Asphalt parking lots are very expensive to install and have an effective life of 7-12 years before expensive repairs must be undertaken. Asphalt pavements have two major weaknesses that lead to this limited lifetime. First asphalt has poor resistance to UV radiationor simply sunlight. Asphalt pavements are a simple combination of rock, sand, and a glue which is the liquid asphalt that binds everything together. The UV radiation breaks down the asphalt glue and weakens so that it can no longer hold the rocks and sand, thus gradually loosing the top surface. The first and most obvious sign of this degradation is the gradual change in the color of the asphalt from black, to brown, and finally to gray. Next your parking lot begins to look rough and piles of sand seem to appear in the low areas of the parking lot. This is not from your neighbors yard but from the deterioration of your parking lot. In the later stages of degradation the bigger rocks fall out, raveling takes place, and the parking lot is rough, extremely dirty because now dirt and grass fill the spaces where rocks were.

Also because the asphalt is oxidizing under the UV radiation, it looses its flexibility. This flexibility is extremely important because asphalt can take great loads and bounce back to its original condition. When asphalt looses its flexibility it becomes brittle begins to crack and break.

The second major weakness of asphalt pavements is its poor resistance to salts, chemicals, and petroleum products. Petroleum products cause most of the damage as witnessed by oil spots and gas spills. The reason for its poor resistance is that asphalt is a petroleum product. They are separated only by the refining process of crude petroleum. Naturally, gasoline and oils will dissolve directly into the asphalt, soften the structure, and eventually cause major damage to asphalt pavements.

Based on the these two weaknesses: poor resistance to UV radiation and chemicals such as melting salts and petroleum products, it is logical to conclude that one should use some sort of coating that would shield the asphalt pavements from these harmful elements that lead to the degradation of your costly asphalt parking lot. This is in essence the idea behind seal coating.

After much of the deterioration just described occurs this, unfortunately, seems to be the time when many people call the seal coater and want them to make everything better. Well we can do a lot and make it look black, but much of this deterioration could have been avoided with regular preventative maintenance.

Asphalt surfaces can be effectively protected by using a seal coating which acts as a barrier between the external harmful elements and the asphalt pavement. Usually a coal tar emulsion sealer is used which is highly resistant to water, gas and oil, salt, chemicals, and UV radiation. It is the perfect substance to combat the degradation of your asphalt pavement.

Before seal coating the asphalt must cleaned to be free of all dirt, vegetation, and other foreign debris using blowers, sweepers, brooms, and sometimes high pressure washers. Once the pavement is cleaned then any existing oil spots should be primed so that the sealer will adhere. Normally two coats of sealer are applied to the asphalt sealer either by squeegee or spray. Once the seal coating is completed it is very important to give adequate cure time for the coating which is to keep traffic from the freshly sealed surface for 24 hours. Traffic before 24 hours will cause premature wear and increased tire marking. During this 24 cure period the striping can be accomplished so that after the 24 hours, your parking lot is completely ready for traffic.

Another great weapon in the arsenal of the pavement maintenance contractor is crack sealing. Crack sealing is done prior to any seal coat applications. If cracks are left unattended, water is able to penetrate to the base soaking and swelling the limestone thus destroying their strength and load bearing capabilities. It is evidenced by "alligator" cracking, sunken areas, and eventually potholes. Cracks at least 1/8" or wider should be treated with a least a cold pour sealant which will seal the cracks for a year or so. For a longer term repair, hot poured cracks sealant should be used. Hot Pour crack sealant remains flexible for a longer period of time and if used the crack repair can remain effective for 3-7 years.

Ok so what is the bottom dollar? It costs me money every for all of this maintenance. Won’t this add up to overlay every 10-15 years? Simply put NO. If one chooses to protect their asphalt surfaces with a seal coating and crack sealing, the life of the asphalt can at least be doubled and many times tripled at a fraction of the overlay costs. In fact an estimate from the Asphalt Institute for the cost of an asphalt parking lot over a 15 year period for an unmaintained surface is $ 39.07 per square yard. If one gets on a regular maintenance program of seal coating every three years, the cost is $ 23.84 per square yard. In real terms if you have a parking lot of 3000 square yards, a savings of $ 45, 690 over fifteen years or $ 3046 per year will result.

Besides savings in money another great advantage of seal coating is that a well maintained property increases the value of your property and is more pleasing to your patrons. The first impression of possible tenants or customers is the parking lot. Is it maintained? Does it look nice? Is it safe? They think to themselves, "If they maintain their parking then they probably maintain they apartments and condominiums." It is proven by marketing studies and I am sure from your own personal experience, that a well maintained property leads to higher occupancy rates, less turnover, and overall greater satisfaction.

How to choose a Contractor

1. The contractor should use a quality material for seal coating.
As with any industry materials can made cheaply or they can made with high quality and with high consistency. Over the last 20 Years Star-Seal asphalt sealer has emerged as the best sealer on the market. Each raw material is carefully selected and measured to make a sealer that brings a rich black color with optimal resistance to UV radiation and petroleum products. At a competitive price you can have the absolute best protection that is available. Star-Seal is a national product with plants over the United States. I own and operate a manufacturing facility in Evansville, IN. We also opened a distribution facility in Downtown Nashville in 1999 to supply contractors with the highest quality of materials. Another example of our high standards is that we offer Deco color playing surfaces which are the color coatings used on tennis courts. Of the top 50 tennis courts tournament sites in the world, 35 have Deco-Color on them. In fact the U.S. Open courts have the Deco system on their courts and will not allow any other materials. You can have the same courts as the U.S.Open is you insist that Deco-Color is used. OK this is my Sales Pitch for the day. Insist on STAR-Seal as the sealer you prefer to use on your asphalt and you will never be dissatisfied.

2. The contractor should use a recommended mix design.
STAR-SEAL is shipped in concentrate form. The contractor must then dilute the sealer with water. As a manufacturer we recommend the sealer is diluted 25-30 % based on the concentrated sealer. Many contractors take liberties with the amount of water they use. As a result the coating is thinner and the barrier to the harmful elements is reduced significantly. Also a sand should be added to the sealer in the amount of 2-4 lbs. per gallon of concentrated sealer. The sand provides a rough, skid resistant surface, increases traction for hills, and enhances the wear properties of the coating (lasts Longer). Finally, to enhance the properties of dry times and coating tensile strength, a latex additive like our MACRO-FAST is available for a 1-4% addition.

6. A Contractor should provide you specifications for the work estimated.
Specifications for Pavement Maintenance On the Specifications for Pavement Maintenance page you will notice for seal coating that I specify the material, the dilution, the sand load, and the number coats of sealer to be applied. We strongly believe in two coat applications. It is hard to get good coverage and film thickness in a one coat application. How many times have you been able to cover your walls in a one coat application when you paint?

7. The Contractor should provide good service.
An indication of this is how well you can communicate with the contractors. Do they return calls? How fast did they return the proposal from the time you called them? Many contractors will provide free consultations to estimate budget figures, prioritize repairs of properties, and so on. And Please if a contractor does a lot of leg work for you, consider this when considering the quotations. Also included in good service is providing barriers to block off the parking lot while the maintenance is being done.

In summary I will leave you with a quote from John Rushkin who lived from 1819 to 1900.  I bring this quote because many bad contractors exist in this industry.  Contractors who dilute with too much water or do not have the right equipment, etc.  The low bid is not always the right one to choose.

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little.  When you pay too much, you lose a little money--that is all.  When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.  The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot--it can't be done.  If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."