Frequently Asked Questions

Paving, Grading, Milling, Excavating, Crack Joint Sealing, Asphalt Seal Coating, Striping and Trucking.

Also known as blacktop – known in our industry as asphalt pavement or hot mix pavement. Asphalt is an engineered mixture of aggregates. There are two basic ingredients in hot mix asphalt. The first is the aggregates (crushed stone, gravel and sand) and the second is asphalt cement (AC) – the black liquid that holds the pavement together. Mix the two ingredients and you get Hot Mix Asphalt.

A milling machine is typically used to remove the surface material of existing pavement and a power broom is used to clean the loose debris on an overlay project. Distributor tanks are used to apply prime coats and/or tack coats. Dump trucks are used to transport hot mix asphalt material from the plant to the paving site and a paver is needed to pave a smooth mat. Then asphalt compactors are used to densify the material.

Prime coat is an application of a low viscosity asphalt to a stone base course in preparation to asphalt pavement.
The prime coat is used to harden the base course and to provide adhesion between the base course and the asphalt pavement.

A tack coat is used on an overlay project, it is used to form a bond between an existing surface and the overlying course.

An overlay is the resurfacing of existing pavement. Existing asphalt or concrete pavements can be overlaid with hot mix asphalt with excellent results. Before paving, existing pavement should be checked for any repairs needed, cleaned of all loose debris and tacked for successful adhesion.

Asphalt thickness is engineered. Asphalt is generally 2″ thick, however it can be as thick as 4″+ depending on what kind of stresses you will put on the pavement. Pavement that is 3″ or thicker should be installed in multiple lifts.

There have been numerous studies which have shown that asphalt pavements have a lower life cycle cost. The initial cost of asphalt pavement construction is usually less than concrete. But, in addition to construction cost, an increasingly important factor is construction time. More area can be covered with asphalt pavement than with concrete in a period of time. Also, asphalt repairs are less expensive.

Asphalt is more cost effective than concrete, also less expensive to repair. It does not need to be removed, it can easily be resurfaced. Asphalt is designed to flex with slight settlements.

All pavements require maintenance. Preventive maintenance is the less expensive, early detection and repair of minor defects, before major corrective action is neccessary. A parking lot is an investment, as is a building, just as a building must be maintained so must a parking lot.

Asphalt is a porous material, susceptible to oxidation from the sun and damage from chemicals such as gasoline, diesel fuel, oil and antifreeze. Asphalt pavement will also ravel away after time. Seal coating not only makes your pavement look new, it protects it from oxidation and petroleum spills. Seal coating extends the life and protects your investment in your new pavement.