regular basis has the added bonus of sustaining the appearance of your asphalt, keeping it looking clean, fresh, and brand new.

Extends the Lifecycle of Your Asphalt Pavement

This is a given, but routine cleaning and minor repairs will inevitably help to extend the overall lifecycle of your asphalt pavement, which means you’ll spend a lot less time and money replacing it.

Timely Repairs

Timely repairs are essential to maintaining the structural soundness of your asphalt pavement because they allow you to address specific issues as they occur. For instance, you should take the time to repair even minor cracks before they expand into full-on potholes.

Choosing the Right Pavement Preservation Techniques

There’s a large variety of appropriate pavement preservation solutions that can be applied under specific circumstances, but it’s important to note that they can’t all be universally implemented. Following pavement preservation best practices involves examining the situation and the extent of the damage closely before deciding on the best course of action.

Routine Maintenance

As mentioned, routine maintenance simply entails keeping a close eye on your asphalt and inspecting it for any problems such as cracks, potholes, water damage, or oil stains, and remedying these problems as they occur and before they worsen.

Crack Sealing

Crack sealing is actually an essential part of routine maintenance because it can prevent even small cracks from developing into potholes, which can lead to much costlier repairs.

Patching

Patching is a process that’s used to fill in potholes in order to prevent water from penetrating the surface of the asphalt and eroding it from the inside out.

Slurry Sealing

Slurry sealing is a high-tech and concise process that involves mixing asphalt aggregate and an emulsion prior to applying both ingredients to the surface of the pavement. This helps to create a strong protective layer against potentially harmful external elements and climate conditions. Slurry seal is mainly applied to older roads and pavement to help stave off oxidation.

Micro-Surfacing

Micro-surfacing is quickly becoming one of the most universally used and best practices when it comes to pavement preservation. It’s basically a more advanced and environmentally conscious form of slurry sealing that involves more potent materials.

Overlays

There are two different types of asphalt overlays: thin overlays, which are commonly referred to as “thinlays” in the industry, and thick overlays. Asphalt overlays are typically applied when there are multiple repairs that need to be made in various parts of the pavement. The thickness of the asphalt overlay depends on the depth and extent of the damage. It’s important to fully assess the extent of the damage before applying an asphalt overlay to ensure that your efforts will yield positive and sustainable results. If the asphalt is in deplorable structural condition, then it might require milling or a total overhaul before an overlay can be applied.

Sealcoating

Sealcoating is the standard pavement preservation treatment throughout the asphalt contracting industry and it should be applied every time new asphalt is installed or whenever asphalt repairs are done. The purpose of sealcoating is to create a protective barrier between your asphalt and external elements such as precipitation, vehicular damage, debris, and so much more. Sealcoating is a surefire way to maintain the aesthetic appeal and structural integrity of your asphalt for years to come.

Pavement Maintenance Contractor in Vaughan, ON

Sure-Seal Pavement Maintenance Inc. is one of the most reputable pavement contractors in Vaughan, ON. For 20-plus years, we’ve provided business owners throughout Toronto and the GTA with the highest-quality asphalt installment, repairs, management, and pavement preservation services, and now we also serve residential clients. Backed by a seven-year product and service warranty as well as workers’ compensation, we’re confident that our highly skilled and experienced contractors are the perfect match for any asphalt contracting project in Ontario. For more information about our services, please contact us.