Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Mon, Aug 17, 2009 @ 07:47 AM
When it comes to protecting your asphalt pavements against deterioration. There is no greater value than a correctly applied emulsion. Sealcoating substantially reduces maintenance costs and at the same time extends the life of asphalt pavements by as much as 300%. The cost of sealcoating is truly a minor expense when compared to the cost of pavement replacement.
A few of the benefits of sealcoating:
Appearance
The dark charcoal black color of newly applied pavement sealer improves the appearance of new and old asphalt pavements. Unprotected asphalt surfaces gradually lose their rich black color due to oxidation and weathering. We can preserve the smoothness and resilience of asphalt surfaces and help hide rough spots, small cracks, patches and some surface depressions. Pavements coated with a pavement sealer look cleaner because rainfall washes dirt and debris easily from the smooth, non-porous surface. Traffic lines become more visible.
Stops Oxidation
Actinic rays in sunlight can oxidize the Asphalt oils in pavement, causing brittleness and resulting loss of aggregates which may rob up to 50% of the original asphalt thickness in just five years. A pavement sealcoated will resist oxidative degradation and retain its value.
Reduces Costs & Increases Value
The intrusion of moisture into asphalt pavement structure accelerates it deterioration and is strongly related to pavement distress. The sealing of well-cured asphalt prevents the seepage of moisture from snow and rain, thus preventing damage from freeze-thaw cycles.
Resists Fuel Penetration
Resists gas, oil, salt and chemical penetration. Asphalt is a petroleum derivative, soluble in distillates such as gas, jet fuel and oil drippings. Sealcoating prevents damage from distillates and chemicals.
Prevents Water Penetration
The intrusion of moisture into asphalt pavement structure accelerates its deterioration and is strongly related to pavement distress. The sealing of well-cured asphalt prevents the seepage of moisture from snow and rain, thus preventing damage from freeze-thaw cycles.
Protection
We only use the best OVERKOTE sealer that is specifically designed to protect bituminous pavements. It forms a tough, durable and flexible coating that protects asphalt pavements from the damaging elements of weather, water, salts, gas and other petro-chemicals.
Application
Asphalt sealer must be applied to structurally sound pavements by experienced applicators. Asphalt pavement should be protected by two coats; however, the quantities and coverage rates must conform to manufacturer's detailed specifications. Average coverage rates are 0.18 to .20 undiluted gallons per square yard. A latex rubber additive and silica sand may be added for increased traction and durability.
You can trust ALANIZ CONSTRUCTION to maintain and custom blend only the best possible mixture of sealer to meet the specific need for you pavement. We usually recommend a one (1) or two (2) coat squeegee application.
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Sat, Aug 15, 2009 @ 08:29 AM
There are many reasons to use asphalt for your pavement surface. One of the reasons is its cost effectiveness, which right now is a great reason to use asphalt. Often asphalt is 1/2 or 1/3 less than Concrete.
Today's Hot Mix Asphalt is a high-tech product that can withstand enormous traffic loads ranging from 18-wheelers to commercial airliners. It is a highly versatile product that can be used for many applications-from Interstate highways to airport runways, parking lots, bicycle trails, and private driveways.
There are seven reasons why most engineers who have closely studied the new high-performance asphalt are convinced that it should be the pavement of choice for designers of future roadways...
Click here to read the 7 reasons.
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Fri, Aug 14, 2009 @ 07:24 AM
1. A well-surfaced and striped asphalt parking area demonstrates your care for overall safety and aesthetics of your property. Maintaining a healthy parking area attracts and retains tenants and customers.
2. Sound maintenance of asphalt extends the life of a parking facility, decreasing your overall repair costs and improving the return on the investment of your property. Just as the exterior of a building or any painted surface needs preventative maintenance to prolong its life and reduce the cost of ownership the same is true with asphalt.
3. The constant weight of a parked or slow moving vehicle is greater than a faster moving vehicle. Stresses placed on asphalt in parking lots often exceed the loads experienced on highways and streets. Stay educated about distress signals and take appropriate remedial action.
Posted by Jesse Willoughby on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 @ 04:57 PM
Pavement Markings Issues
Pavement marking effectiveness is based mostly on the durability and the visibility of the markings. Durability is
usually tracked by the simple amount of material remaining on the pavement surface over time, but can be more
scientifically tracked by measuring the bond strength of the material to the surface. Visibility related mostly to the
brightness and reflective nature of the material. Glass beads mixed into the pavement marking traffic grade paint
can add to the visibility by greatly increasing the material's retro-reflection characteristics.
Fading
Faded pavement markings and parking stall lines make these important traffic control devices invisible to
customers, tenants and other motorists, leading to potentially dangerous outcomes. Arrows, stop bars, and other
traffic control markings ensure the proper flow of traffic and optimize customer flow in and out of parking lots. Fire
lanes, curbing and no parking zones ensure that vehicles will not be parked in important areas and potentially
block emergency response vehicles. Furthermore, faded parking lines lead to insufficient use of parking lot space
and leading to less customer and tenant parking than the parking lot space will allow, including accessible parking
spaces.
Pavement Markings on Fresh Sealcoat
Although thermoplastic paint are the ideal type of pavement marking on sealcoated surfaces, water-based or
latex-based paints are far more economically feasible relative to their durability and visibility. Water-based or
latex-based traffic grade paints must be applied, however, after the sealcoat has properly cured; this curing can
take as little as a few hours depending on sun exposure, humidity, traffic conditions and other variables. If
sufficient curing time is not allowed for the sealcoat, traffic grade paint will being to "bleed" and discolored.
Furthermore, excess traffic on fresh sealcoat will also "scar" the pavement markings with tacky sealcoat that has
come onto vehicle tires and is tracked onto fresh pavement markings. All of these potential issues can be
avoided by allowing sealcoat proper dry times before applying pavement markings.