This month has been an ongoing series on seal coats; their applications, types and what situations can cause them to deteriorate early. It’s been a wild ride, and we hope you feel you’ve learned a great deal. For this final entry, we want to touch on the bigger issue that seal coating looks to solve in the first place. The prolonging of your pavement’s life. When it comes to extending the life of the pavement, there are three main keys to doing so.
Seal Coat
Obviously, it’s what we’ve been talking about all month. Seal Coating prevents the top most layer of the pavement from oxidizing to the point of needing to be replaced. It doesn’t last forever, but with regular application, it can keep the pavement going for along while.
Prevent Water Damage
The number one thing to prolong the life of asphalt is to work to prevent water from infiltrating the pavement. With water in or under, the pavement is subjected to expansion and contraction and this will lead to damage of the pavement. Sealing the asphalt helps to prevent water from getting into the asphalt.
Finally, Replace
Sure, this is hardly prolonging, but it may be the final step in the quest to maintain your surfaces. It may be time to replace the problem sections or the entire driveway. In doing so, you’ll create an opportunity to better seal surfaces entirely and prolong the life of the entire surface.
The lifespan of asphalt is varied greatly on a number of factors; climate, maintenance, and of course traffic all can have effects on how long pavement lasts. If you still have any questions on the necessity for sealing or on how to best maintain your asphalt, we here at sunrise Asphalt are happy to help.
