Walking down you street, you have probably noticed a lot of cracks on the asphalt. They may be there many years. They just seem to get worse over time. Weather doesn’t help at all. Not to mention if some heavy vehicles go through it on a daily basis. However, if you want to redo it, you can’t start at the top. The problem is at the base. Probably, it’s not good enough. so, in order to fix it, you will have to start at the very beginning.
What is asphalt paving?
It’s a long process where you mix up some materials. The mixture is called hot mix. It has stone and sand inside. You have probably noticed how it looks. It has a strong black color at first. But after it cools down it’s got a grayish tone. You have to remember not to step on the pavement while it is still hot. People who work on this process have to be really fast. They’ve got to set it before it cools. If you’re interested you should check out this linkhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/asphalt-concrete.
However, you should mix this thing with a crack sealant. That’s a whole another thing. You don’t have to be concerned about the details. Putting the hot mix on a road won’t do you any good. It may hold a while. In the end, you will have to repair it from scratch. You are putting off inevitable work. You can repair your driveway. But you shouldn’t try to do the whole process from scratch. You should contact a professional.
What is the best time to install one?
You can’t just decide one morning and do it. This involves a lot of planning ahead. You can’t do it alone. You will have to find a group of people to help you out. But, you shouldn’t do it. You could do some mistakes. You will surely get stressed out. So, spare yourself the trouble and anxiety. Find a company that is good at this. Let them handle it. You will have time to focus on other things.
Also, you have to plan when to do this. The process relies on warm temperatures. So, you should contact Delaware asphalt paving on warmer days. Don’t do this in winter. The hot mix will cool down so much faster. The workers will have to rush. There won’t be enough time for them to even the pavement. So, your asphalt will be bumpy. They won’t be able to finish the job at all.
The base
There are several options for asphalt paving bases. Some households have undamaged driveways. You could just put the hot mix on it. That way you will protect it. But you have to keep in mind the height. Think if this will affect your doors, fences and other stuff. Some people like to do this process on soil. They remove their driveways and start anew.
In those cases, usually up to 6 inches of hot mix are used. The third option is to put it on an aggregate base. This is highly recommended. So, if you want to do it right, do this. First, 8 inches of aggregate are laid. The hot mix comes on top. If you aren’t sure about this whole thing, find someone who has experience. If you still want to go through this procedure by yourself, go online. You can learn how to do this by clicking here.
How to install the asphalt?
Once you finish the base preparation, you may that that it’s done. However, don’t be fooled. You will have to wait a bit more. It’s got to be hard. Sometimes it can take for a few days until you can drive on it. Construction workers wait 2 to 3 days. But, it can take about a month for the asphalt to cure completely.
You will be able to drive normally of course. Try avoiding heavy loads. Also, don’t go scuffing the driveway. Try not to turn too sharply. Try not to damage it. You surely want the driveway to last you longer now. You’ve put in some extra time and work to do it right. It’ll pay off definitely. You have to have patience.
