Asphalt is a dark, thick and adhesive form of petroleum. Also known as bitumen, it is mainly utilized in paving different structures such as roads, running pathways, tunnels, runways in airports, and parking lots. This is predominantly because it is water resistant, reusable, cost-effective and easy to repair.
What causes asphalt to break down?
Just like any other material such as concrete, asphalt is subject to damage. There are various factors that contribute to crumbling of asphalt pavements:
Sunlight Rays The reason why asphalt is perfect as a paving material is its elasticity. Sun's rays contain ultraviolet rays which oxidize it, therefore making it stiff. This makes it lose its flexibility and become vulnerable to cracks and formation of crevices on it. Water Asphalt is susceptible to water and even the presence of moisture. This is because water, if left stationary on the asphalt pavements, can weaken the asphalt binder components. If not properly dealt with, for a longer period of time it may cause cracking and at worst cases lead to stripping. Large Vehicles Large and heavy vehicles may cause your asphalt pavements to crack especially if left to stay still in the pavements. The weight of the vehicles act down on the asphalt along the tire paths and weaken it. This may cause rutting over a long period of time. Oil Products If any oil product such as fuel is left on the surface of asphalt over a substantial amount of time, it is bound to cause damage to it. This is because time enables oil to immerse itself in asphalt and weaken its elasticity, therefore deteriorating its durability. When should I patch my paved surface?
Timing the perfect time at which you choose to do asphalt repair and patching of damaged pavements is not easy. This is because you first have to understand the extent of the damage, and then opt for the best type of patching that goes best with your planned time. There are two forms of patching and both have different times at which they can be done.
Cold Patching Cold patches are mostly used to repair potholes. This is because cold patches can be done at any time of the year. They do not need to be subjected and maintained at a specific temperature and can be done at the current surrounding temperature. Keep in mind that cold patches are just a rapid repair option for asphalt pavements and they are only temporary as you look for better ways of repair. Hot Patching This is the most suitable alternative when it comes to patching your pavements, especially potholes. This is because applying a hot patch provides an enduring and permanent solution to any pavement damage. Although this is the best choice, it cannot be done during the cold weather. This is because hot patches have to last in that state long enough to finish the patching. Which type of patching is the best?Depending on the level of damage on your pavements, one may opt for any of the following types of patching: Full-depth Patching This type of patching is the most suitable to repair major damages that extend more than 4 inches vertically from your surface. If the current asphalt material is deteriorated and cannot be used to provide strength to the patch, it is necessary to remove all of the asphalt vertically to the supporting stone base. Depending on the strength of the stone base, one has to decide whether to also remove it, if it cannot withstand the weight of the asphalt or to apply the new compacted asphalt mix. If one decides to do away with the stone base, the new asphalt mix is required to be thicker. This type of asphalt repair and patching is expensive but is a more permanent solution to your pavement damages. Surface Patching This type of patching is done if the extent of damage on the asphalt layer is minimal and only extends to less than 2 inches into the pavement. This type of asphalt repair and patching is not permanent because major issues such as a weak stone base may be overlooked resulting in more serious damages in the future. However, if you are looking for a less expensive type of asphalt repair and patching, surface patching is most suitable, as you look for better options. Will potholes get worse with time?
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What is Paving Resurfacing?
Asphalt paving resurfacing is the installation of a new asphalt layer over your existing pavement. It is also known as asphalt overlay, an overlay or pavement overlay. The new layer ranges in depth from 1.5 inches to 2 inches. However, pavement reconstruction involves the installation of both the top pavement overlay and the subgrade asphalt layers.
Resurface your driveway or parking lot if the surface becomes oxidized heavily, but the subgrade layer or base stays in a good, stable condition. Core-testing can help you ascertain the condition of the subgrade layer and determine its condition. Reconstruction is more cost-effective and efficient than an overlay in case of alligator cracks or extensive damage. Pavement overlay has an average lifespan of eight to fifteen years based on a number of factors. However, a completely reconstructed pavement can go for up to fifteen to twenty years based on various factors. Winter harshness, weather patterns, new asphalt layer thickness, number of heavy trucks using the pavement, subgrade layer condition before resurfacing and proper care of the new surface through regular maintenance can increase the lifespan of your newly resurfaced or completely reconstructed pavement. Permit new traffic on your newly resurfaced driveway or pavement at least after a day to avoid damaging the new asphalt layer. It’s also important to avoid sharp turns on the wheels of parked vehicles. Avoid asphalt resurfacing your pavements in winter to avoid cold seams and deterioration of your driveway or pavement. What is an Asphalt Overlay?
