Jan 31, 2015

When Is The Right Time For A Seal Coating Procedure To Be Conducted?

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.

When properly applied, sealcoats will lengthen the life of pavements. A sealcoat will also recondition the surfaces making them look like new. Sealcoats are not repair procedures but used as preservation material to protect pavements. If there are existing damages such as crack and potholes, they need to be repaired prior to sealcoat application.

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.

However, if they are left unchecked, they can grow bigger and cause more cracking. A sealcoat is not intended to offer repairs but it is only a preservation procedure. Water is another element that causes a lot of damage. The moisture penetrating inside pavements will settle on the sub grade layer and during the freeze thaw cycle, the cracks will enlarge.

As UV light bakes pavements, it causes cracks. The first signs that will show that you need a sealcoat applied on your pavements is change in color. Due to the effects of sunlight, the pavements will turn from the rich black color to a grayish appearance. If you notice your pavements have changed in color, consider applying a sealant.

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.

The blacktop will crumble down and result to a pothole or another defect. Moreover, gasoline products like the oils or transmission fluids will degrade your asphalt pavements. When you apply a sealant material, it will provide a protective layer, which prevents these substances from taking their toll on pavements. Sealcoats need to be applied at the right time. Immediately you have installed a pavement, you will not need to sealcoat it. You have to wait until the oils dry out.




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