Seal Coating Prolongs The Life Of The Pavement | Vaca Vet Striping

 

Sealcoating

Sealcoating provides versatility, rapid usability, and aesthetic value while correcting minor deficiencies in the pavement surface and preventing further deterioration.

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Asphalt Paving Operation Training Video - Positions and Equipment

Learn about all positions and equipment on a paving operation. From grading to milling to paving.

Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering

Asphalt Paving and Sealcoating - The Hard Facts of Asphalt Repair

Asphalt Pavement begins to deteriorate as soon as it is laid down. Fuel and lubricants dissolve it, water softens it and sunlight accelerates oxidation to break down the binder. Unsealed blacktop can lose half its thickness in twenty years.

Within a year or so, the original black color begins to pale. The binder asphalt begins to lose plasticity. Hairline cracks form. After five years the entire thickness has oxidized and become brittle. The color is light gray. By the eighth year, cracks extend clear through the pavement. Material is loose on the top. The base fails as water soaks through. Within a year or so, areas with alligatoring cracks become potholes. After fifteen years, the entire surface will have broken up.

DOES YOUR ASPHALT PARKING LOT NEED REPAIRING?

"IMPORTANT REPAIR TIPS"

When was the last time that you thought about your asphalt parking lot and its upkeep? This is the same place where you park your car everyday and the entrance to your home or office. It is a known fact that first impressions are lasting and this is true for your clients or friends when they drive into your parking lot. They are either encouraged to come and visit you or turn around and drive away, depending on the look of your surroundings and yes, this includes your parking lot!

We will first start with a few statistics of asphalt parking lot upkeep. If your asphalt is sealcoated every three years, it will have an average life span of thirty years! If your asphalt is not sealcoated, it will have an average life span of fifteen years. Asphalt repairs can cost as much as much as $6.00 per square foot. Sealcoat can be applied for as little as 8 cents per square foot. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that sealcoating your asphalt every three years prevents major repair costs in future years.
To determine if your parking lot needs any repairing, go take a look at it. Here are a few signs to look for:

1. Rough Asphalt - Is the surface of your asphalt not smooth? Can you see the tops of the rock or aggregate showing through? Are pieces of rock coming out of your asphalt? These are all signs that you need to have your parking lot sealed and repaired. Excessively rough areas usually require installing a new asphalt skin patch prior to sealcoating so that the sealcoat will last when being applied to these areas.

2. Cracked Asphalt - Do you have cracks appearing in your asphalt? These can be caused by either excess water under the parking area or lack of proper sealcoat maintenance over the years. These areas can be repaired by either rubber crack filling or removing and replacing them with new asphalt depending on how severe the damage has been. Cracks can also be caused by tree root pressure.

3. Worn Stripes - Is your parking space striping and stenciling looking worn? Are the old lines appearing through your old sealcoat? These are signs that it is time to sealcoat and re-stripe the parking area. Striping is the most noticeable part of the parking lot and it is very important that you have a neatly done job.

When choosing an asphalt contractor to do the work, make sure you ask for references to previous jobs that were completed. Call those people to see if they were satisfied with the asphalt contractor's work. Remember, price is not everything! Some contractors use better materials and do better work than other contractors.

As a rule of thumb, make sure that the asphalt contractor dilutes the sealcoat with a maximum of 10% water. This way you will get a thicker coat of sealer- and that will last a long time. When your asphalt is severely cracked (alligatored) and needs to be removed and replaced with new asphalt, make sure that the new asphalt is installed to a depth of at least 3 inches. This will usually give you a good solid patch. Remember, first impressions are lasting. People like a clean and well kept parking lot.
Stop... Think About Your Asphalt Driveway!

When was the last time that you thought about your asphalt driveway (the path that leads to your humble home and the place where you park your car)? This article will give you the in's and out's on caring for your asphalt driveway, whether it is new or otherwise.

If you have an asphalt driveway, seal it! The sun and water are your driveway's worst enemies. If you do not regularly seal your driveway, the surface will become rough and the asphalt will start to crack, causing further damage. If your driveway is older, has started to get rough, and is forming small cracks it is even more urgent that you seal it to protect your investment.

If you decide to do the job yourself, you can buy asphalt sealer in five-gallon containers at any of your local lumber companies or home improvement stores. You also need to purchase a special sealer broom to apply the sealer and a paintbrush to cut in along walls and tight areas. Applying the sealer to your driveway can be tricky. You need to apply it in even brush strokes. When it dries it will look just the way you brushed it on. The sealer will dry very fast so you need to work very quickly.

