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Posts Tagged ‘instant curb appeal’

The Importance of Parking Lot Striping and Re-Striping

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Like the cover of a book, the exterior of your building and your parking lot are what your customers base their first opinions on. I know, I know…don’t judge a book by its cover. Well, guess what? People still do. That is just the way it is. And you only get to make one first impression, so it is important to make it a good one. After all, who wants to lose business because their parking lot is a mess?

New paint, signs and wheel stops give your parking lot a “WOW” factor. Unfortunately, this wow factor doesn’t last forever.

Your parking lot striping wears away over time, which is why re-striping is the most common and routine type of asphalt maintenance. As soon as the paint is applied to your parking surface, it begins to deteriorate. This deterioration is sped up by such factors as severe weather, the amount of traffic coming in and out of the lot, and the thickness of the paint.

So how often should you re-stripe your parking lot?

Because of the deteriorating paint, the relatively low cost of re-striping, and the instant curb appeal it provides, it is recommended that you re-stripe your parking lot every 12-18 months. And as long as the temperature is above freezing, striping can be performed year-round.

So if your parking lot is in desperate need of a little TLC, contact an experienced asphalt company today – a company like PTG Enterprises. The asphalt experts here have managed hundreds of these projects and have the experience you need. So contact PTG Enterprises aka My Pavement Guy today by calling 410-636-8777 or click here today!

Give me the opportunity to impress you. I can be your one stop ‘Pavement Guy,’ for any pavement project regardless of size or scope.

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How Often Should You Sealcoat Your Asphalt?

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

There are several benefits to sealcoating, which we will address later. It does much more than just make your asphalt look like new.

When the liquid asphalt holding the aggregate together oxidizes, your asphalt becomes brittle and prone to cracking. Sealer helps to protect your parking lot or other asphalt surface from the harsh effects of nature.

So how often should you seal your asphalt? The general rule is every two years, but there are exceptions. For example, when an asphalt surface is new, it should be sealed the first two years (the first application doesn’t cover as well as the coats that follow). But be careful not to overdo it. When a surface is sealed too much, the sealer will build up and can begin to crack.

Your asphalt should look and feel like asphalt. If it starts to resemble a black skating rink, you’ve sealed to much.

The Benefits of Sealcoating Includes…

Beautifies Pavement
Regardless of the material that is chosen, the property manager or owner can expect instant curb appeal. As these photos show, the difference is quite remarkable. A fresh sealcoat will restore a fresh-black color to your lot and fresh paint will make it look new again.

Stops Weather Damage
Unsealed pavement allows water to penetrate in and through it. This leads to base erosion, freeze-thaw damage and ultimately pavement failure. sealcoating provides a protective barrier to stop water penetration.

The Asphalt Institute states: “The accumulation of moisture in pavement is probably the greatest cause of pavement distress.”

Prevents Oxidation
Asphalt pavement is made up of asphalt binder and little rocks called aggregate. As the pavement cures, the sun’s rays harden and dry out the asphalt binder and cause the surface to dry out. This causes the asphalt to become dry, brittle and break apart. This oxidation will cause accelerated raveling and erosion, and, if left untreated can reduce asphalt thickness by as much as half in five years.

If you have any questions, contact PTG Enterprises aka My Pavement Guy by calling 410-636-8777 or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Sources:

How Often Should I Sealcoat My Driveway? AsphaltAdvisor.com