Parking Lot Not Looking So Great? Know How To Repair It
Businesses that have their own parking lot will see a lot of wear over the years. Heavy traffic can cause problems with holes or cracks in the asphalt, which will not look great and will cause problems to those driving over it. Here are tips for repairing an asphalt parking lot, which will help it look great and be safe.
Assess Damage
Before you get started, it will help to look at the parking lot in order to determine how much of it needs to be repaired. You'll need to use a power washer on the parking lot's surface to remove the debris and get a good look at the surface. Now that it is clean, you can see all of the crevices and cracks that would have otherwise been covered. You can use chalk to mark areas that you'll need to fix.
Fill Holes and Cracks
Asphalt sealant works great for filling in those small cracks in the asphalt. Sealant is applied with a caulking gun, making it easy to use. Just squeeze the handle to release the sealant, applying it to damaged parts of the surface. Use your putty knife for smoothing the sealant, making it even with the surrounding surface.
For large holes, you'll need to chisel out the rough edges of the hole, fill the bottom with gravel, and apply an asphalt filler material to the top of the hole.
Fix or Replace Parking Bumpers
Even though the parking bumpers are just to help mark parking spots, letting damaged parking bumpers stay in the parking lot will look bad for your business. Assess these as well, and fill in cracks before they become much worse.
You can actually create new parking bumpers by purchasing a mold you fill with cement. Fill the mold halfway, place the steel rod inside, and pour the other half of the cement. Once it dries, it can be painted whatever color you want it to be.
Paint The Parking Lines
Don't forget to re-paint your parking lines. Taking the time to go over the old lines with a new coat of paint can really make the parking lot look well maintained. You should purchase or rent a line striping tool that will create perfectly straight lines, giving a professional look.
If you don't have the time to do all this yourself, contact a local paving contractor from a company like R Williams Paving LLC to handle the job for you.