One of the most common methods for covering parking lots, driveways and the others areas where automobiles may drive is with the use of asphalt cement. Asphalt is a simple mixture of a petroleum or bitumen-based chemical blended with an aggregate for texture and depth. Some benefits of using asphalt beside the lower cost are ease of installation and simple repair. In fact, many of the problems encountered by Paving Contractors in Somerville NJ can be handled by simple hot patches or cutting away part of the asphalt.
Another method for repairing damaged asphalt areas is known as milling. Simply speaking, milling asphalt surfaces is the removal of various sized layers of the material to eliminate damaged areas. This is useful when the surface has become cracked or pitted from extreme weather conditions or excessive usage. Milling can remove varying thicknesses so that Paving Contractors in Somerville NJ can simply resurface the asphalt or cut away whole sections to enable extreme repairs. The latter is useful when the asphalt surface is extremely worn or damaged without the need for repairs to the subsurface. In most cases, the parking or driving surface will be milled at different levels and slowly filled to an even layer. Once the major repairs are finished, the asphalt will receive the surface layer and final compacting.
Placing a new asphalt surface may seem like a lot of work. After all, the contractor must level the surface, eliminate any debris or other items that could cause problems and then begin work on preparing the soil. Before the final layers of asphalt are placed, the soil must be coated with oil and compacted. This step reduces damage to the subsurface layer when the asphalt cracks and water attempts to enter the underlying soils. Creating a stable base can help an asphalt surface survive many years longer than simply tossing a bit of product on the ground and packing it down. It is also useful to make the parking or driving surface larger than required so that the edges of the asphalt don’t bear the weight of the vehicles that park or drive over them. This simple step can prevent surface cracks from forming and lengthen the service life of the asphalt area. Click here to learn more about the installation and repair of asphalt surfaces.
