Constructing the right budget always includes input from your trusted paving contractor that needs to be developed in multi-year overview of the condition of the pavement, how you plan to attack the structural defects on the lot initially followed up by implementing a sound pavement rehabilitation plan. With this knowledge in place, your paving contractor can advise and develop a single or multi-year budget that meets your specific needs while maintaining satisfactory condition of your pavement. Collaborative efforts generate satisfactory performance.

The answer depends on the current state of health of your parking lot. If the lot was well constructed and is not showing significant subbase failures (more than 5% of the lot) then the best option usually is to start and maintenance and seal coating program. This involves filling cracks, cutting out and replacing severely deteriorated areas with full depth asphalt, seal coating with 2 coats of a good cold tar sealer like Amguard, and restriping. This should be done every 3 – 5 years, depending upon how much traffic your lot has. You will find that over time, the amount of patch work (which is the most costly component) will go down.

Sometimes the only flaw is that too thin of a layer of asphalt was put over a good sub base. In this case patching and overlay is a viable option.

If subsurface water is a problem, than French drains may need to be installed prior to the overlay.

There is no "one solution" for repairing every parking lot. Professional Paving & Concrete estimators look at each lot on its own merits and make recommendations for your particular situation. That’s why its important to deal with a full service company that does all aspects of pavement repair maintenance. Most other companies do not offer the full range of services that Professional does.

There are many factors that lead to premature asphalt pavement deterioration. There is no exact order that these can be put in but generally speaking they are:

• Original construction quality.
• Heavy loads placed upon the pavement (a fully loaded tractor-trailer or trash truck exerts as much deteriorating force on a pavement as 10,000 cars).
• Petroleum spills, since asphalt is an oil based material, any oil based product that is spilled upon it will dissolve the cement that bonds the asphalt together and cause premature failures.
• Cracks. Asphalt is a flexible pavement and cracks are a natural part of the aging process. Left unfilled, these cracks will allow water penetration into the sub-base which will prematurely cause potholes and other types of extensive pavement failure.

Water is just water until it freezes. It expands by 150% in volume, displacing and cracking asphalt. During 1999 there were thirteen separate freeze/thaw cycles. Cracksealing is the least expensive and most cost effective way to prevent future repairs.

Cracksealing: Specify routing, it provides a uniform depth and width allowing the filler to bridge and bond the crack.

Sealer: Specify ASTM D3405 minimum sealcoat. Specify five pounds of sand per gallon.

Patching: Specify full depth minimum of four inches.

Look out for:

• Vague, ambiguous terminology in a proposal.
• A quote that is 20% or more lower than other vendors.
• Estimates which recommend against correcting the cause of the problem.
• "Inspect what you expect". Is the work being performed the way it was specified?

Undertake an annual maintenance evaluation. If you see depressions in the asphalt with multiple cracks, you might have base failure. Make repairs. If you see sand building up around your drainage basins, sealcoat the asphalt, it is becoming oxidized. The fine sand in the blacktop is raveling out and becoming brittle.

Architects generally design parking lots to last for 20 – 25 years. A good average is 20 years. Unfortunately, designs on paper and actual conditions in the field can vary quite significantly, and since the parking lot tends to be the last item of a construction project, and is obviously less structurally important than the building itself, corners can be cut leading to significant decreases in the parking lots useful life. Parking lots that were constructed before the 1970’s seem to have held up better over the years than ones constructed in recent years. Although this is a general statement, the phrase “they don’t build them like they used to” seems to be true. For structurally sound pavements that are experiencing isolated failures, a maintenance program of patching, seal coating and striping will prolong the life of the pavement almost indefinitely.

Even the best of surfaces are subject to the wear and tear caused by time, weather and traffic. No paved surface is permanent. By undertaking a program of planned pavement maintenance, considerable savings in rehabilitation costs may be achieved. Your pavement surface will remain sound, usable and safe. Extensive downtime needed to repair deep cracks and potholes will be reduced or eliminated. Proper maintenance can significantly extend the life of existing pavements, and it will help to protect your paving investment.

Sealcoating: Sealcoating is best performed during the warmer months, late spring through early fall. Sealers need warm temperatures (above 50° Fahrenheit) to cure properly. The ground must be dry when the sealer is applied.

Paving: Asphalt paving is best performed when the ground is dry and air temperatures are above 40° Fahrenheit. The warmer the weather, the more time the laborers will have to work with the material to achieve a smooth finish. Cold weather paving, down to about 35° F, can be performed; however, this type of weather requires highly experienced and conscientious workers who know how to use cold weather paving techniques. Generally cold weather paving should only be performed in emergency situations.

Concrete: Concrete is best installed when temperatures are above freezing. Certain additives are often put in the concrete mix in cooler weather in order to accelerate curing.

Striping: Striping is best performed in temperatures above 60° Fahrenheit when using latex paints. Cooler weather striping is possible, but paint may not cure as well, and as such may not last as long.

Each project is different, but your contractor should provide you with a realistic schedule date and a map (if necessary) to highlight the exact areas of work to be performed on a given date. This map can then be copied and distributed to all tenants in advance to alert them of any traffic restrictions.

The industry standard for warranty is one (1) year after completion on materials and workmanship. More warranty is available on certain work items and, in some cases, work warranties may be less than one (1) year.