Top 10 Reasons to Sealcoat Your Parking Lot Now

To understand the importance of sealcoating, you must first understand what asphalt is made of. Asphalt pavement is mostly made up of rock, fine stone or sand, gravel and asphalt cement which holds everything together and gives asphalt its black appearance. When harmful elements such as rain, sun and snow come in contact with the asphalt, the pavement starts to deteriorate, fade, and become brittle, which causes the surface to have less resistance to heavy loads. Also, since asphalt is a petroleum product, other petroleum products such as oil, gasoline, transmission/power steering and/or brake fluids, dissolve into the asphalt causing it to weaken and break-up its “glue-like” properties. To reduce these types of damage to your asphalt, it is essential to implement regular sealcoating into your pavement maintenance program.

Most effective preventative maintenance programs call for parking lots and other asphalt surface areas to be sealcoated every 2-3 years. Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is a great time to sealcoat. In fact, Mid-May through Mid-September are the best times to sealcoat your parking lot or any asphalt surface areas. The sealcoat can last twice as long when applied during this time, because the hot sun creates the best environment for curing the pavement sealer film. When the sealcoat is applied to hot asphalt, the water immediately evaporates from the pavement sealer. The sun dries the sealcoat film from the surface, curing from the top down. This process “hard bakes” sealcoat film onto the asphalt surface, and the harder the cured film, the more durable and longer lasting the sealcoating job will be.

Besides it being the perfect weather to sealcoat your parking lot, there are many other reasons you should not wait to sealcoat. Here are our Top 10 reasons to sealcoat your parking lot now:

10. Creates better traction for pedestrians and vehicles

9. Provides a deep, rich black color, and makes traffic lines more visible

8. Boosts curb appeal and improves property value

7. Decreases oil, salt, fuel and other chemical damage

6. Seals out water and moisture

5. Prevents oxidation

4. Protects from environmental distress and weathering

3. Increases pavement flexibility and helps prevent cracking and chipping

2. Doubles your pavement life

And the #1 reason you should sealcoat your parking lot now:

1. Saves You Money – Sealcoating costs pennies per square foot whereas asphalt repairs cost dollars per square foot. You do the math!

Article Source: http://pavementcorporation.com/top-10-reasons-sealcoat-parking-lot-now/