Asphalt pavements are famous for their versatility, safety, and aesthetics, and they are both economical and rapid to install. Asphalt has become the leading paving material in North America for everything from parking lots and driveways to interstates and suburban cul-de-sacs. To maximize your pavement’s longevity, however, you will need to give it a little help in the form of routine maintenance. One procedure that should be included in your pavement maintenance plan is asphalt sealcoating. High-quality sealants can help your pavement resist the harmful effects of automotive fluids, the sun, abrasive particles, and water. However, sealants need to be applied at the correct thickness to provide the best protection.
How Thickly Should Asphalt Sealcoating Be Applied?
Asphalt sealcoating contractors view the thickness of a sealant in two ways. The first is the thickness of an individual coat of sealant, and the second is the thickness of all coats applied to the pavement. Some inexperienced asphalt maintenance contractors attempt to achieve the second goal by increasing the thickness of the individual coat, but this is a major mistake.
Why Does the Thickness of an Individual Coat of Asphalt Sealcoating Matter?
Up to 70% of each gallon of sealant is water, and this water needs to evaporate for the sealant to cure properly. Therefore, experienced parking lot maintenance contractors know that they need to make each coat of sealant thin enough for efficient evaporation to occur. If you have ever tried to speed up a painting chore by slathering on a thick coat of paint, you were probably disappointed in both the final results and the time that it took the paint to dry. A thick coat of sealant will deliver a similar experience.
If One Thin Coat Offers Inadequate Protection, What Do Asphalt Sealcoating Contractors Do?
Whether they are sealcoating parking lot pavements, streets, or driveways, a reputable asphalt contractor will determine the right overall thickness for each client’s unique pavement. Once that has been determined, the sealcoating contractor will look at what the manufacturer recommends as the maximum thickness for each coat. Dividing the overall thickness by the thickness of each coat determines how many coats will be needed. Generally, the more vehicles that the pavement must support, the thicker the sealant needs to be. For example, most parking lot maintenance contractors find that two coats are commonly needed for an average parking lot, but some parking lots need a third coat applied in just the high-traffic areas, and an extremely busy lot may actually need three full coats. When multiple coats are needed, each thin coat is allowed to dry before the next one is applied.
Trust 3-D Paving for Your Asphalt and Concrete Needs
3-D Paving is an experienced, reputable asphalt paving company known for our craftsmanship, customer service, and integrity. We offer an extensive range of paving services, including asphalt paving and asphalt overlay, sealcoating, asphalt repair, concrete installation, asphalt milling, parking lot signage, bollard installation, thermoplastic markings, speed bumps, reflective pavement markers, parking lot striping, site development, and drainage repair. You can request a free quote online by submitting our form, or you can call 954-933-2053 or 855-735-ROAD.
