Asphalt is relatively easy to care for and with proper maintenance your parking lot or driveway should last up to 35 years! Regular maintenance that should be done by a local professional like Armored Asphalt includes: sealcoating, crack filling, pothole repairs, and striping. There are many things you can do yourself as well to help protect your driveway like keeping it clean, removing debris, and paying close attention to potential hazards around as well! Here are some of the most harmful dangers for your asphalt:

  1. Heavy Vehicles. If you have frequent heavy trucks or trailers on your asphalt, you may notice more cracks and rutts more frequently. To help avoid this, have large trucks use varying paths as much as possible and notify a local asphalt company like Armored Asphalt as soon as you notice deep cracks. 
  2. Water. Obviously it is impossible to protect asphalt from all water, however you should be cautious of standing water anywhere on your pavement as it can cause premature corrosion and weakness in the asphalt. If you notice standing water it is extremely important to determine the cause and source immediately and give us a call to repair it as soon as possible. Check storm drains and rain spouts  to ensure they’re properly draining where they need to be!
  3. Oil. Oil is one of the top hazards to your asphalt. Pay attention to oil spills and stains regularly and clean them up accordingly as soon as you’re able to. Any oil based spill acts as a solvent to the tar that holds asphalt together. Avoid parking leaking vehicles on your pavement. 
  4. Tree Roots. If you have any trees near your driveway or parking lot, determine where the roots are and whether or not they are going to penetrate your asphalt. Depending on the intended size of a tree, it should be planted 3-6 feet away from any asphalt. If you’re unsure of proper placement, we’d highly recommend consulting and hiring a professional landscaper near you to make sure everything is done correctly. 
  5. Sun. Just like water, it is impossible to avoid the sun on your asphalt, however keeping up with sealcoating as needed is the only way to prevent sun damage. We recommend every 3-5 years with our unique 2 coat seal!

Did you get all of that? It’s okay if you didn’t! Armored Asphalt is here to help the residents and business owners of SE Wisconsin with all of their asphalt needs. We got our start many years ago with asphalt seal coating and maintenance, and then noticed a huge gap in proper asphalt care and installation in our area so we worked hard to become the best full service asphalt contractors in and around Kenosha, Racine, Burlington, and even Northeastern Illinois! We can’t wait to work with you soon. If you have any more questions or would like to set up a free estimate, give us a call today to speak with one of our asphalt professionals!