As the months grow colder and we approach winter, you may be wondering how the cooler weather and snow will affect your commercial surfaces. Whether you have a pavement parking lot or a cement sidewalk, there are many factors to consider when it comes to snow on your commercial surfaces. We’ve rounded up a few helpful tips and tricks before the snow arrives this winter.
Cracks and Potholes
The cycle of freezing then thawing snow on a surface can particularly wear on your concrete or asphalt. Asphalt parking lots especially suffer from this cycle, as the ground expands and contracts with the changing temperature. This can lead to cracks and potholes on your commercial surface. Luckily, there are preventative steps your organization can take to reduce damage to your asphalt parking lot. The most important step is to hire a professional asphalt paving company to properly install your parking lot. An accredited and experienced pavement company will have the necessary training to install your parking lot the right way, which will prevent damage down the line.
Snow Plows
Snow plows can scrape across the surface of your pavement parking lot, which could potentially cause damage. Usually, this kind of damage is minimal, because commercial snow plows arrange their blades high enough to avoid damaging smooth surfaces. However, if you do notice any damage to your commercial surface after a snow plow has come through, fix it right away. Once the snow melts, a simple seal coat can be applied to restore the pavement.
Be Cautious with Melting the Snow
With the winter months, the surface of your commercial parking lot can become hazardous to customers. The ice, hail and freezing rain can make the surface of your parking lot slippery, which makes your organization vulnerable to lawsuits if someone accidentally slips or falls. That’s why it’s crucial to remove the ice or snow as quickly as possible from the parking lot surface. Most of the time, the harsh chemicals in salt or snow melting products can damage the markings on your parking lot surface, like parking space striping. There are also negative environmental considerations with salt or snow melting chemicals, like runoff into local waterways.
Proper Drainage
One of the most crucial factors to consider with snow on your commercial surfaces is making sure that the snow has a proper place to drain once it melts. Without proper drainage, the melted water will stay on the surface of your parking lot, which could result in standing water on the surfaces. This makes your commercial parking lot more susceptible to potholes and cracks on the surface.
Work With Pro-Pave, Inc.
Pro-Pave, Inc. has established a reputation as one of the Washington, DC area’s most reliable paving companies. Since 2001, Pro-Pave has provided asphalt paving, concrete paving, and property maintenance services to various customers, including churches, colleges and universities, retailers, HOAs, and more.
We are always up to date on the latest news in paving. To find out more about how we can help you, contact Pro-Pave today. Visit our website, or give us a call at (703) 433-9500.
