How Much Money Can Bad Asphalt Cost Your Business?

Signs of A Bad Job: Assessing Asphalt Pavement Condition

Hopefully, you have hired, or plan to hire, a professional asphalt business to pave your parking lot, road, or other pavement surface to ensure a high-quality finished product. If you have hired amateurs and are unhappy with the final results of your pavement, it’s important to pay attention to asphalt maintenance needs. Repair costs can add up quickly if the asphalt is improperly installed. If your asphalt repair and maintenance list continues to grow, you may want to get another opinion from a local asphalt company. Alligator cracks and edge cracks are classic signs that the lot wasn’t paved correctly. These symptoms do naturally occur, but it’s a bad sign if they are rapidly appearing shortly after your parking lot is paved. Cracks like these spread rapidly, causing more serious problems. A pothole repair is a relatively easy repair, but it can be a sign of underlying issues. Potholes point to structural issues that can be caused by compaction issues, poor water drainage, and more. This type of damage shouldn’t be a concern until the pavement has seen a lot of use. Surface sinking, rough surfaces, frequent cracks, standing water, and unusual marks are all signs that your contractors had issues when paving the lot. The costs of these early issues add up quickly. The price for labor alone costs more and more as the issues with the pavement grow. Continue reading to learn more about poor asphalt and the potential financial ramifications of hiring amateur pavers.

What Makes a Commercial Asphalt Lot “Bad”

If you’re considering hiring an amateur asphalt business, it’s important to consider the long-term ramifications. Symptoms may start small and can be minimized with attentive asphalt maintenance at the start, but the lot will progressively get worse over time. One of the most obvious early signs that there are issues with the pavement is water pooling. If water has no drainage, it will collect on the pavement. Asphalt surfaces are porous, meaning water will absorb into the pavement, causing damage to the layers beneath. Anytime water collects on the surface after a rainstorm, you will know there are clear issues with the pavement. Simple mistakes like not paving with a proper slope will increase the costs to repair rapidly

A simple visual sign of a poor pavement condition is rough edges. When a parking lot has edges that end suddenly without any clear edge, you will certainly run into issues in the near future. Asphalt pavement should have a clear, beveled edge that is compacted. Without properly treating the asphalt edges, you will see the pavement crack and crumble, increasing the cost to repair and possibly damaging sealcoating. Transitions from the asphalt pavement to other pavements or surfaces should always be smooth to ensure stability at the seams. Similarly, the pavement surface shouldn’t have visible lines or seams. Seams are a clear indicator that the asphalt business that paved the lot rushed their work. Asphalt paving should result in a completely smooth surface. Some signs of poor commercial asphalt paving are less obvious at first. Asphalt pavement should be compacted using professional equipment to ensure that the layers all bind together. If not done properly, you will begin to see tire marks and maybe even footprints on the surface.

Correlation of Lifespan and Cost of Asphalt Pavement

A properly maintained asphalt parking lot can last up to 3 decades when asphalt maintenance is handled regularly, and sealcoating is done on the correct schedule. Ohio experiences the freeze-thaw cycle, which can cause issues below the pavement surface. In regions like Columbus, it’s vital to begin with a high-quality pavement and thoroughly protect it. Depending on the intensity of issues you’re facing, it can greatly reduce the pavement’s lifespan. Asphalt repair is significantly cheaper than replacing sections of a lot. If the original paving job was done poorly, the problems will keep returning. As a pavement’s lifespan comes to an end, each repair will be more difficult and become less cost-effective. The cost of replacing the entire pavement begins to be more reasonable than continuing repair after repair. Contact Tolliver & Curl to learn more about our services and the true cost of a high-quality asphalt lot.

Repair Costs Vs Repaving Your Commercial Asphalt Lot

Asphalt that is poorly installed will cost more in repairs, labor, and lot maintenance over a long period of time. Hiring a top-tier commercial asphalt business will cost more upfront, but it almost always results in lower maintenance costs long-term. When getting quotes for an asphalt parking lot, road, or other paving services, the lowest doesn’t always end up the cheapest. Cheaper paving work often requires resurfacing within 7 years. When you select a professional asphalt company, you will often get more than two decades of use before the pavement needs resurfacing. By preparing the subgrade properly before installing the parking lot, a professional company reduces the chance of cracking and other complications. Using professional equipment and a high-quality mix reduces the costs of maintaining the surface over decades. Professionals will ensure the parking lot is at a proper grade so water will easily drain. Maintenance costs will always be lower when the road or lot is paved by professionals. The upfront costs may be higher, but decades of strong, durable pavement will greatly reduce the price of repairs. By choosing a professional team of pavement contractors, your pavement should last up to 3 decades, and will require less asphalt maintenance.

The Unfortunate Costs of Sealcoating Poor Quality Asphalt

Sealcoating is one of the many services Tolliver & Curl Paving provides and is highly recommended by anyone in the pavement industry. Sealcoating provides an additional layer of protection, which helps reduce asphalt maintenance needs, especially after the harsh Ohio winters. Sealcoating can extend the life of a parking lot by up to a decade. Sealcoating a poor asphalt job may not make a difference and can be a waste of money. Asphalt costs more when it’s not done the first time properly.

Can You Still Resurface Your Asphalt Lot?

Resurfacing is often a good option when the cost of repairs isn’t worth keeping a poorly done asphalt pavement. However, resurfacing does have some requirements. Resurfacing is different from sealcoating because you have to remove layers of the old asphalt and add a new layer on top of it. This is done to provide a fresh look and a more sturdy top layer. If the foundation and subsurface layers of the asphalt aren’t holding up, repaving may be the only option. With repaving, the old pavement is removed, and the entire paving process is redone to ensure a strong, long-lasting foundation.

Asphalt Maintenance, Resurfacing, and Paving

Tolliver & Curl works with businesses across Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding area to bring them high-quality results. We provide asphalt paving, asphalt maintenance, sealcoating, resurfacing, pothole repairs, and more. Work with a team of professional contractors to achieve a durable and long-lasting pavement that will save you money in the long run.

Hire Tolliver & Curl for Commercial Asphalt Projects

We offer comprehensive asphalt services to ensure your investment provides value for many years. Tolliver & Curl has become an established and trusted name in Columbus, Ohio, and we continue to build strong relationships with returning clients. To request a free estimate, contact us via our website.