Recommendations To Help You Choose And Maintain Your Asphalt Pavement
Pavement to areas of your property is an essential element for a well-maintained and attractive property and landscaping. Without paving, you are subject to dirt, dust, mud, and erosion in areas of your property that need support and stability for regular traffic from vehicles and people. Here are some recommendations to help you in your selection and care of the right type of pavement for your property.
Look at Your Pavement Use
There are many reasons you are paving a surface and multiple uses that you may have with the surface. Determine what types of traffic will pass over the surface when you install the pavement so you can be sure to select the right materials. Some types of pavement are more durable and useful with heavy traffic use, and others may only be for light residential use, such as a backyard patio or a driveway.
If you are planning to pave a road through your property that will be used by pickup trucks, heavy construction trucks, RVs, or other high-weight vehicles, for example, you may want to choose an asphalt mixture that is a combination of larger aggregate. This pavement surface will provide heavy-duty durability to last on your property for many years with the right maintenance.
Protect the Edges
The edges of your asphalt pavement can be prone to cracks and deterioration from vegetation growth when they are not protected with proper edging materials. Once your paving professional has installed asphalt, the edges need to be sloped at a 90-degree angle and finished evenly; otherwise, they should be supported with concrete edging, curbing, or sidewalk supports. This structural support keeps the pavement from flexing and eroding with cracks and breakage damage. A professional crew can provide your asphalt with the edge support structure of concrete, gravel, or other materials.
Plan For Maintenance
Another important consideration in your new pavement choice is to keep it protected for years to come with regular maintenance. Regular aging from traffic use, weather stress, and vegetation growth will begin wearing away at the pavement's structure and should be evaluated in the spring and the fall. If you live in a northern climate area that has temperatures that can go from freezing to warm, then your asphalt can be prone to the damage that is associated with northern climate damage.
Although asphalt is a durable material that is made to expand and contract with its natural flexibility, you should watch for and remove vegetation growth in the cracks. The cracks should be cleaned out and patched, which can be followed up with a sealcoating every few years to provide further protection.
A paving contractor can take care of all of these tasks and install the pavement you need.