Have you been wondering why your asphalt parking lot looks so distressed? It's covered with unsightly cracks and holes that aren't easy to repair. Don't worry. You don't need to break the bank to replace the whole thing. With asphalt resurfacing from a reliable paving contractor, you can quickly extend the lifespan of your parking lot without spending too much.
Rather than opting for costly replacements, asphalt resurfacing is a great way to restore the appearance of your lot. It is a cost-effective way to give your asphalt another lease on life.
1”-2” of the existing asphalt surface is ground down and hauled away. This process is more commonly known as milling. A new layer of asphalt is laid on the parking lot, extending the life of your parking lot an additional 10-15 years.
Asphalt resurfacing might be a good option if your sub-base was installed correctly and still in good condition. If your parking lot does not have severe alligator cracking and a large number of potholes, then yes, most likely, you can resurface your lot. Existing grading and drainage problems may also prevent you from being able to resurface your asphalt.
Working with a local paving company, you will want to inspect the entire parking lot looking for any issues we mentioned above. Some areas might need to be fully excavated and have the base repaired before proceeding.
Milling
A special machine is used to grind up the asphalt and then dumps the ground-up asphalt into dump trucks. Don’t worry, the asphalt is not headed to the landfill. It will be delivered to an asphalt plant where it can be recycled into new asphalt. We will remove ¾” up to 2” of asphalt, depending on the project.
Once the old asphalt has been removed, spot repairs to the sub-base can be completed at this time. This includes any large potholes or areas with alligator cracking.
The milling process does make a bit of a mess. We use specialized sweepers to clean loose rock and dust from the surface.
Once the surface is clean, we apply tack to the surface. Tack is an oil-based liquid that is used to help the new asphalt adhere to the old asphalt. The material is sprayed on with a tack truck.
Once the tack has been applied, it's time to lay down the new asphalt. Depending on the project, we might do this in one lift or multiple lifts. Once the asphalt has been laid, it will be compacted with rollers.
Having over 30 years of experience in the asphalt industry, we have been asked many questions about resurfacing asphalt.
The length of your project will depend on a couple of factors. First, the square footage of your parking lot is the most significant factor in project times. The repairs that must be done will also impact the length. For a normal size job, we will do the milling in one day, repairs the second day and start paving at the end of the second day or start of the third day.
Sealcoating is preventive maintenance done on your parking lot to extend its life of it. Sealcoating is a thin liquid layer laid over the existing asphalt. Resurfacing, we are removing some asphalt and then adding new asphalt on top of it.
The cost will be much less than tearing out the parking lot and starting from scratch. As mentioned above, the square footage and condition of your parking lot will be the main factors in the cost of resurfacing.
With proper maintenance, the parking lot should last 10-15 years. If the lot has light use, you might get 20 years out of your lot.
If you are looking for a paving contractor in Riverside, you can contact us for a free, no-obligation estimate. If you need a paving company outside of Southern California, you will want to search for a licensed contractor.
