Parking Lot Maintenance: Extend The Life Of Your Lot

A well-installed asphalt parking lot is meant to last for decades, perhaps up to 30 years, which is why so many business owners choose this material for their lots. However, proper parking lot maintenance is crucial if you want to maintain this structure for as long as possible. Let’s take a quick look at how you can extend the life of your lot and protect your investment.

1. Pick The Best Materials & Installation Team

If you are just getting started building a new asphalt parking lot, the best advice we can give is to select the best possible parking lot paving company. While other companies might offer less expensive solutions, a quality commercial paving company will use the best possible materials and installation techniques. You may pay a little more upfront, but your lot will last longer, you will need fewer repairs and maintenance will be easier.

2. Don’t Forget About Drainage

While the quality of your commercial asphalt and its installation is crucial, preventing water damage is nearly as important. In Florida, where heavy rains and hurricanes are common, it is imperative that business owners install proper drainage throughout their parking lots.

Water is one of the most powerful forces on the earth, and it can do tremendous damage to your lot if it pools up or isn’t directed away from your property. While the installation of adequate drainage structures is important, it’s also wise to consider the grading of your lot as well as managing landscape and surface run-off. You also will want to ensure that drainage systems are cleaned regularly to prevent any blockages.

3. Schedule Sealcoating Regularly

Asphalt must be properly sealed about every two to three years. Sealcoating a parking lot is one of our areas of specialization, and we use the best possible sealants to ensure that your lot is protected against oil spills, water and UV rays.

During this process, we also can apply new line striping to completely freshen up your commercial asphalt lot and make it as appealing as possible for customers. Of course, line striping also increases safety and accessibility, as we mark areas for pedestrians as well as ADA spots, etc.

We also recommend that business owners schedule regular cleanings for their lot. Regular sweeping keeps the lot clear of debris, dirt and trash. If debris is allowed to build up, this debris can retain moisture which can damage the surface of your asphalt parking lot.

4. Fix Problems Quickly

If you notice a few cracks or other issues, we recommend contacting commercial paving contractors to provide quick repairs as well as to inspect your lot for potential problems. Cracks can be a symptom of poor drainage, tree root issues or other problems, and your paving contractor can offer suggestions to prevent future damage as well as provide you with whatever repairs you need. Fixing problems early on is always far less expensive than waiting for bigger issues to appear.

5. Clean Your Lot Frequently

The elements can take their toll on your parking lot, and so can debris, dirt and substances such as oil. Cleaning is a huge park of asphalt parking lot maintenance, and we recommend sweeping or blowing your lot frequently to ensure that debris doesn’t pile up. Piles of leaves, dirt, trash and other items don’t just look unseemly, they also can retain moisture, which can damage your asphalt.

Cleaning up oil spills also is a good idea, as this can damage your asphalt lot over time. On the plus side, a clean lot also is more attractive to patrons, so this can be a win-win strategy.

As an additional side note, it can be smart to direct heavy vehicles away from your parking lot and have them only park in designated areas. It also can be smart to ask your employees to rotate where they park, especially those with heavier vehicles, as this can reduce wear and tear on your asphalt.

Need Asphalt Repairs? Call Us Today

At Quality Parking Lot Maintenance, our parking lot paving contractors can provide you with just about any service you might need. If you need crack repairs, pothole repairs or patching, we can provide all types of asphalt parking lot repair using the best materials and techniques for long-term protection of your lot.

If you have a commercial parking lot that seems plagued by cracks and other issues, give us a call as we also can provide you with excavation and investigation services to find the root of the problem and then provide you with options to fix the issues. Of course, as we stated above, we also can seal coat a parking lot as well as provide milling services and line striping.

Our commercial paving company is headquartered in Tampa and we can provide repairs, installations and parking lot maintenance services to clients throughout the state of Florida. No matter what type of commercial paving (or concrete) services you need, contact us at any time to discuss your parking lot needs and to get a free cost quote for our services.