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Property managers sometimes feel as if they are being pulled in several directions at once. Their daily schedule often includes showing available units to prospective tenants, fielding calls from current tenants who have a question about their lease or need a maintenance service, processing invoices for payment, and preparing work orders for the maintenance staff. In addition, they must find time to prepare payroll, interview candidates for job openings, create and place ads for vacant units, supervise staff members, and prepare reports for property owners or stakeholders. Although it is not uncommon to forget a task, one thing that no property manager can afford to overlook is the asphalt maintenance on their parking lot or other pavements. Without proper maintenance, the life of an asphalt pavement will be dramatically reduced, so property owners will not realize the return on investment that they expected. Furthermore, the pavement will require costly repairs throughout its abbreviated life. If you are a property manager, the following tips can help you ensure that your asphalt pavements receive the care that they need.

Asphalt Pavement Tips for Property Managers

How Can Property Managers Prolong the Life of Their Asphalt Pavement?

The age, current condition, and use of your asphalt pavement should guide the selection of the services you will need. For example, a seldom-used walkway should need fewer repairs than a busy parking lot, but a walkway that has been neglected for the entire 10 years of its life may need a greater variety of services than a sidewalk that has been well-maintained for 20 years. Therefore, some of the following information may not apply in your particular situation.

1. Choose the right asphalt paving company.

Selecting the best asphalt contractor does not have to be a daunting task. The company should be reputable and professional with verifiable references. Consulting with other property managers in your area can often simplify your search.

Make an appointment with at least three professional paving maintenance contractors to perform a physical evaluation of your entire asphalt pavement. If possible, stay with the contractor during the inspection so that you can ask questions and take notes. Compare written proposals, but you should keep in mind that cheapest is not always best.

2. Know which services should be routine and which qualify as an emergency.

When properly constructed, new asphalt pavement will need little maintenance beyond routine cleaning and sealcoating. Asphalt sealcoating is an important preventive maintenance procedure that preserves the natural beauty of the pavement and protects it from premature deterioration. The first application of a sealcoating material should be performed when the new asphalt has cured. Subsequent reapplications should be performed every two years or as recommended by your sealcoating contractor. Sealcoating helps protect asphalt pavement from environmental damage, including the UV rays emitted by the sun.

Another important preventive maintenance procedure is crack repair. Depending on the age and condition of your pavement, you may need to have cracks filled or sealed once or twice every year. Sealcoating should not be performed until any substantial cracks in the pavement have been repaired. Cracks can be relatively easy to repair as they appear, but neglected cracks will eventually lead to costly repairs.

Routine crack filling and sealcoating procedures allow the perfect opportunity to evaluate the efficiency of your parking lot striping and other pavement markings. Your striping contractor can help you with a new layout that can improve efficiency as well as the safety of drivers and pedestrians. It is also important to remain compliant with all local and federal regulations.

Areas of subsidence, alligator cracking, and numerous large potholes typically indicate that the pavement’s foundation has been eroded. This is almost always caused by water that has penetrated to the foundation through open cracks in the surface of the pavement. Foundation repair is not a routine procedure, but it should be considered an emergency procedure. Once the foundation has suffered extensive damage, your only choice will likely be to have your contractor tear out your existing pavement and rebuild it from the ground up.

An asphalt overlay could be considered a routine procedure or an emergency repair. At some point during your pavement’s life, it will no longer be cost-effective to keep repairing it. If the pavement has been properly maintained throughout its life, it should not need an overlay until it is 12 to 15 years old, but a neglected pavement could need an overlay in half that time. An overlay gives you the look and performance of a rebuilt pavement, but it costs considerably less.

3. Prepare your budget carefully.

Using historical data or estimates from contractors, budget for all pavement-related expenses you expect to incur during the coming year. If possible, create a multiyear budget so that you can include routine services that will not be needed every year, including sealcoating and an overlay. You should also have a reserve account to handle unexpected expenses. For example, it will save you money in the long run if you can have a small pothole repaired or a drainage problem corrected immediately. However, if there is no money in the budget, you could be forced to delay the work, and the damage could become more extensive and more expensive to repair by the time you obtain the necessary funding.

