Your parking lot is a huge investment. You want to be confident that you are choosing the right type of services for your asphalt pavement. Asphalt paving and asphalt maintenance (such as sealcoating) are two vastly different solutions for your parking lot. It is important to have a trusted contractor who can evaluate your lot for the best course of action. Asphalt Paving Asphalt Paving is when the existing asphalt pavement surface is removed and replaced or when a layer of asphalt is added to the top of the already existing asphalt; also known as an overlay. When parking lots have deteriorated asphalt like large potholes and alligator cracking, it is best to replace the asphalt surface. Asphalt patching, pothole repairs and overlays are a few procedures that are cost effective solutions when repairing a parking lot; however, some asphalt pavement surfaces require a complete renovation. A complete repave includes removing the existing asphalt with a mill machine and replacing it with new hot mix asphalt. Sealcoating Sealcoating is a service that should be a part of your routine parking lot maintenance plan and should be applied to existing asphalt every 3-5 years. If your parking lot has been recently repaved, the sealcoat application should be applied within 90 days to 1 year. Sealcoating will help extend the life of the asphalt surface by preventing oxidation caused by the sun and degradation from UV rays damage and traffic. There are two ways that sealcoat can be applied: spray or squeegee. Consult your trusted contractor to evaluate your lot and determine which application is best, based on the existing conditions. If you are looking at your parking lot and notice any type of damage or deterioration, contact American Asphalt Company for a complimentary assessment of your lot. Asphalt Milling The benefit to using asphalt is because it is 100 percent recyclable. Asphalt milling is the environmentally friendly process, which removes the asphalt that is already present on the ground. When asphalt has large cracks and potholes, it is best to utilize the asphalt milling process. Asphalt milling machines are given a specified depth, thickness and slope to repair and fix these issues. Asphalt milling is typically operated to remove degraded pavement and improve drainage. Milling does not always have to be for large projects or an entire parking lot, this procedure can be performed for asphalt patches and overlays as well. Milling the asphalt provides aids in the profile for new asphalt to be laid, allowing it to have long lasting results. American Asphalt Company not only provides parking lot maintenance services, we also provide milling and paving services, as well as, manufacture the asphalt. The benefit that is not always seen, is that because we are a one stop shop (Manufacture, Parking Lot Maintenance and Pave), we can bring the extra millings back to our plants and reutilize those millings in the asphalt that we create. That is how asphalt is 100% recyclable. Utilizing the millings in the production of new asphalt is called Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, also known as RAP. If you are looking for an asphalt company that can service you for years and do it RIGHT, contact American Asphalt for all of your manufacturing, paving and parking lot maintenance needs.