If you want to use asphalt to repave an existing parking lot or to create a new one, then perpetual paving is an effective option. What is perpetual paving and what are its advantages?

What Is Perpetual Asphalt Paving?

Perpetual paving looks like regular asphalt from the surface. However, this paving is composed of individual layers of asphalt and other materials built in stages during the construction process.

Typically, you start with a hard substrate material such as a stone aggregate or subgrade. This layer creates a solid foundation for your parking lot. Once you've constructed the foundation layer, you then usually put down two layers of asphalt. These asphalts do specific jobs.

For example, you will usually use a mix that can withstand fatigue stress and damage on top of your substrate level. You then put down a layer of a high-strength mix that is more rut-resistant. This layer is typically more flexible than its underlying materials so that it can cope with natural expansion and contraction movements in the ground.

Then, you finish off the surface with a layer of high-quality hot mix asphalt. This layer can be permeable or impermeable depending on your ground conditions and preferences.

What Are The Advantages Of Using Perpetual Asphalt Paving?

While asphalt paving works well on parking lots, you will need to take care of the surface over the years. Constant driving and heavy weights can damage the asphalt. You might have to spend a lot of time and money on regular maintenance and repair jobs as the surface ages.

For example, regular asphalt might start to crack under the strain of vehicle weights. The surface might develop potholes and problems with movement.

If you use regular asphalt paving, then these problems typically get worse over time. For example, cracks can form on the top of your parking lot and then spread down through the rest of the surface. You might have to dig up more of the lot to make repairs if damage goes down beyond a surface level.

The multi-layered design of perpetual paving reduces these problems. The lower layers of your asphalt work independently off the top layer. They are designed to be strong and flexible enough to withstand cracking, rutting, and other types of damage caused by vehicular weight, stress and tension.

The high-quality mix that makes up your top layer is also strong and flexible. However, this layer is more likely to get damaged over time. The beauty of this paving structure is that this damage should stay on a surface level. You won't need to make deeper repairs as the underlying layers will stay undamaged.

So, you'll have easier repairs and less maintenance to do. Your parking lot will stay in better shape and be cheaper to maintain. To learn more, read more here or contact asphalt paving services.