Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Parking Lot Striping and Maintenance Increases Customer Safety

In business, it is important to always put your best foot forward, and that step can start with fresh parking lot striping. Fresh paint provides a good first impression for arriving customers. Faded and cracked lines, potholes, and crumbling chocks are not only an eyesore, but can also be a safety hazard as well. To ensure customers can park their cars with ease and navigate the car park without any confusion, regular maintenance is crucial.

Clear parking lot striping will not only help visitors navigate easily, but well-planned spacing can also help maximize a small area, squeezing in extra spots for cars so that you don't unintentionally lose business. Most car parks are also required by local regulations to meet certain codes which include a specific number of designated handicap spaces for disabled individuals (how many will depend on the location and size of the area). These will require an extra wide border to be clearly marked, allowing for room to remove wheelchairs or other necessary mobility devices. Codes may also require specific stenciling and marked fire lanes.

If the area is jointly operated by several businesses, it can be helpful to designate specific spots directly in front of doors exclusively to one shop. This is particularly useful for quick-stop stores located next to businesses with longer transactions such as restaurants or movie theaters. Keeping a few spaces free and marked for fifteen minutes or less is another way to keep traffic flowing, turning away fewer customers during peak periods. Spaces can be stencil-painted and bordered in a different color to distinguish it from others.

Proper parking lot striping is also a valuable safety tool that can help you cut back on collisions, slip and falls, or other potential hazards. In addition to keeping the paint fresh and direction arrows clear to improve traffic flow, consider re-paving the entire car park if it is extremely damaged. Large holes and cracks can not only damage vehicles, but people can fall and hurt themselves. And if it happened on your property, you may have a lawsuit on your hands. Smashed chocks are another common problem that is often overlooked. Chocks are the bumpers located between spaces or in front of sidewalks to prevent vehicles from moving too far. Over time, the constant stress from car bumps, or even just a single hard hit can result in them cracking and shifting. The rubble left behind can be dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists.

Parking lot striping professionals generally offer several other benefits in addition to their painting skills. Included in their services are often a cleaning of the area using power washing to lift and blast away long-standing grime, a basic warranty covering unexpected fading or stains for the first few months or longer, and help re-planning the area if needed. Most paints are fast-drying, so you won't have to worry about closing off the area for long. Always choose a company that is licensed, experienced, and fully insured so that you will receive quality work that you can depend on.


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Saturday, January 27, 2018

Driveway Sealers Provide For A Long Lasting Driveway






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Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Why Have An Asphalt Driveway In Your Property

The look of your driveway has an effect on the overall appeal of your house. It works as a focal point as passersby and visitors come towards your house. An inviting driveway also adds to the value of your home. The most common material utilized in residential driveways is hot mix asphalt, which is an engineered combination of aggregate and liquid asphalt cement.

Benefits of using asphalt

Asphalt is a recommended material for driveways because they are even, long lasting, and safe. They can also deal with any load, from sedans to even trucks for those who have them. Asphalt pavement can be custom-made to reduce noise, to minimize splash and spray during the wet seasons, and even to help treat rain water. It can also stand up to freezing and thawing. And in winter, you don't have to worry about salting your driveway because asphalt is unaffected by salt.

Best time to have your driveway paved

Temperature is one of the primary considerations when paving a driveway because low temperatures and cold air can considerably affect how quickly the mix cools and thus extend the timeframe the contractor may need to complete the task. Paving your driveway during the cold season will leave you with a driveway that looks uneven.

How to choose an asphalt paving company

Avoid itinerant contractors - Be vigilant during the spring and summer months since there are several paving companies who go door-to-door offering affordable deals on asphalt work. Some of these offers are a sham. Some of them require money upfront but provide shoddy quality of work or one that deteriorates prematurely.

Obtain several estimates - Prices differ among paving companies. In addition, they may vary when it comes to quality. Get quotes from at least three contractors, and make sure that they are providing estimates for the same specifications.

Ascertain compliance to local requirements - Determine if the paving contractor you would like to hire has the required license to operate. To avoid potential headaches later on, make sure to use a paving contractor who is adequately insured and bonded.

Obtain references - Ask for contact details of past customers so you can communicate with them directly. Past customers can give you information that the company may not readily provide, like how respectful the contractor's workers were and if the project was accomplished within the agreed time and budget.

Get a contract - Insist on getting a contract for the work. The contract ought to be thorough and must contain all guarantees made by the paving company.

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Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Importance of Sealcoating

Surprisingly, many home owners, property owners, and maintenance workers know very little about the important aspect of sealcoating.

