5 Preventative Parking Lot Maintenance Tips
As a business owner or building manager, being aware of your parking lot’s overall condition is crucial. After all, the parking space is often the first thing customers or potential tenants notice when they visit your business and can make a significant impression before they even enter the building.
Although parking lots are resilient, things like severe weather, extreme sunlight, and heavy traffic can cause your parking lot to degrade much more quickly. While asphalt damage is inevitable, there are several ways you can make your parking area look fresh again with a few preventative maintenance tips.
This article will discuss the importance of parking lot maintenance and give you five effective preventative parking lot maintenance tips to help you get the most out of your pavement. Continue reading below to learn more and discover why South Central Sealing & Paving is the number one choice for high-quality asphalt maintenance services in Wichita.
The Importance of Parking Lot Maintenance
Regular maintenance is integral to facility management and should be treated as such. While the estimated lifespan of an asphalt parking lot is roughly 15 to 20 years, several variables can affect when a parking lot may need maintenance.
Rain, snow, ice, heat, chemicals, oils, and heavy traffic can all be detrimental to asphalt’s durability over time. As a result, asphalt’s durability is compromised by the disproportionate amount of repeated stress.
These maintenance tasks include a variety of repairs and treatments intended to extend the pavement’s lifespan. Whether your parking lot is experiencing cracking or crumbling, or you’re beginning to notice pothole formations, it is a viable option for most physical assets and infrastructure over the long term for many businesses.
5 Preventative Maintenance Tips for Maintaining Your Parking Lot
Improving customer and employee experiences should always be a top priority. As a result, a well-kept parking lot is essential for all businesses. To mitigate natural wear and tear, it’s crucial that property managers and business owners make parking lot maintenance a top priority.
Developing strategic maintenance procedures is one of the best ways facility managers can keep their parking lots in the best condition possible and ensure their maximum service life. Here are five preventative parking lot maintenance tips to keep your parking lot in the best condition possible:
Perform Routine Inspections
Problems in your parking lot can develop rapidly. Once a month, consider walking through your parking lot to conduct a visual inspection and make a note of any areas that are potential trouble areas.
When inspecting your parking lot, look for potential issues such as developing cracks, standing water, and hazardous oil or gasoline pools. These issues require immediate attention to avoid greater problems in the future.
Clean Regularly
Regular cleaning is one of the easiest ways to preserve the value of your asphalt parking lot. Regular cleaning not only increases the longevity of your parking lot but will also assist in removing the buildup of dirt, debris, or contaminants that can accelerate asphalt deterioration.
If you have waste collection bins in your parking lot, it’s essential that you regularly inspect these areas and instruct employees to keep the area clean. You may also want to consider power washing your parking lot a few times throughout the year to remove any harsh, hard-to-remove chemicals or oil spills that may come into contact with the asphalt.
Ensure Proper Drainage
Ensuring your parking lot has adequate drainage is another critical maintenance component. Standing water can cause several problems in your parking lot, such as shortening the pavement’s lifespan, increasing the risk of trips and falls, fostering unsanitary conditions, and damaging vehicles and surrounding infrastructure.
Ensure your parking lot has proper drainage capable of dealing with the amount of water that occurs during heavy rains or snowfalls. Installing a drainage system is another alternative to help avoid long-term problems and save money on costly maintenance and repairs.
Repair Cracks and Potholes
While cracks will inevitably appear due to weather conditions, heavy traffic, and aging, they should be addressed as soon as possible. During the colder months, freeze-thaw cycles will cause the water in cracks to freeze and expand, resulting in exponentially larger cracks.
As asphalt ages, it naturally cracks and may develop low spots or potholes requiring patching. If you notice cracks starting to develop in your parking lot, consider having patchwork or repair work performed by a professional asphalt maintenance expert. The combination of services provides a coordinated approach to resolving problems in your parking lot.
Invest in Sealcoating and Slurry Sealing
Lastly, but most importantly, sealcoating and slurry sealing are two of the most essential aspects of parking lot maintenance. These high-quality sealants create an additional layer of protection that can reduce the effects of water, ultraviolet rays, and other risk factors on asphalt, significantly improving the longevity of your parking lot.
Sealcoating involves applying a protective layer to an asphalt surface to keep it waterproof and protect it from damage caused by weather, oxidation, and normal wear and tear. There are two common types of sealcoat: coal tar sealcoat and asphalt emulsion sealcoat, and both options provide a great way to repair surface damage and extend the life of asphalt pavement.
Alternatively, slurry sealing is a process that uses asphalt emulsion, water, aggregate, mineral filler, and other additives that resurfaces an asphalt pavement that has begun to show signs of deterioration. Slurry sealing not only helps to create a safer driving surface but also improves your parking lot‘s aesthetics and extends your asphalt’s lifespan. Slurry sealing is also less susceptible to cracking and can help prevent gas and oil penetration problems.
Trust the Asphalt Maintenance Experts at South Central Sealing & Paving
Regardless of the business you own or the building you manage, the condition of your parking lot plays a vital role in the impression you make on your customers, employees, and visitors. Fortunately, investing the necessary resources and following some of the tips provided in this article can help you preserve your asphalt parking lot and postpone or avoid expensive, time-consuming repairs in the future and preserve the longevity of your asphalt.
If your parking lot is beginning to show signs of needing professional attention and you need a team of asphalt maintenance professionals you can trust, make South Central Sealing & Paving your first call.
At South Central Sealing & Paving, our number one goal is to extend the lifespan of your parking lot. With more than 30 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a wide range of asphalt maintenance services for our Wichita customers. Whether you need crack and joint filling, sealcoating, slurry sealing, pothole repair, or something different, our team of experts uses state-of-the-art equipment to ensure your parking lot looks great and lasts longer.
We’re proud to be Wichita’s number one asphalt maintenance company, and we can’t wait to learn more about how we can help you. Give South Central Sealing & Paving a call today to learn more about our wide range of asphalt maintenance services and speak with one of our experts about which option is right for you.