It’s fair to say that one of the most durable man-made materials around is pavement. Whether it’s asphalt or concrete, paved surfaces are extremely strong and can last for many years. But even pavement needs to be properly maintained, and fall is a great time of year to perform routine maintenance on your paved surfaces – maintenance that could extend the lifetime of your paved surface for years. What follows are a few tips that will help you to prepare for that maintenance.
- Clean the surface. This is something you should be doing on a regular basis, but it’s especially important before you have any other type of maintenance done. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to clearly see what type of wear and tear exists on the paved surface if it’s covered with leaves, dirt or other debris. So either sweeping or blowing off the surface with a blower is always the best place to start. After that, use either a hose equipped with a sprayer or a pressure washer to clean the surface as thoroughly as you can. Although exposing a paved surface to water can damage it if you do it too often, using a hose or pressure washer two or three times a year will help to not only clean the surface but also allow you to see any damage that may have occurred recently.
- Do a visual inspection yourself. You may not be a professional paving contractor, but you should be able to see any obvious signs that your paved surface is damaged. Look for things like visible cracking, crumbling, flaking, potholes, or depressions in the pavement where water is collecting. Any of these are probably signs that your pavement needs to be repaired. Make a list of items that need to be addressed.
- If you see damage, contact a reputable paving contractor to have repairs made as quickly as possible. This includes even tiny cracks. These small imperfections will allow rainwater to seep underneath the surface of the pavement, and that will lead to more extensive damage – like larger cracks, depressions, potholes, and even damage to the sublayer of the pavement. So it’s important to have repairs done quickly. And it’s always a good idea to have a trained professional handle the repairs for you. While it’s possible to purchase some type of patching material from a home store and do it yourself, improperly repaired pavement can make it even more susceptible to becoming further damaged later on.
- Have the surface seal coated. A layer of good quality seal coat will protect your pavement from more extensive damage, as well as guarding against the upcoming fall and winter weather.
When it comes to protecting your pavement investment, there’s no better time to perform preventive maintenance than the fall. Contact a local paving contractor today to find out more.