Sealcoating is a general term used to describe applying a top coating, or protectant coating of material over an existing asphalt pavement. Asphalt pavement is made up of rock, sand, gravel, and a binding agent to hold it all together. The binding agent is a by-product of the distillation process of certain types of crude oil. As asphalt ages and this by-product breaks down, unfortunately it loses its ability to bind, or hold together. Maintaining this binder is paramount in pavement maintenance. As one would expect, without it, the asphalt will begin to break down. The most common causes of binder degradation are rain, ultraviolet rays from the sun, and chemicals such as antifreeze and car oil.

As asphalt ages and loses this binder, the pavement will start to degrade. When this process begins, a very common warning symptom is piles of small rocks and sand congregating in the low areas in pavement.

To reduce this harmful process from ruining pavement from rain, many people choose to apply a protective layer, or a seal coat, over the pavement to extend the life of the parking lot or driveway and also to prevent degradation. Additionally, when sealcoating products are applied to manufacturers' specifications, they provide a slip resistant surface with a deep satin black finish which beautifies the parking lot or driveway.

Sealcoating materials are typically either coal-based products or acrylic based emulsions. The sealcoat material is in a liquid-water based formulation of one of the above emulsions, then mixed with water, silica sand, polymer additives, and other fillers and solids to create the final product. The sealcoat can then be applied by several different methods: by brush, spray method, or by squeegee. The process should be performed by a professional.

To properly maintain the pavement at a home or business, a sealcoating maintenance program must be in place. Maintenance will more than double the life of the asphalt, saving the owner hundreds of dollars down the line and making the property look fresh and appealing. Repairing asphalt pavement after it has begun to degrade is expensive, so it is sensible to protect the pavement by sealcoating before any long term damage occurs for only pennies per square foot.

Applying this protectant every two to three years will certainly extend the life of asphalt pavement for a minimal cost compared to replacement or repair. When applied correctly by a professional contractor, sealcoating prevents oxidation, stops weather damage, and beautifies property.

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Thursday, January 18, 2018

Tips For Choosing the Best Asphalt Paving and Maintenance Company

When you're ready to get your asphalt driveway paved, you want to make sure that you're hiring the very best company for your needs. If you're going to put out the money and spend the time to get it paved, you want it paved correctly! You also want to make sure that company can handle any maintenance that needs to be performed after the paving job. Here are some important tips for choosing the best asphalt paving and maintenance company.

Make Sure the Company is Reputable -

Before you hire an asphalt paving and maintenance company, you want to make sure they are good standing and well respected within your community. There are a few different ways to check this and the first one would be to get references. The more recent the references are, the better. Actually call the contact numbers and speak with the people. Find out how they liked the paving job and how long it took.

Also, ask if the estimated price was what they ended up paying and whether they would hire the company again. This is a great way to find out if a company is worth hiring or not. You can also check out their job pictures as a great idea of how good their work is. Many companies will have their gallery right on their website for you to view, making it easy for you to judge their work.

Interview the Owner -

Another great way to be able to judge a company you're thinking of hiring is to interview the owner or the person who will be supervising the paving. Ask them important questions - like whether or not they are insured, licensed and bonded. Find out what kind of asphalt they will be using and why they use a particular kind. Ask them to walk you through what happens during a paving and how long it takes to complete.

This will give you a great feel for the company. If the owner or supervisor doesn't speak to you directly or hurries you as if they have other things to do, you may want to consider another company. If a company doesn't have time to talk to the customers (who, by the way, pay the bills), what are the chances that they are going to take their time and do an excellent job on your driveway?

Get an Estimate -

Have someone come to your home that represents the company and get an estimate. Most places will provide you with a free one. Find out each thing they quote a price for and ask them why it's necessary. Some contractors will quote unnecessary work just to get more money out of you. If they don't have a really great reason for doing the work, move on to the next company.

By using these suggestions before hiring an asphalt paving and maintenance company, you can save yourself time and money - and prevent yourself from being swindled or taken advantage of.

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Monday, January 15, 2018

Why It Is Essential To Put Seal Coating On Your Asphalt

There are many benefits to seal coating an asphalt driveway or parking lot. Along with the obvious improvement in appearance that a new, clean surface provides, it protects the asphalt from deterioration.

One of the benefits provided by a new layer of coating is ease of maintenance. Most grime will wash away when it rains. This keeps your driveway looking clean even if you don't go out and scrub it down. During dry spells, just hit it with a hose for the same cleaning effect.