Also known as pavement, asphalt, asphalt concrete or blacktop, an asphalt overlay is a composite material often used to surface parking lots, roads, embankment dams and airports. It is an aggregate of minerals bound and compacted together.
It’s often made from a mixture of bitumen, gravel, sand, crushed rock or slags. Asphalt overlay gives pavements the capability to distribute traffic loads prior to arriving at the level of formation. Asphalt mixtures are produced at hot, cold or warm temperatures to give them varying properties. Asphalt overlay is made from hot asphalt mixes to give your parking the flexibility it needs to accommodate the underlying surface imperfections. It is durable, attractive and saves costs and time in the long-term. Is Asphalt Milling Required before an Overlay?
Resurface your pavement under proper drainage conditions. Does your driveway or parking lot drain well? How will a new asphalt layer impact your existing parking lot drainage system? It’s important for water to drain properly in your parking lot.
Therefore, make sure its slope is at least 1%, translating to about 1 inch of fall over every 10 feet of your driveway or pavement. Install the new asphalt at a similar level as the concrete to promote drainage and prevent water from getting trapped between the concrete and asphalt. Mill the existing asphalt’s edges to the adjacent concrete level to improve the drainage of your pavement, explaining why asphalt milling is required before an overlay. Otherwise, the new asphalt layer is bound to sit at about 1.5 to 2 inches higher than concrete. As a result, your pavement is prone to water damage, posing a fall or trip hazard for people using your driveway or parking lot. Contact us to find out more asphalt overlay and how our paving asphalt resurfacing services can help improve your old pavement
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We service the Nashville area and the entire State of Tennessee (615) 200-6979 Sealcoat Asphalt Driveway
If you have an asphalt driveway or parking lot, you probably have asked yourself "When should I seal my asphalt driveway?" Asphalt lasts, has great curb appeal and is easier on your car than gravel. But with asphalt driveway costs compared to sealcoating maintenance, it can save you thousands of dollars to maintain your driveway by sealing it on a regular basis to protect it from weather and wear and tear.
Not maintaining your driveway may cause small cracks and bleaching, which, not only lowers the curb appeal of your home or office but if left unmanaged, can damage the sub-grade, which is the base of your driveway. Once the base is damaged, it will be more cost effective to just reinstall the entire driveway. If the damage is extensive but not past the point of repair, resurfacing your driveway is an option but is only a temporary solution. This sounds reasonable until you realize that if you would have simply maintained the asphalt you could have saved so much money by not having to do this resurfacing repair that should now last about eight years. The average cost of sealing asphalt is much less expensive than a full repair, and seal coating should be done every 2 - 3 years. Resurfacing is almost nine times more expensive than seal coating it every 3 years. So you have decided to seal coat your asphalt driveway. The next question is should you do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you? If you have the time and energy to do it yourself, there are very DIY websites which will walk you step by step through the process and tell you exactly what you need. A lot of these websites also sell the supplies you would need, so it's easy to find the website which best suits you, and works from there. You would have to prepare your driveway by cleaning it, filling in the cracks and patching the damaged areas of the asphalt. We always recommend hiring a professional, because if you do not have the proper equipment and experience you could find yourself in a huge mess quick. If you are a DIYer then here are a few steps to help you.
Cleaning - first clear off the dirt and little rocks from the surface with a broom and use weed killer on anything growing from cracks in the driveway. Professionals who do this type of work daily, suggest you NOT use a pressure washer because you will flood the cracks with water and water is the enemy of your asphalt driveway. The word on the net is to get a stiff bristle brush and clean out the cracks.
Filling the cracks - There are two ways to do this, either with hot crack filler or you can use cold crack filler. The Hot Crack filler is more complicated and should be done by someone with a little experience because the filler has to be heated to around 400 degrees, and you'll need the equipment to do it. The Hot crack filler is a lot more work and a little more expense but it does have the advantage over cold, in that, you will be able to use your driveway in a little less than one hour, rather than having to wait the four or five hours, when using the cold crack filler. If this is your first time doing your own driveway, the cold crack filler may be the best option. No equipment and a little more forgiving if you make a mistake. Patch the damaged areas of asphalt. I prefer patch kits which sell the patch, coats, and sealers together. The kits average around a hundred dollars dependent upon which brand you buy. Choose your sealcoat. There are three types of sealcoat. Tar based, petroleum based and asphalt based. Refined tar based lasts the longest, with an average of somewhere between three and five years. The most important thing to think about is short term versus long term costs of maintaining your driveway. Using contractor grade products is a good way to keep down costs overall because they will last longer and keep you from spending more money more often.