There is a big difference between the sealers that YOU can buy and the sealers that are used by asphalt contractors who seal driveways for a living. The sealers that the asphalt contractors use contain silica sand and/or slate which allows the seal to last about twice as long as the kind purchased at the store. The asphalt contractor uses a mixer machine to keep the aggregates agitated. Otherwise, it would stick like lead to the bottom of the container. If you seal your own driveway, it's good to do it about every year. If you have a contractor do it, have him seal it every three years.

If your driveway is older and has some cracks, it is recommended to fix them before any more damage occurs. Asphalt cracking is caused primarily by the effects of the sun and by moisture. Proper attention to cracks will prevent your driveway from breaking down further and will double the life of your asphalt. If you seal your own cracks, make sure that you buy a crack sealer that has rubber compounds. This type of product allows the crack to expand and contract without breaking open. Rubber crack sealer will flex with the movement of the asphalt and will help prevent water from seeping into the crack. Always seal the cracks before you seal your asphalt driveway. If you hire a contractor to seal your cracks, make sure he uses a rubber based sealer. (Some do not!)

Your driveway is an investment. The better you take care of it, the less it will cost you in the long run. The best thing about a well-maintained driveway is that it looks great and enhances the look of your home.

Does Your Parking Lot Sing the Trash Truck Blues?

I can't count the amount of phone calls that we have received from irate apartment owners. The conversation usually starts out by the owner saying, "Those darn trash trucks are ruining my asphalt parking lot. There are cracks as far as the eye can see and the ground is starting to heave. I'm afraid that one of my tenants is going to fall and brake a leg." As you know, these are all very valid concerns.

Trash trucks are the leading cause of asphalt parking lot damage. Generally, parking lots are not constructed to handle heavy truck traffic. Usually the base material (decomposed granite) on older parking lots has not been installed or has been installed in a very thin layer. The pavement that is laid on top of this base is only as strong as the base material. This can cause premature stress on the asphalt pavement when a heavy truck passes over the surface.

Think about it! One pass of an 18,000 pound load on a single axle truck has the same effect on an asphalt parking lot as 9,600 automobile passes. What does your local trash truck weigh when it is full of wet, smelly, compacted garbage? It usually weighs more than 18,000 pounds. If your trash truck shows up once or twice a week, the damage load can be the equivalent of between 10,000 and 20,000 cars. That's a lot of traffic!

By now, you are probably wondering what you can do about this problem. Depending on your property, there are several measures that you can take to help repair the current damage and limit future trash truck damage.

The first thing that you should do is to repair the damage that the trash truck has caused. This usually requires saw-cutting and removing the damaged asphalt and replacing it with new asphalt to a depth of not less than four inches. The new asphalt patch should always be deeper than your existing asphalt.

If your trash truck damage is not too severe, you can have your damaged areas overlaid with a new layer of Petromat and asphalt. This is less expensive than removing and replacing your asphalt. Petromat is made out of fiberglass and is designed to help prevent your old pavement cracks from coming through the new layer of asphalt. The new layer of asphalt must be a minimum of 1.5 inches deep over the Petromat for maximum effectiveness. Since the level of your existing parking lot will be raised by Petromat patches, you have to make sure that water puddling will not become a problem.
After your asphalt patches have been completed, you should sealcoat and re-stripe your parking lot to keep it looking nice and to help keep your patches tightly locked and waterproof.

The second thing that you should do is to figure out how to help prevent the damage from occurring again! One way to do this is to install concrete pads where the trash trucks cause the most damage. Usually this is in the FRONT of your trash dumpsters. The concrete pads I see are usually too small or are in the wrong location. You need to make sure that the concrete pad is longer than the trash truck and is installed where he stops and picks up your trash dumpster. The reason that this area is subject to the most damage is that the trash truck is stopped causing the most down pressure on your pavement. The truck also shakes and shudders when it is dumping your dumpster which causes additional stress on the area. The concrete pad should be a minimum of six inches deep, using steel rebar and 3,000 PSI concrete.

The third thing that you should do is to review the existing locations of your trash dumpsters. Closer is better! Some apartment properties are situated so that the dumpster areas can be moved closer to the street. Just remember, the closer to the street that you can locate your trash dumpsters, the less it will cost you in parking lot repairs. In most apartment owner cases, this means thousands of dollars $$$ in long term savings.

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Best Driveway Cleaner – Keep Clean Your Home!

Cleaning concrete is a little more challenging than most other surfaces, as concrete floors are often found in places exposed to worst of treatments. This includes garages, warehouses, driveways etc. Where the surface has to bear just about anything, and the stains get hardened if they remain there long enough.

LivingwithEra

Enjoy a Safe Driveway or Parking Lot by Hiring Expert Paving Contractors!

A safe parking lot or driveway is an essential first step to creating a welcoming atmosphere at any home or business. Prevent person injuries and property damage by hiring a professional paving contractor to perform effective, long-lasting pavement repairs, resurfacing, and more.