4. Ask your contractor whether he offers a preventive maintenance plan.

A preventive maintenance plan that is tailored to your needs can often save you money, but it will virtually always save you time. Once you sign a contract that specifies the procedures and their timing, you can put your maintenance program on autopilot. You no longer need to inspect your pavement for damage or keep up with what needs to be done and when. Your contractor will take care of the inspections and the scheduling.

Let Us Simplify Your Job

If you are looking for a paving company that delivers high-quality work at affordable prices, you can trust US Asphalt Maintenance. We are the company that property managers count on for comprehensive asphalt management. Our services include parking lot maintenance, sealcoating, asphalt striping and pavement markings, and asphalt crack filling. For the exceptional pavement maintenance and asphalt repair Midlothian VA property managers need, contact us for a free quote by submitting the online form or calling 804-625-7325.

Winters in Chesterfield County can vary considerably from one year to the next. However, during a typical winter, your asphalt pavement will be subjected to multiple freeze/thaw cycles, freezing rain and sleet, and snowfalls that can result in accumulations of up to four inches. Around the middle of February, asphalt companies begin receiving numerous calls from property owners and managers who are dismayed by the condition of their asphalt parking lots or other pavements. Before the onset of cold weather, their pavements had a smooth, unblemished surface that had a lustrous, rich, dark color. With the official end of winter still a month away, they are chagrined to find that their pavements look dull and are showing signs that the sealant has deteriorated. The question that they want answered is whether it is warm enough to have fresh sealant applied. The answer is that it is probably not going to be possible to perform a high-quality sealant application before the middle of March. However, there could be isolated days before that date when it might be possible. To understand why contractors prefer to avoid sealcoat jobs during the winter, it might be helpful to understand how temperatures affect sealants.

How Warm Does It Have to Be for Asphalt Sealcoating?

How Do Temperatures Affect Asphalt Sealants?

By volume, sealant mixes contain more water than any other ingredient. This water must be evaporated for the sealant to cure properly and form a continuous film that creates a hard shell over your pavement. As you are probably aware, the higher the temperature, the greater the rate of evaporation. This is why a pan of water placed on a stove burner at high heat will evaporate faster than an identical pan of water sitting on your kitchen counter, which will evaporate faster than an identical pan of water placed in your refrigerator.

Sealant manufacturers specify that their products should not be applied unless both the ground and air temperatures are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit and rising. Furthermore, for at least the first 24 hours after application, the temperature cannot fall below 50 degrees. If the sealant is subjected to lower temperatures, the particles will have difficulty knitting together to create a continuous film. In addition, even if the top layer seems dry, the curing process is not complete until the underlying layers have dried. These uncured layers will fluctuate with temperature changes at a different rate that the top layer, resulting in flaking and cracking of the sealant. At best, the life of the sealant will be dramatically reduced; at worst, the entire job will need to be redone if you want to ensure that your pavement is properly protected.

Are There Other Factors Besides Temperature That Affect Asphalt Sealants?

There are times when the temperatures are marginally acceptable, but other factors may still make it unwise to apply a sealant. High humidity levels and extremely still air both slow the rate of evaporation. If temperatures are marginal, the relative humidity would need to be below 50%; there should also be a slight breeze. Because sealants need to be exposed to several hours of sunlight to cure properly, the shorter days of winter can pose a problem, especially if the area lies in heavy shade.

The scope of the job can also influence a contractor’s decision about applying a sealant. For example, if parking lot striping is to be performed after the sealant is applied, the weather will probably need to be cooperative for two or three consecutive days. The type and scope of other asphalt paving services, including crack filling and pavement patching, can also be a factor. Extensive parking lot repair services to correct alligator cracking, sinkholes, or foundation issues may need to be completed before the contractor can even consider applying a sealant.

Because conditions can change rapidly, your best bet is to contact US Asphalt Maintenance for a free asphalt service consultation and quote. We keep a careful eye on the weather, so we can advise you on whether conditions will likely make it feasible to perform the work you need on the day you prefer. We are the company trusted for asphalt sealcoating Midlothian and Richmond properties for more than three decades. We offer an extensive range of services for maintaining asphalt pavements, including sealcoating, crack filling, striping and pavement marking, and preventive maintenance programs. We are known for our integrity, our high-quality work, our professionalism, and our customer service. For a free quote, call 804-625-7325 or submit the online form.