Saturday, August 9, 2014

By Tanisha Berg


Driveways and parking lots constructed using asphaltic hot mix need to be protected from manmade and environmental factors. While asphaltic pavements can last for many years, they need to be treated on the surfaces to prevent premature damages. With seal coating contractors, they assist in applying a layer of sealant products to preserve the look and quality of driveways. Once you have laid down pavements, the blacktop begins to age, and with time, it will show defects.

The baking by sunlight will render the surfaces inflexible meaning they are not able to expand or contract as desired. A hardened driveway blacktop will start showing cracks. When you use sealcoats, they improve the flexibility of your blacktop. It is able to expand when it is heated by sun radiation and contract in times of cold weather.

When you use a sealant product, you restore the beautiful black color of pavements. You also improve the flexibility of driveways and they can expand as well as constrict due to changes in temperature. To prevent cracking, asphalt pavements should be able to expand when they are exposed to heat and constrict when it is cold.

Sealcoating is simply a driveway or parking lot restoration procedure. It will help enhance the visco-elasticity of blacktop thus minimizing the cracks. When the first coating is applied about 6 to 12 months after the installation of pavements, other successive coats should follow. It is recommended that you sealcoat parking lots and drives after about every 2 to 5 years.

Apart from environmental factors, asphaltic material suffers from manmade factors such as gasoline products and salts. Gasoline products like transmission fluids and oils will spill on surfaces of pavements and cause the binders to deteriorate. If not checked, the areas, which receive constant spills such as the parking lots, could deteriorate fast.

Your blacktop is likely to collapse as the material fills the empty cracks. By using sealants, it helps protect water from penetrating inside pavements. The sealants provide a membrane cover, which is weatherproof. With timely application of sealcoats, it will extend the time life of your asphaltic pavements. Before you apply any sealant product, ensure the surfaces are in good condition.

It is therefore, important to repairs the cracks, potholes, and other forms of defects before you apply sealants. The contractors you choose to sealcoat driveways, they should be qualified, and use the right products. There are many coating products in the market and if you do not use quality sealants, you may spend a lot of money.

Besides, sealcoats ought to be put when oils from a newly installed pavement have dried. When you have installed new driveways, the blacktop has light hydrocarbons. This is not the right time to apply sealants. You should wait until those oils have dried completely. It may take about 6 months to one year for such oils to dry. The first coating will be done once the pavements have cured properly. Asphaltic driveways should be sealcoated using sealants after every 3 to 5 years after the first coating.




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