Get Quality Driveways With Asphalt Paving Procedures

By Essie Osborn


Asphalt is a commonly used paving material for driveways, parking lots, and other pavement structures in business and home premises. Asphaltic driveways are more than just routes stretching from the road to your garage or parking lot. With asphalt paving, it provides driveway pavement structures that offer great spot to show off the new car you own as well as ideal for playing basketball game.

When constructing driveways, the thickness of pavement should be about 2 inches of the hot mix asphaltic material. Each layer of thickness should be about three quarter of the thickness of loose hot mix asphalt. You need to ensure the contractor quotes the thickness of pavement in order to know what to expect from the finished structure.

Homeowners and business persons who want to design pavements can use asphaltic materials as a cheap and durable option. This material is able to withstand heavy load of vehicles and lasts of many years. However, you need to consult a contractor who can lay down quality pavements using this material.

In warm and hot weather, the frozen water unthaws and leaves behind empty spaces. The material from above crumbles down and fills the empty spaces forming potholes. No matter how small a pothole may be, it should be mended immediately. Such errands should be left to paving technicians as they are complex and require the hand of professionals with vast experience on handling road construction.

The base forming foundation of pavement has to be compacted properly. For driveways, you need to have a sub base that is solid and very firm. If the base is weak and with loose soils, it may affect the integrity of blacktop. The quality of pavements is as good as the base it sits on. The sub grade layer, which is the ground on which driveways or parking lots are laid, should be smooth and firm.

Once you have laid down your asphaltic pavements, one thing you will have to deal with is repairs of cracks, potholes, and other defects. Because the blacktop loses its elasticity property with time, it begins to harden. You soon notice that the color of driveways have changed from beautiful black appearance to grayish. This is an indication that pavement material is hardening and needs to be restored.

Asphaltic pavements do not harden completely, and the material remains elastic till the end of its lifespan. The lifespan of asphalt ends when it completely dries out and it cannot contract or expand anymore. Throughout its life, asphaltic material undergoes a constant oxidation process. The process is slow but it can be accelerated by other factors like ultraviolet rays and gasoline products.

If the projects are still in a good condition, consider hiring such pavement experts for construction of your driveways. With proper construction of pavements including firmly compacted base, you can get a driveway structure which withstands the weight of vehicles and lasts for long. The blacktop also has to be maintained properly, and when there are cracks, they have to be remedied immediately.




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