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We service the Nashville area and the entire State of Tennessee (615) 200-6979
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What Is Asphalt Made From?
What is asphalt? Asphalt, undoubtedly, is the most durable, sustainable and reliable building material for construction and maintenance of roads, pavements, parking areas and sports and play areas. This construction material is the most versatile in usage. It is made from crushed rocks, gravel, sand or slags to form aggregates, which are then bound using a binder, usually bitumen (a sticky black and highly viscous semi-solid form of petroleum).
Asphalt is produced in manufacturing plants, which can be fixed or mobile. For good asphalt, temperatures of between 150-180 degrees are required. Luckily, with the improvement in technology, it is now possible to produce them at much lower temperatures. Asphalt concretes can be found in different kinds to meet the different applications and best performance. At different temperatures, a variety of asphalt mixtures can be produced. This includes
Hot Asphalt Mix
Generally, hot asphalt mix is produced at temperatures of between 150 and 180 degrees. These mixes of asphalt vary depending on usage. These mixes are usually appropriate for construction of roads and other heavy duty surfaces. You must give appropriate time for the asphalt to dry before driving on the surface. Warm Asphalt Mix Generally, warm mix asphalt is produced at temperatures of around 20 - 40 degrees which is much lower than the Hot mix asphalt. This has a number of advantages as less amount of energy is involved therefore resulting in better working conditions for those working on it during paving operations. Consequently, the surfaces being worked on can be used earlier than when hot asphalt mix is used. Cold Asphalt Mix This mix is produced with no heating of the asphalt concrete or aggregate. A specific bitumen emulsion which disintegrates during mixing and compaction is needed during paving. After breaking, the emulsion provides a coating to the asphalt aggregates, which over time, strengthens it. This cold asphalt mix is suitable for paving roads with less traffic.
The advantages of Asphalt
Smooth Surfaces Asphalt produces very smooth surfaces. These smooth surface gives cars a firmer grip and therefore saves on fuel. Consequently, this leads to vehicles emitting fewer emissions. Quietness Roads made from other materials are normally very noisy when driven on. But Asphalt roads usually offers a smooth ride, with less noise. Therefore, construction of expensive noise walls is rendered unnecessary. Durability Roads or driveway paving surfaces made from Asphalt is very durable. This saves on the cost associated with repairs and maintenance. The reason why asphalt surfaces are durable is because of its architecture. Asphalt surfaces are made up of different layers which make it firmer and stronger. The layers include the upper asphalt surface course, the binder course, and the base course. Cost Effective From researches that have been conducted, it has emerged that asphalt roads are the most cost effective material. Its use in rehabilitating by overlay concrete highways and surfaces makes asphalt a most versatile material. Asphalt can also be recycled hence cutting on cost.
In conclusion, therefore, asphalt is a most versatile construction material that offers not only cost effectiveness but also comfort and great utility in various fields ranging from transportation, building, industrial to recreation in the construction of pavements, roads, railway beds, greenhouses, flooring to playgrounds.
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We service the Nashville area and the entire State of Tennessee (615) 200-6979 Asphalt Dry Time
A question we are asked all the time is "How long does it take for asphalt to dry?".
Paving using asphalt is cheaper, easier and time-efficient when compared to concrete, but that does not mean that it is to be taken any less lightly. A simple mistake such as ignoring the weather forecast of a blessing from the rain gods might pour water on your project and quite literally so! To understand how long it takes for asphalt to dry completely, we first need to understand what goes into its making and the methodology that is practiced, for these ultimately set the clock at a masked level compared to the more evident external factors.
The aggregate (typically fine rocks and sand etc.) is mixed with bitumen, a dark sticky substance that is derived from crude oil, which acts as a binder for asphalt. As far as the procedure is concerned, when roads or pavements are being constructed, hot asphalt is poured on top of a layer of heavier aggregate and pressed onto it with the help of a steamroller. The asphalt cooling depends directly upon the surrounding air temperature, moisture, sunlight and the wind speed and once it is settled and hard, it is ready to survive foot and vehicular traffic for years to come.
