If you are in the planning stages of a commercial, public or largescale residential building, you are probably wondering what the best surface for your parking lot would be. You only need to look around at some of the more modern and well-kept buildings and you will see that the majority of them are paved in asphalt. The reason for that would be the many advantages of asphalt parking lots and here are a few for you to consider.
1. Perpetual with Routine Maintenance
If applied properly and maintained well, asphalt can last literally forever – in terms of the building’s lifespan that is. Not only can any damage be repaired quickly, but by having the asphalt parking lot sealcoated initially and once every few years, it becomes resistant to such things as damaging UV rays, oil, and water. The sealcoating also helps to prevent ice because it prevents water from penetrating into the pours and nothing causes buckling in a surface quite like ice. When contracting asphalt paving services, always ask about their sealcoating process.
2. Fast Completion
The other common surface for some parking lots is concrete but asphalt can be applied and striped much, much faster. Since the parking lot is one of the final stages of a largescale construction job, you want the lot to be finished as fast as possible. The faster you get that parking lot completed, the faster you can start occupying the building.
3. Smooth and Safe
Asphalt is also smooth and safe. Much of the safety is due to the smooth surface that is resistant to skids. So many accidents in parking lots are due to inattentive drivers who need to slam on their brakes, sending them into a skid. As mentioned above, sealcoated asphalt helps to prevent ice buildup which also helps to prevent accidents and falls. One lawsuit from a customer who is injured due to falling on ice can be quite costly.
4. The Most Economical
There are two ways in which asphalt is the most economical surface for roads and parking lots. Not only is it less expensive in terms of the actual cost of materials but it is faster to complete. In the world of business, time is money, so those two features alone make it the most economical paving surface for parking lots.
5. Sustainable
Asphalt is primarily made up of recycled asphalt. Roads and other parking lots can be dug quickly, and the old surface is ground and then reused in the production of new asphalt. There is a growing concern for the amount of waste adding to global warming, so asphalt is the perfect surface in terms of sustainability. Also, when used for roads, there is less friction which leads to better mileage so of all paving surfaces, it really is the most sustainable.
These are only five of the advantages of asphalt for paving parking lots but they are huge advantages at that. Asphalt is safe, cost effective, easy to repair and maintain and can last longer than the building the lot is being paved for. Those really are some powerful advantages.
Michelle Wilde is a stay-at-home mom and avid plant lover. Armed with a post-graduate degree in Computer Science (no kidding!), she loves researching plants and landscapes. When she is not caring for her 4 kids, she spends time on her passion for plants.