If you’ve ever put your bare feet on a parking lot that’s been baking in the midday summer sun, then you know why pavement sealing is so important during the warm weather months in the mid-Atlantic.

How does hot weather damage my pavement?

The Maryland/Washington, DC/Virginia area endures an annual cycle of thawing and freezing that can pummel the pavement in your parking lots, roads, athletic courts, and trails. When ultraviolet rays hit asphalt, they break down the carbon bonds, weakening the pavement and leaving it vulnerable to cracks as it expands and contracts with the temperature fluctuations.

One way to cut down on the damage that Mother Nature does to your property is to have a pavement sealing treatment applied to it.

What does pavement sealing actually do?

A pavement sealing mixture is a combination of water, clay, mineral fillers, and asphalt or refined coal tar. When applied to an asphalt surface that has “cured” for at least a year, the sealer forms a protective barrier that repels water, prevents over-drying, and slows down the oxidation process.

How often does my asphalt need to be sealed?

Without a professional evaluation, it’s impossible to know exactly how often your specific section of asphalt should be sealed, but the typical pavement sealing schedule calls for a treatment 12 months after the asphalt was initially put down, and then once every two to three years after that.

An important note for commercial parking lot owners: The constant tread of tires back and forth over the asphalt in your parking lot will erode your sealant more rapidly, which means that it may require more frequent pavement sealing treatments  to protect it.

Do I really need to seal my pavement that much?

Yes. Unless you want to pay a lot of money a few years down the road to have your whole property repaved.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, every $1 you invest to preserve your pavement, before it begins to degrade, could end up saving you anywhere between $6 and $10 on future repairs and replacements.

For more information about pavement sealing, call Pro-Pave, Inc. today at (703) 433-9500.