Potholed, crumbled, or cracked parking lots and driveways don't just give off a poor impression. They can deter customers from your business, create neighborhood eyesores, pose physical threats to people and vehicles, and even result in damage to your buildings due to poor drainage. If you have damaged pavement on your property or need a new parking lot or driveway, call your local paving contractors today. These professionals have the experience and know-how to provide you with attractive, safe craftsmanship that will serve you well for years to come.

How do paving contractors promote safety?

Correctable and preventable problems such as potholes, cracks, and dips can cause broken ankles, scraped knees, or worse. Your paving contractor is available to provide a variety of parking lot and driveway paving and repairs, such as filling in potholes, sealing cracks, installing block edges to prevent crumbling, and more. Replacement driveway or parking lot paving is also an option if your current pavement is irreparably damaged. These professionals will only use quality materials and tools to ensure a sleek look and continued performance season after season.

Your paving professional will begin by ensuring that the construction area is even and stable. Your terrain will be then be examined in order to determine the proper grade for your pavement. This encourages water to drain away from your property, which helps prevent water damage and puddles. The base stone will then be laid, bound with asphalt binder, and then sealed with a smooth top coat.
After proper pavement installation, your paving contractor can then provide additional safety features and services, including:

• Sign installation and pavement painting - Arrows, signs, parking lines, and other accessories and details are essential for an orderly parking lot. These features help prevent accidents, distinguish handicap reserved spaces, and more!
• Speed bumps - Discourage speeding on your property with strong, effective speed bumps.
• Prevent vehicular damage - Potholes and other deterioration are often the culprit behind popped tires and damaged suspensions. Prompt driveway and parking lot repairs can protect cars as well as people.

Installing and servicing reliable driveways and parking lots comes from years of experience and expert knowledge. Using a professional paving company is necessary if you want to enjoy quality work that can stand up to time, traffic, and the elements. If you want to help prevent vehicle accidents, remove safety hazards, or just are sick of having grass grow in the cracks of your driveway, don't settle for amateur work. Call your local paving professionals today.

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Regulating Traffic With Speed Bumps

Most drivers and pedestrians have encountered one or more types of speed bumps. There are several different types, each with its own specific purpose when it comes to traffic and parking lot management.

Street speed bumps, known as traffic calming features are designed to cause drivers to slow down significantly in order to go over them safely. Placed across the entire roadway, with a space on either side for drainage, the raised road surface is a bump in the road with heights typically ranging between three and four inches. The depth of the bumps are typically less than one foot. The bumps serve as a reminder to drivers to watch their speed and making it impossible to drive too fast through the areas in which traffic calming features have been placed.

Commercial speed bumps on streets and in parking lots tend to be larger and made of high impact materials, such as concrete or asphalt. They can have stripes or the entire surface painted in embedded reflective tape or highly visible paint colors, such as yellow or orange.

In residential areas, this type of traffic calming feature is used to reduce the rate at which the motor vehicle travels in high traffic or areas that have had racing or other traffic related problems. These bumps are typically smaller in size and are made of lower impact materials, such as recycled plastic or rubber. They may also be painted orange or yellow or embedded with reflective tape for easy visibility, day or night.

Speed humps are used for the same purpose as speed bumps, but they are designed to be driven over at rates of travel of up to twenty miles per hour without having to stop or slow down. This type of traffic calming feature is wider than the typical bump in that they are typically ten to fourteen feet in-depth. Unlike the smaller traffic calming devices, which are intended to make drives stop abruptly, speed humps are designed to encourage a gradual stop and to remind drivers to maintain the speed limit. Speed humps can be used for different traffic and parking situations; however, they are primarily used in residential areas.

Poorly designed raised road features can be hard to negotiate in vehicles with low clearance even at slow speeds. These traffic calming devices can also pose a hazard to motorcycles, bicyclists, and even pedestrians if not visibly marked. In some cases, the speed bump will be designed so that a break in the bump in the middle of the road allows two-wheel vehicles to pass without having to pass over the bump.

Controlling vehicle speed with a speed bump or speed hump is the most effective method to improve the safety of a parking lot, driveway or private lane. High visibility speed bumps and signs are the best way to communicate to drivers to keep their speed to a minimum.

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Maureen McHale is a marketing consultant specializing in SEO and content management.

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Protect Your Parking Investment!

Asphalt Maintenance

Asphalt pavement is commonly used on many different projects. It is a popular material due to its cost-effectiveness, durability, ease of implementation and is great at withstanding heavy loads. It can be used for walkways, driveways, parking lots and complete roadways. Many may not know that asphalt does require inspections and routine maintenance for long life. Common asphalt maintenance procedures are as follows:

Asphalt Maintenance Facts

Asphalt has a long life span as long as proper maintenance is performed. Asphalt deterioration begins as soon as the freshly laid asphalt begins to cool. Oil, sun oxidation, salt, water penetration, weather all affect the life span.