Sealcoating also hides patches, rough areas, small cracks and stains in the underlying asphalt. This makes the driveway or parking lot look much better than it otherwise would. Parking lines and other traffic paint will also stand out more. This is a great benefit for parking lots and commercial driveways.

Coating asphalt protects it from UV rays. The sun's rays normally will increase asphalt's porosity and make it more susceptible to staining and other damage from things like oil and gas spills. By coating it, you help it resist this damage and extend its life.

Finally, coated asphalt is much more water resistant than it otherwise would be. This is very important in climates with a cold winter. Uncoated asphalt can absorb water, which will then freeze and cause cracks when winter comes.

Repairing asphalt can be very expensive. The high price comes from the combination of labor and the cost of the material itself. Asphalt prices change with the cost of oil, so the cost of repairs rise in tandem with oil's march to ever-higher price levels. It is much cheaper to coat a driveway and prevent damage from ever occurring than it is to ignore your driveway and have to fix it later.

Once you've decided to sealcoat your driveway or parking lot, you will need to determine whether you want to do the job yourself or hire a service. Doing the job yourself is cheaper but requires some work. Here is a quick overview of what it takes to do it yourself.

First, the pavement will need to be cleaned. This begins with simple sweeping. You will also need to dig any loose asphalt, gravel or other debris out of the surface. Power washing is likely the easiest way to dislodge the particles. You will also need to cut down any weeds that are growing over or through the surface.

If you used a cleaning method other than power washing, you will now need to scrub the surface with a driveway cleaning solution. This will allow the coating to adhere to the asphalt.

If there are any cracks or potholes, you need to fix them before coating the driveway. Narrow cracks can be filled with semi-liquid filler, while larger ones will need asphalt cold patch. Cold patch is a grainy substance sold in cans or bags.

Potholes will need to be prepared before repair. This generally involves smoothing them out and undercutting the edges to provide a good anchor point for the filler material. Filler can be hot or cold. Most hardware-store fillers will work fine for the light load of a residential driveway.

Actually sealing the asphalt is next. Mix the coating according to the instructions on the package. Then apply it with a rented sprayer or use a pole-mounted trowel to spread it evenly over the surface. Make sure you choose a dry day with no rain predicted so that the coating will have a chance to properly cure.

Of course, there is a much easier way to get seal coating onto your driveway or parking lot: contact a qualified service and watch them do all of this work for you. When they're done, write the check and enjoy looking at the perfect results.

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Friday, January 12, 2018

Professional Line Painting and Pavement Marking

Making sure your parking lot lines are repainted when they fade is not only important for the safety of the drivers that use your parking lot, but it also says a lot about your business. When your parking lot lines, speed bumps, arrows and handicaps are freshly painted it shows that you take pride in your business and makes your place of business look great.

Not all line painting service providers are equal. You will find that some line painting companies are conscientious and take time to make sure the job is done well while some companies only want to get in and out as fast as possible.

When you choose your provider there are a couple things you can do to make sure you are get a quality job. First, visit the providers website. Is there website professionally done or does it look like they just threw it up in a day? Look for pictures of their work. Do their lines look straight? Is there any overspray? Do they use nice stencils, or do they used outdated or ugly fonts and arrows? Line painting should always offer free quotes, so when they come in to estimate your parking lot it is a good opportunity to get a sense of what kind of people are working for the company.

If you really want to be sure, the best thing you can do is ask for the address of a job they recently painted which is in the area. Then you can go and observe how much care they used in their painting.
Here are some other things to consider. Line painting should only be done in warmer weather and the road needs to be completely dry. It can not be done when the pavement is damp from rainfall. Also, the cleaner the pavement the better. In order to ensure the maximum durability of your paint job you may want to consider pressure washing the pavement if it is particularly dirty or grimy. Line painting should be done every 1-2 years for high traffic areas and every 2-4 years for low traffic areas.

The next time you need to get your parking lot repainted remember to use these tips to evaluate the different line painting providers that work in your area. Once you find a good line painting company make sure you keep their business card and use them the next time you need your lines done. It will be easy for them to repaint your lines and pavement markings because they are sure to have matching stencils. Good luck!

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Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Benefits of Using Asphalt for Paving


Ease of installation


Low-cost building material


Extremely durable


Recycling feature


Requires less maintenance



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Saturday, January 6, 2018

Know the Basics About Your Asphalt Driveway









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Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Sealcoating FAQs


What if the price is too good to pass up?


Should we have this sealant applied every year?


Should we seal our asphalt in the summer?


Can we just seal coat asphalt pavement ourselves?




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