To ensure the longevity of your pavement year-round, it is important to perform consistent and routine maintenance. With that comes being able to identify the warning signs your pavement can have due to long-term wear and tear. Our team at UNIQUE Paving Materials is here to provide you with the proper steps to perform your summer pavement maintenance.
Learn more from our summer pavement maintenance checklist today!
Why It Is Important to Have a Summer Pavement Maintenance Checklist
The warmer weather months can be considered the perfect time for summer pavement maintenance. Since winter is now well behind us, it’s time to assess the overall health of your pavement and the steps you need to take to fix existing issues.
Here are just some of the things that you should include on your summer pavement maintenance checklist, and how the expansive UNIQUE Paving Materials product line can help!
1. Look for Cracks in Your Pavement
Cracks can occur in both concrete and asphalt through temperature changes and frequent moisture. It is important to fill the cracks in your pavement before they turn into bigger issues, such as alligator or fatigue cracking.
Here is a quick guide to filling cracks in your pavement with our KOLD-FLO® Pourable Crack Filler:
- By using a broom or leaf blower, thoroughly sweep out excess debris from the cracks you intend to fill
- Pour your crack filler approximately ¾ of the depth of the crack (you can pour crack filler straight from the bottle for the easiest application)
- Take a U- or V-shaped squeegee to your filled crack to squeeze excess material off the pavement surface and into the remaining ¼ of the crack. This will help eliminate waste and tracking, and will decrease the overall cure time
It is important to keep in mind that, with cracks that are deeper than two inches, a second application of your crack filler may be necessary. If that is the case, simply repeat the same steps listed above.
2. Identify Any Pooling Water
Pooling water on your asphalt or concrete can occur for a variety of reasons, some of which include:
- Clogged drainage systems underneath the pavement
- Repeated weight on the same spots
- Overhead roofing dumping rainwater onto reoccurring spots
- Improper sloping in the pavement
If pooling water is not properly identified and dealt with, it can lead to more serious issues, such as cracking and even potholes. To eliminate these problem areas at the source, we recommend cutting out areas of pavement that have been significantly affected by pooling water. From there, we recommend using UPM® Cold Mix to fill the existing hole.
This weatherproof, year-round pavement repair material can be used with no primer or tacking materials necessary. It can also be applied in emergencies if needed.
Need to apply this product right now? Here are the steps:
- Prepare the hole by removing any loose debris in or around the area
- Appy your UPM Cold Mix to fill the hole
- Compact the cold mix with either a hand tamper or plate compactor
Though UPM Cold Mix is recommended to fill holes left by pooling water in this example, this pavement repair material is cost-effective and versatile, making it the perfect product for numerous pavement repair projects.
3. Assess Damage Caused by Vehicles
Several problems form from frequent vehicles on your pavement, with the most notable including the following:
- Oil leakage – Cars that are sitting idle in the same spot can leak oil onto your pavement, ultimately damaging the pavement’s surface. In these cases, we recommend washing and scrubbing newer oil stains off your pavement. Then, with UNIQUE’s KWIK-LOK® Pavement Primer, apply the solution directly to existing stains. Once dry, proceed with sealing your pavement for long-lasting results.
- Potholes – Heavy vehicles sitting on the same spots on your pavement can cause potholes to form over time, which can be dangerous if not properly taken care of. UPM Cold Mix can be used in instances where potholes are present to solve this issue.
- Sinking near a garage – Sinking can occur from vehicles regularly being parked on the same areas of your driveway. In rare cases, it can also be caused by factors more out of our control, such as growing tree roots and poor soil compaction. In these cases, it may be important to address the underlying problems of your sinking driveway before attempting to repair it. This will ensure that the issue is less likely to reemerge after your fix.
Along with using pavement maintenance and preservation materials, we highly recommend frequently moving your vehicle as a part of your summer pavement maintenance. This will help alleviate excess pressure applied to your pavement.
4. Prevent Further Heat Damage
Repeated heat can soften and ultimately warp your asphalt. To fix this issue and protect from any further damage, our team recommends sealing your pavement every 2 to 3 years. This form of summer pavement maintenance helps prevent unwanted damage that can be caused by UV rays during the warmer weather months.
Since asphalt is more likely to succumb to the effects of heat damage, we recommend using our INTEGRA-SEAL® Rejuvenating Asphalt Sealer to properly coat your pavement. Here are the steps to do so:
- Use water and a stiff broom to wash your asphalt surface
- Rinse your pavement and let it dry completely
- Pretreat any existing oil spots if applicable
- Apply a generous amount of INTEGRA-SEAL sealer to your asphalt
- Broom and squeegee the excess material to spread the sealer evenly
Though sealing is a great way to preserve your asphalt, concrete is preferable in regions that experience warmer weather year-round.
5. Spot Discoloration
Pavement that is older can eventually turn a whitish color. Depending on the lifespan of your pavement and the existing issues it may have, such as the presence of cracks, potholes, and oil damage, we may recommend completely repaving your asphalt or concrete surface.
Another alternative is going through the steps of sealing your pavement or performing a spot treatment depending on what areas of your pavement are turning that whitish color. These steps can be found in the instructions listed above.
Your Summer Pavement Maintenance Solutions
If you are looking for effective and long-lasting solutions to perform some of the projects from our summer pavement maintenance checklist, the team at UNIQUE Paving Materials is here to help you.
Besides the products that are highlighted throughout this post, some of our other most notable pavement preservation materials that we recommend include the following:
- MICROMIX® mini cold mix
- UNIQUE® Asphalt Resurfacer
- High-performance fast-set mortar
- UNIQUE FLEXICRETE® XP polymer-modified mortar
- RAVEL SEAL® Gilsonite emulsion
On top of our expansive product line, all of our products are tested in our industry-leading lab to ensure that they meet our stringent quality standards. Our team is also here to accommodate any questions that you may have about our products for your summer pavement maintenance needs.
Contact UNIQUE Paving Materials for Your Summer Pavement Maintenance Needs
Our team is here to assist you with all of your summer pavement maintenance checklist needs.
Ready to get started? Please reach out to our team today with any questions you may have. We look forward to assisting you.