Asphalt Repair and Patching

Patching is a frequently used repair technique for imperfections such as potholes. Potholes can be formed by the freezing and thawing of water in unsealed or improperly sealed cracks. As the ice forms, it expands and damages the surrounding asphalt leaving voids and thus a pothole is born. The process of replacing the asphalt depends on the affected area and the seasonal conditions.

Asphalt Resurfacing or Overlaying

In some cases, it can be more cost effective to resurface or overlay the asphalt. Good candidates for resurfacing are low spots, large sections of interconnecting cracks. This process is unique to each job and can consist of leveling of low spots, grinding off uneven surfaces, adjusting drainage paths and other details pertaining to the specific problem.

Asphalt Removal and Replacement

Without ongoing maintenance, asphalt surfaces can degrade until the only option is a replacement. Proper procedures must be followed to ensure the repair and replacement surface last. Cost varies depending on the job.

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How to Replace your Entire Driveway (Complete Tear Out and Repave)

Learn how to repave your driveway, including digging out the old driveway, laying down stone for a good sub-base, grading, leveling, and compacting that stone, and finally laying down fresh hot mix asphalt. This new asphalt driveway came out amazing and I cannot wait to use it to make more videos! Oil Spill Mat: https://amzn.to/3xP230F Thank you Platinum Paving for doing a great job on the driveway. The owner is a fan of my channel and I appreciate him putting down his best driveway possible! https://www.platinumpavingnj.com/

ChrisFix

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How Safe Are Pedestrians In Local Parking Lots?

With the continued migration of populations to urban environments and the ongoing growth of suburbia in the U.S., people are congregating in more dense locations than ever before in history.

As populations continue to grow in dense urban locations, pedestrians will be exposed to dangers of vehicles in parking lots. Studies show that about one in four pedestrian-related accidents occurs in parking lots.

Many of these incidents occur in grocery stores, apartment complexes, and other parking lots.

Key Engineering Factors To Improve Parking Lot Safety

90-Degree Two-Way Parking Aisles

Many parking lots leverage an angled one-way parking aisle design to help guide traffic patterns and reduce the chances of head-on vehicle crashes. However, this type of parking lot aisle design makes each aisle narrower than the 90-degree two-way parking aisle design.

The narrow aisle width of angled parking aisle means that pedestrians have less time to react to vehicles backing up. While 90-degree parking aisles reduce traffic conflicts, this improved efficiency causes drivers to drive at higher speeds compared to 90-degree two-way parking aisles.

Read the source article here: https://www.trafficsafetystore.com/blog/tips-for-enhancing-parking-lot-pedestrian-safety/

How to Extend a Driveway with Asphalt | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner add an extra parking spot to keep their vehicles off of a very busy street. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Adding a parking spot to a driveway can increase the driveway’s usefulness, keep the vehicle safe and away from busy streets, and even provide an extra spot for repairs. And while it’s not exactly a DIY project, it’s helpful to understand the steps on how extending a driveway with asphalt is done. You Might Need Permission In many municipalities, the sidewalk and even some of the yard may belong to the town. Adding a parking space that may affect the town’s property will require permission. On top of that, the town may require a permit. While neither item is usually a big deal, homeowners should do their due diligence and check with the town first. Hire an Asphalt Contractor Asphalt requires special equipment, techniques, and knowledge, so it’s best to hire a contractor. Knowing how to slope the 300-degree asphalt before it hardens is critical, else there can be low spots that collect water or rain may run off in the wrong direction. Mark the Utilities Installing an asphalt driveway requires some excavation, and contractors need a general idea of where the utilities lie. For this reason, asphalt companies will call utility marking agencies to come out and mark the yard wherever the gas, sewer, water, or underground electricity travel under the yard. Where to find it? Mark recruits the help of a local asphalt contractor to install a parking spot for a homeowner on a busy street. Contact utility locating services in preparation for any project that requires digging. Once water, gas, and sewer lines that run underground are identified and marked, it’s safe to proceed on to digging. To prep the space the crew will dig down about 15” to get below the frost line and use a specialty compactor, called a drum vibratory roller, to compact the soil to establish a solid base. Add a layer of crushed added for proper drainage. Pour the asphalt base and surface layers, compacting between each layer. Visit the Better Business Bureau [https://www.bbb.org/] website to find reputable asphalt companies near you. The asphalt is sealed with a product manufactured by Pioneer Sealcoat, LLC. [https://www.pioneersealcoat.com/] Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pages/st...