-->

When To Apply A Seal Coating Procedure On Asphalt Pavements

By Ines Flores


Asphalt material is used in paving surfaces in homes and commercial premises. After installing driveways and parking lots, make sure you conduct regular inspections to determine how the surfaces are doing. Due to constant use and effects of wear and tear, you will need to ensure the surfaces are protected. A seal coating procedure should be conducted to preserve your pavements.

A coal tar emulsion is applied over asphalt to prevent damaging effects caused by UV light, moisture, and gasoline products. A sealcoat provides the same effects as sunscreen on skin or wood varnish on wood since it slows down the destruction of the surface. The sealant material will also make your pavement look like new. Ultraviolet light acts on asphalt making it to harden and become frail. With constant exposure to UV light, the pavements will begin to unravel.

You can recondition it using a sealant material. The sealcoat will make your pavements to be flexible and look like new. Due to effects of UV light, pavements will crack. The first tiny hairline cracks may not be a problem and they can be corrected easily with use of a sealcoat. However, when you leave the blacktop unprotected, the fine cracks will worsen and develop to bigger cracks.

A sealcoat will enhance the flexibility of asphalt. In order for asphalt to withstand the weight of vehicles, it needs to expand and contract. Besides, the expansion and contraction caused by changes in weather will be counteracted by the flexibility of pavements. If it is rigid, it will not allow for such expansion and contractions. One way to improve flexibility is by applying sealcoats.

When water solidifies as it freezes, it enlarges and makes cracks to widen and deepen. After the thaw process, voids are left in spaces where the frozen water settled. You may have potholes and deep cracks forming on pavements. Using a sealant will protect the surfaces and prevent water from seeping down inside the paving material.

Gasoline products including engine transmission fluids and oils also degrade the backstop. Using a sealcoat provides a cover or layer, which shields these substances from coming in direct contact with blacktop. Sealcoats are applied on pavements that are in good form. If there are defects like big cracks, they need to be corrected before you can use the sealcoats.

If you have defects like big crack and potholes, repair them first before applying a sealcoat. If you apply a sealant, it will only mask those defects and soon the material will wear out and expose the defects. Water also damages pavements by seeping inside and settling at the base. Inside the sub grade layer, water will freeze and widen cracks. When frozen water melts away, it leaves a void that fills will the material at the top.

It will take about two to five years before you apply a sealcoat material but this is largely determined by the rate at which the existing sealant wears out. Proper timing is required so that sealcoats are applied in time. When consulting with contractors to sealcoat pavements, ensure they use quality materials that do not wear out fast. This way, the coats will last for long and offer the protection needed for the pavements.




About the Author:



Related Posts

There is no other posts in this category.

Post a Comment