Why Every Tampa Bay Business Owner Should Sealcoat their Asphalt Surface

Those who are familiar with construction materials understand that each type of surface will remain intact for only as long as its “service life” will allow. The service life of asphalt pavement can be extended if the property owner adheres to a regular maintenance schedule.

There are all sorts of threats to asphalt pavement, ranging from Tampa Bay’s intense rainstorms to salt and chemical exposure. Those who are proactive and take the proper precautions will find that their asphalt surface lasts much longer than anticipated. This extended lifespan will result in a considerable financial savings that boost the bottom line.

An Explanation of LCCA: Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis, commonly referred to as “LCCA”, is a method of determining the monetary worth of pavement. This value is derived through an extensive analysis of the surface’s initial costs and the cost of expected maintenance across posterity. Each analysis period considers factors like reconstruction, resurfacing and rehabilitation. However, LCCA is only one matter to mind when it comes to analyzing pavement value. A complete analysis could determine that replacement is the high cost. If there is a small difference between a replacement and alternatives, it might be prudent to opt for the replacement.

The Life Expectancy of Asphalt Pavement

The average asphalt pavement typically lasts about 7-8 years unless preventive maintenance is performed. Those who take good care of their asphalt pavement will enjoy a driveway or parking lot that stays intact without major issues for a decade or even a decade and a half. Your asphalt pavement’s lifespan is determined by several variables such as:

• Frequency of surface traffic
• Exposure to grease, gasoline, dirt, road salt, oil and other damaging elements
• Its traffic bearing capacity
• Anticipated maintenance such as sealcoating and patching
• The pavement’s design. Examples of highly important design factors are the asphalt mix, asphalt compaction, depth of the asphalt, base, sub-base and so on.

A Deeper Look Into the Lifespan of Asphalt Pavement

Defining what asphalt pavement’s lifespan really means is worth some additional analysis. The term should be defined as the amount of time that the surface retains its ability to withstand the amount of traffic that it was initially designed to support. The average commercial parking lot’s lifespan is about 7 years. When the lot reaches this age, it is time to perform a repaving.

Treatment Frequency

A commercial parking lot that measures 10,000 square yards needs a sealcoating along with other minor repairs at least once every 3 years. It takes about 3 months for the pavement to cure and do away with those pesky surface oils. The failure to sealcoat in favor of repeated repair attempts will only increase costs over time. Once a couple of years have gone by, crack filling repairs might be necessary. Property owners should also be aware of the fact that a brand new overlay will be required every 7 years due to water exposure through hairline cracks that can form as soon as one year after installation.