Your pavement is some pretty strong stuff. It fights off the constant, changing the pressure of being driven on, the glaring sunlight, various elements, and the surge of flora that wants that space for itself. To hold back all of these forces, you have to be tough. However, there are elements to pavement that also make it vulnerable to the very things it’s fighting off.
Based on your location, and the type of business you are, different chemicals such as salts and petroleum products can eat away at your asphalt, leaving it weakened and shortening its lifespan.
Some of the types of businesses where you can see this the most are businesses that are prone to oil and gas leaks. This is because asphalt actually IS a petroleum based product, separated from that oil or gas leak only by the refining process. Once those get into unprotected asphalt, they can break down your pavement, making it weak considerably in just a short amount of time.
Additionally, salts used during winter weather can also do a number on your asphalt, cutting its lifespan considerably.
Fortunately, there is an important tool that any business owner can employ to prevent this kind of headache from ever happening. This is done through proper sealcoating. Sealcoating is the perfect line of defense for your pavement that helps protect it from harmful sunlight and the onslaught of chemicals that tend to spill onto your parking lot and stay there indefinitely. It prevents these things from breaking down your pavement prematurely.
Your sealcoating professional will typically start with a perfectly clean and repaired pavement before applying your sealcoating. This is important because you need this additional layer to adhere properly to every inch of surface area. Once applied (typically using either a squeegee or spray), your professional will give your parking lot a cure time of no less than 24 hours to ensure that the asphalt is fully sealed and protected in every area. During this cure time, though, stripping can be applied so that your parking area is ready to go as soon as that 24 hours have passed.