Humidity Levels While Paving
The time taken for asphalt to cure and dry is directly proportional to the humidity in the air. The more humid it is on the day you decide to pave a path in your driveway, or to actually pave your driveway, the longer it is going to take before you can take your first steps on it. The logic is simple; the moisture already present in the air is going to leave less scope for the water from the asphalt to be accommodated. So if the humidity that day is over 90%, we suggest postponing your project to another day.
The two temperatures to be considered are the air and surface (asphalt) temperature. Both of these need to be similar and neither too high nor too cold. If too high, the binder may not dry and solidify the surface, while too low a temperature would inhibit the water molecules in the asphalt from evaporating. Sunlight And Asphalt Dry Time
Although sunlight does not play as big a role compared to the temperature, it still is a determining factor as to how long it may take for the asphalt to dry. Consider an asphalt resurfacing task for example, you pour fresh material on the cracked asphalt surface and there is a median temperature that is achieved. Now, how long it takes for it to finally dry will also be dependent upon the sun god's will. If there is no sunlight, the drying will be slower due to lack of heat. Simple!
Paving On A Windy Day
Unless you are planning to pave a driveway during a hurricane, the wind is your best friend. A breezy day is a good time to get to work, for evaporation of water from the asphalt will take place more efficiently. The air that is directly above the asphalt layer, after getting saturated will make way for the unsaturated wind to gently take away the moisture from your pavement and leave the surface smooth, dry and ready for use!
When all these factors work in your favor, it typically takes a day for fresh and as less as 2 hours for resurfaced asphalt to dry. If you are down on luck, the former may take up to 3 days and the latter up to 6 hours to finally leave you with asphalt that is ready to support vehicle traffic.
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We service the Nashville area and the entire State of Tennessee (615) 200-6979 High Level Overview of Paving A Driveway
Paving your driveway will increase the value of your property, as well as beautify and expand the exterior space. However, this project needs careful planning and execution to make sure that it is built to last the longest possible time. That is why for your paving job hiring a professional is crucial. We look forward to being your professional concrete and asphalt paving company.
As a professional, we typically advise homeowners of newly-established homes to wait for at least two years before they pave their drive or walkways. This gives the two-year waiting time for the grade to settle and thus provide a more established base. Furthermore, before you go out paving, you should also be aware of the weather conditions before starting the paving job. For best paving weather, the weather should be relatively warm and dry—because it’s ideal for paving conditions. We will be able to advise you on our paving schedule based on the current weather conditions. Now that we have taken into account the proper conditions, we are not ready to pave. Driveway Grading
The first step is to consider the grade level of your driveway. Paving and construction require a gravel base level of at least four inches. A two-inch Asphalt then is laid on top of that base.
After taking note of your driveway’s current grade level, we will also make sure that before paving, all existing driveways will be removed. Furthermore, as your contractor, we will look at the condition of the base and advise on the condition. If there are any issues concerning your driveway, it should be addressed from the base towards the top; otherwise, these could cause further problems. For example, if your former driveway has tilted away from your house or garage, you should make sure that the newly paved way should be a fall of about eighteen inches for every 100 feet of length. Doing this could help you avoid particular leaks and further damages in your foundation. Never worry, we will take care of all the requirements. Survey Before Paving
Next, we will check your property lines as well before actually mark out the driveway. We need to verify existing paved driveways are actually on your property as previous construction may not have followed protocol, so it is very important to make sure of the location and property demarcations before such asphalt is laid.
Permits Before Paving Begins
Before starting any type of construction, proper permits will need to be obtained. There will be some paperwork required to get the proper permits. These permits can be easily obtained by going online and filling out the forms or showing up in person to the government offices. Once all permits have been filed, construction can begin.
Sealcoating Your Asphalt Driveway
After asphalt paving, expect that it won’t be sealed in an instant. We suggest waiting time typically one year after the laying the pavement just so that it will have proper time to cure.
So there you have a very high-level overview of what we will do before and after the paving process. Paving is not some type of job you will want to take on yourself, as you most likely do not have the proper equipment or experience. We look forward to servicing your project and making your property look beautiful, and provide you with an asphalt driveway that will last for many years to come. |
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