Commercial Roads and Surfaces: How to Prepare for Spray Sealing
If you are concerned about the durability of your commercial driveways, pavements, parking lots and other surfaces, you should think about spray sealing. Spray sealing is a beneficial process for low-volume roads. The sealing reduces deterioration due to distress caused by environmental factors. Adverse climatic and weather conditions cause binder oxidation and, subsequently, cracking and pothole formation. If you would like to use road spray sealing to protect and restore your commercial surfaces, consider using the below preparation tips for the best results.
Inspect the Surfaces
You should conduct an inspection of your commercial surfaces before commissioning the spray sealing project. This is essential because it will help you determine the best course of action for restoring and protecting your roadways or parking spaces. For instance, if you have old surfaces, it is possible that the structures might be significantly damaged. Potholes and wide cracks will compromise the results of the spray sealing work. Therefore, you will need to plan for repairs before proceeding for a beautiful and durable surface.
Choose Your Method
There are different approaches for spray sealing commercial roadways. The right method will depend on a range of factors such as the local climate, the structure of the specific road and general usage. For instance, the enrichment process is a simple approach which involves the spray application of bitumen with certain proprietary additives. The goal of the layer is to minimise oxidation of the pavement binders for longer service life.
The rejuvenation approach is similar to enrichment, but the spray applied contains binders as the primary ingredients. The role of the binder components is to rejuvenate the existing binder in the surface structure. The fresh spray will stop the continuous ageing of the old binder and increase surface viscosity and elasticity. Other methods used in spray sealing include polymer modified asphalt treatment and microsurfacing.
Plan for Your Traffic
It is essential to think about the traffic on your commercial property during the spray sealing period. If you would like your new seal to work at an optimal level, you must allow enough time for the fresh layer to cure. However, if you block the roads and seal off all your parking spaces, you will lose a lot of business. Therefore, when preparing for the project, have a plan that will leave your customers with a route for access and space for parking. You can conduct the spray work in different areas in multiple phases to limit the need for complete shutdown.
