SHOULD YOU RESURFACE,
PATCH OR REPAVE YOUR
PARKING LOT?

Like our blog title says asphalt can be a big investment, especially when it is a large parking lot. Budget is usually the deciding factor of what you actually end up doing but you should also consider the age, the condition of the base and the amount of work that could be required if you did just patch. 

A completely new asphalted parking lot usually lasts 15-20 years. However climate, traffic and heavy vehicles can also shorten the lifespan of the asphalt. Asphalt has flexibility but as it deteriorates, it cracks and then loses that flexibility.
 

Resurfacing could add additional years to the lifespan of the parking lot but it all depends on the base. A parking lot consists of a gravel layer, an asphalt base layer and an asphalt top layer. If you have a lot of cracks or spider cracks it is a sign that your sub base (gravel) is not good. This could be due to the sub base being damaged. Therefore a resurface is not recommended.  If there are dips in the parking lot that means the ground is settling. This can be levelled off with asphalt and then resurfaced.

 

When your lot is coming to the end of its lifespan trying to patch might not be worth the effort. The fixes are always temporary because water will seep in between the old and new material and start to open up the hole again. Doing patchwork could also push back the replacement back a few years but it will look less than ideal and at some point the extra work is not really worth it.

 

Always have a professional look at the parking lot to go over all your options.

 

Take a look at some other customers that took care of their base.

Stay safe everyone

© 2020 Oaktown Paving and Haulage Ltd.
Website design: My awesome wife.

© 2020 Oaktown Paving and Haulage Ltd.
Website design: My awesome wife.