Removing oil stains can be difficult and lessen the appeal of your commercial parking lot.
Asphalt is one of the best paving materials with many parking lot owners using it for their parking lots. To prolong its durability, you must schedule the right maintenance and repair services. When various issues affect the aesthetic appeal of your asphalt paving, oil stains are the most notorious since they’re unsightly and hard to clean. Even if your parking lot look sparkling clean at the moment, it’s wise to prepare yourself with the right ways to remove oil stains from asphalt.
Effects Oil Stains on Asphalt Parking Lots
Oil spillage on asphalt paving causes adverse side effects on your driveway. These include:
- Unsightly stains- The most recognized problem of oil spillage on asphalt pavements is the ugly stains it creates on your parking lot.
- Physical damage- If your parking lot has even the tiniest cracks, oil can pass through them and buildup on its base. With time, this oil buildup causes your pavement to soften and consequently compress when weight is put on the spot.
The above effects make it hard to remove oil stains from asphalt but not entirely impossible. The method of stain removal is done in stages, and it depends on the extent of oil damage on your pavement.
1. First Stage of Oil Stains
Motor oil and asphalt binder are closely related since they’re both petroleum by-products. However, if oil stain remains on the asphalt pavement for more extended periods (six to twelve months), it ruins the bond by weakening the binder. During the first five months, the oil has not yet penetrated the asphalt surface and has only stained the pavement. Some factors that slow oil penetration include regular sealcoating and oxidation on older asphalt surfaces.
To remove oil stains from asphalt at this stage is easy as it only requires cleaning using any of the following cleaning options:
- Cat litter
- Cola soda
- Baking soda
If you’re not up to these alternatives, you can scrub the stain using water and cleaning detergent and then rinse the spot thoroughly. It’s important to note that while sealcoating slows down oil penetration, it’s not a method to remove oil from asphalt.
2. Second Stage Oil Stains
The oil stains have moved beyond the surface and are slowly penetrating through the asphalt affecting its strength. You can tell that the stain has reached the second stage if the affected spot is unusually soft, has physical signs of damage, and car tires leave abrasions. The deterioration is referred to as raveling and if asphalt patching and repair isn’t scheduled promptly, it can lead to more severe parking lot damage.
3. Third Stage Oil Stains
These are more advanced oil stains that cannot be cleaned or repaired using simple chip sealing. When this is the case, your paving services provider has two options depending on the extent of the damage.
If the damage is minimal, the contactor removes one or two inches of the asphalt using a milling machine. The contractor then cleans the exposed portion, lays a tack coat to enhance the asphalts adhesiveness, and resurfaces the area using a hot mix of asphalt.
Where the damage is severe, the contract cuts out the damaged area and replaces it with fresh asphalt. This method involves removing the entire affected portion to ensure no traces of oil are left. Although highly effective, the technique is also complicated and expensive than the first option.
Trying to Remove Oil Stains from Asphalt?
Stains create a terrible first impression on visitors, creating the need to know how to remove oil stains from asphalt. But depending on the severity, it may be hard for you to remove the stains on your own. Parking Lot Services is made of professional parking lot repair and maintenance contractors in Tampa. We will help you with various maintenance services, including:
- Parking lot striping in Tampa
- Asphalt patching and repair
- Asphalt paving Tampa
Contact us today if looking for parking lot services in Tampa and to prevent oil stains in your parking lot.