How Spring Showers Can Damage Your Parking Lot

Spring showers can be annoying for drivers, but they can be even more damaging to commercial paving lots and asphalt! As the spring season rounds the corner and we get ready for another season full of thunderstorms and rain, you might be asking yourself, “Will all of this moisture and rain affect the composition and quality of my paving?”

 

If you’ve ever taken a chemistry class, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard water referred to as a “universal solvent.” This is because, given enough time, water can destroy the structural integrity of any material by dissolving it and breaking it down. Unfortunately, super-strong commercial paving in Philadelphia is no exception.

 

When water is allowed to sit on a driveway or other form of paving, it will eventually seep below the surface layer and penetrate the base of the paving. When the temperature rises, this material and the water expands, which can cause the cracking that too many parking lot owners have come to know too well.

 

Before spring arrives, take a look at your paving and search for cracks. If you notice a cracked section or it is beginning to crack, the chances are high that water has already penetrated the base layer of your pavement. When you add in the shifts in temperature towards warmth that comes along with the spring, the cracks will continue to grow as molecules in the pavement are spurred to expand.

 

Luckily, there is a solution that can help protect your pavement from further damage resulting from spring weather: sealcoating. Sealcoating, when completed by an expert paving contractor in Philadelphia, has the potential to form an airtight “seal” between the base layer of the pavement and the water lying on the surface of the paving. This can minimize the damage that spring weather can have on the structural composition of the paving, leading to fewer needs for repairs later down the line.

 

Interested in learning more about protecting your investment against damage from the weather? Stanley Paving is here to help! Give our team a call today at 1-844-BLACKTOP to learn more about sealcoating!