Four Ways to Protect your Asphalt from Summertime UV Damage!

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Four Ways to Protect your Asphalt from Summertime UV Damage

There are many ways to seal the asphalt in a driveway or parking area that will protect it from intense UV rays that can cause crack lines. You do not want the surface to crack. This can allow water to seep in under the asphalt and lead to more surface fractures. A good sealer will protect against cracking that can require a new surface.
To begin with, the surface of the asphalt must always stay clean. Rocks, pebbles, and dirt should be removed. The surface can be pressure washed to clean up the residue along with oil and fuel drips. The surface must be cleaned before sealing.

Basic seal coats
A basic sealing coat should be applied to the asphalt area once every year due to the intense heat coming from the summer time.

Slurry sealers
This is a heavier seal coating that contains more aggregate. It will keep bumpy areas smoother while sealing any cracks or fine lines that may have developed with continued use. This sealer is good for traffic areas that get big trucks that can ultimately cause fissures. A slurry seal requires 24 hours to completely dry and cure.

Microsurfacing
This sealer sets up quickly. It contains more polymer and aggregate along with more asphalt residue in a slurry mix. It can last longer than a plain slurry sealer. The cold mix expansion product contains fast setting chemicals and the best aggregate compound.
Microsurfacing was developed in Germany to resurface the Autobahn that was continually torn up with wheel ruts from high-speed traffic. This product is more expensive than other slurry sealers but it may be the better value based on your traffic patterns.

Tire rubber modified surface sealer
This is known as TRMSS, a rubberized sealer. The sealer replaces oils that have been dried out in the asphalt along with aggregate needed to cover the surface. This is a more intense sealing procedure used for surface streets, airport runways and other areas with aggressively heavy traffic.
The type of sealer you decide to use will depend on the size of the area and the amount of traffic. Surface streets, highways, and parking areas receive the most wear and tear from vehicles. If a large parking lot is exposed to a lot of suns, it may experience wear.