How to Prepare Pavement for Sealcoating
If you have decided to sealcoat your asphalt driveway or other paved surface, then you have made an excellent decision. The sealcoating process will protect your asphalt from the damaging effects of unprotected exposure to the sun and weather conditions.
If you have ever seen a driveway or perhaps a parking lot that has been constructed of asphalt but is now grey and cracking then you are witnessing the aftereffects of a process called oxidation. This happens when the naturally occurring oils present in asphalt are not given sufficient protection to exposure to the sun and weather.
This protection can be provided via a technique called sealcoating and if you have decided to install this onto your driveway then you have made an excellent decision – one that can extend the life of your asphalt driveway or pavement by many years.
Whether you are doing the sealcoating yourself or have hired a company to come and perform the application, it is of the utmost importance that your driveway or pavement is prepared and ready to receive the sealcoating treatment.
Check out the before and after pictures below:
Before and after photo credit: Asphalt Paving & Sealing of Virginia Beach – company homepage.
Effective preparation will ensure that the sealcoating can effectively penetrate the asphalt surface and so provide many years of protection. Even if you have hired an external company it is well worth going through your own preparation routine.
Check out the video below for quick prep tips:
For one thing, this is your driveway or pavement; therefore you want the best possible result, right? Take the care and do the prep work and you will be rewarded with a superior finish. Secondly, the company will charge extra for any additional prep work the have to perform – therefore you can save yourself some bucks on the final bill by doing your own prep work.
First and foremost you need to monitor the weather, both on the day of application itself and also the forecast for the next few days. As sealcoat is a liquid application, it simply cannot be applied during rain – so if there is any chance off rain on application day it is better to call off the whole thing off.
Further to this, the coating needs to dry completely in order to provide maximum protection. You therefore need a forecast for several days of warm, sunny weather in order to get the maximum effect from your application.
Looking for more detailed info and have technical questions? We’ll be happy to answer those for you, but first, be sure to check out these faq’s about sealcoating from our partner Shane Small. He’s been in the industry for over 10 years and has some great insight.
Entertaining Tip: It should go without saying but we’ll spell it out anyway – ensure the driveway or pavement is clear of all obstructions such as cars, trailers, children’s toys or trampolines and swing sets.
If you are re-sealing an area around a commercial location such as a store, be sure to pre-alert your customers and any delivery drivers that they won’t be able to park on the treated area until it has dried completely. Depending on the weather, this can take as little as 24 hours but often somewhat longer. Walking, driving over, or parking on freshly sealed asphalt will affect the ability of the application to dry properly so make sure to keep the area clear!
If your driveway or pavement is adjacent to any sprinkler systems then make sure these are turned off and remain off until the sealcoating is completely dry.
Speaking off lawns, if your driveway or pavement borders a lawn, ensure it is well trimmed back from the driveway edge. You don’t want any overhanging leaves or grass blades obstructing the spray of sealcoat.
Follow these pretty straightforward tips and you will have a successful sealant application!
Are you located in Northern VA by chance? If so, then check out Shane’s recently opened branch in Northern Virginia.…
5 Advantages of Doing Cargo Business
Cargo business basically refers to the business freight forwarding services do when they deal with the transport of goods overseas and domestically, and to most operating businesses out there today these services bring innumerable benefits.
Simply put, no international business can operate smoothly if a major portion of the business includes the moving of raw and manufactured goods from place to place unless it has signed a contract with a cargo business. The advantages offered by these services are as follows.
Excellent Troubleshooting
Dealing through a cargo business will bring a lot of security to the goods you get transported. The seas can sometimes be calm for months and then suddenly turn up into a storm, and such cases can cause mass confusions if the ship belongs to a service which is not an expert in dealing with such emergencies.
Cargo businesses are very efficient with their contacts who are experts in rerouting tactics and have sailors equipped with everything they need to make sure that your goods are delayed at best and do not have a scratch laid upon them.
One Link Less
Dealing with an individual is always easier than dealing with a firm entirely, and with a cargo businessman on board alongside you, you will have the major advantage of getting your firm of preference changed. This also means that you will not be hunting about for a managing authority in the business to lay down your claims and issues because all of them will be handled by the business you are dealing with.
Conclusively, it means that you have one less link to worry about as long as you stay in contact with the business.
Cut Down Expenses
As a business yourself a major goal of your firm will be to work under optimum conditions and to cut down on as many monetary, time, and inconvenience costs as possible. Even though you might at first argue against the idea of using a cargo business to manage your goods, being able to outsource them means that:
- You will not have to manage a cargo dealing faction within your business:
- Cargo businesses have more contacts, making it possible that your shipment reaches in a faster and securer way.
Structured Work
A cargo business is an organization that is based on dealing with freight inward and outward, which means that any shipment business they are in contact with is bound to keep a sub-department which manages only their work.
This factor grants you additional security because in the case of any mishap or delay, you will not have to go around finding out who managed your freight and when was it released; the only contact you will need is of the cargo business.
Documented Work
Forwarding goods from one country to another is a process involving multiple clearance, quality, and safety checks, and these require a certain degree of documentation and insurance which you will not have to worry about if you work with a cargo business.
In the case of incomplete documentation or an unsuccessful export/import, you can get all the details and corrections made directly from the business.…