Alright, with New Years a few weeks behind us we’ve officially made it through the holidays so it’s time to buckle up and get back to work! For us here at the Sunrise Asphalt blog that means answering questions, providing info and educational materials, and otherwise engaging you with you, our readers, to ensure you understand any and everything you might be interested in about asphalt and the different types of services Sunrise Asphalt provides. So whatdya say? Ready to learn what slurry is and what it’s used for? Let’s go!
First Up, What is ‘Slurry’
Slurry, in our industry, is a shortened slang for slurry seal. It is a mixture of water, aggregate, asphalt emulsion, and some other additives. It’s a sort of ‘asphalt-lite’. This is used to seal existing asphalt surfaces. There are many forms of slurry seal, the most common form used by us here at Sunrise Asphalt is a Type II Slurry Seal.
How Slurry Seal Works and When to Use it
Slurry seal works like just about any other seal, it binds and creates a barrier between the asphalt itself and the surrounding air. Slurry seal is a cold-mixed paving process, used on city streets, parking lots, and industrial parks. Slurry Sealing is a great alternative for asphalt with mild cracking as it helps fill in and hide the cracks. Using a truck built just for this job, called a slurry truck, we apply it over the asphalt. Sometimes we recommend prep work be done prior to the Slurry Seal such as asphalt repair or crack filling for another layer of protection and repair.
The truck lays the slurry, then smooths it out with squeegees to ensure an even spread. It penetrates down into any cracks or weakness and binds it all together. After a few hours it’s good to drive on, though it can take up to two days for it to fully harden and cure.
You might be looking at this so far and wondering, well when should it be used – a slurry seal has a very specific purpose, to smooth out asphalt that has lost that. Asphalt endures a heck of a lot of wear and tear over time, losing the aggregate and sand that makes it sold and smooth. This change is called raveling and is a weakness in the smoothness and integrity of the structure. This is one way potholes can start forming. Slurry seal repairs and seals damaged roads, but is only useful when the damage isn’t too extensive.
With that, you should now know the basics of slurry and what it’s used for. Think your asphalt needs a slurry seal? Give Sunrise Asphalt a call for your free estimate today, and we’ll take care of your roads in no time!
