Asphalt Crack Sealer Services San Diego

Preventative Maintenance Saves You Money

It is imperative to emphasize this! You must seal cracks in your parking lot as soon as they emerge. Consider how your teeth feel like your parking lot. You should get a tiny cavity filled as soon as you notice it developing. If not, you may need to have a costly root canal or worse.

The same is true with asphalt: fissures require larger, more expensive repairs. The good news is that crack sealing is a year-round, reasonably priced repair. It functions by simply preventing water from getting between your asphalt and the soil it is placed on.

By stopping further water erosion that seeps into the asphalt, you can successfully extend the life of the pavement by sealing fractures at an early stage. Additionally, crack sealing can lessen the possibility of trip risks and other liability problems. Finally, crack sealing buys owners and property managers some time before more expensive repairs become necessary.

Understanding the Causes of Cracks

Although there are many possible causes for asphalt cracking, water and sunlight are the most likely culprits. The ultra violet rays of the sun constantly bombard your pavement, drying it up and making it more fragile. Water from precipitation or irrigation runoff enters those recently created fissures and begins the process of erosion that eventually results in the pothole. There are numerous additional sources of cracks. Earth movement, high traffic volumes, or shoddy building maintenance and design. Block cracks, fatigue cracks, and reflecting cracks are the three primary types of cracks that are seen in parking lots.

Hot Vs. Cold Pour Crack Repair

Products for fixing cracks are not all created equal. Many people believe that hot pour crack sealants are better than cold pour sealants. That’s what we at Superior Asphalt think, too, based on our own experiences.

The 3/4″ (three quarters of an inch) cracks that are commonly observed in parking lots are intended to accommodate hot pour materials. While larger cracks up to 1″ can still be sealed using this technique to save future repairs that will be more costly, the products are usually not made to withstand these kinds of larger voids and cracks. In those situations, we would advise repairing the asphalt.

Check out this 2006 report from the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Transportation Research for more details on why we use hot pour sealants. We do provide cold pour sealants for smaller jobs, but clients should be aware of their limitations. We also only suggest cold pour sealants for really minor jobs where hot pour crack repairs would be too expensive.

Our Crack Sealing Application Process

Superior Asphalt’s crack sealing process mirrors the one used by many local municipal, state, and government repair agencies, such as Cal Trans. The crack sealing process used on highways, freeways, roadways, and parking lots is the same process we apply to your parking lot. This process has been rigorously tested and proven reliable even in the most demanding conditions.

Hot-pour sealants are the ideal choice for driveways with many cracks and high-traffic roadways and commercial parking lots. Once sealed, these areas can be reopened to traffic as soon as the material cools, typically within 15 to 20 minutes, depending on outside temperatures. While we recommend 48 hours of drying time for optimal results, we understand that this may not always be feasible for a parking lot in Southern California.

Crack Fill

The smallest problems can lead to significant damage. For your asphalt, even tiny cracks can cause major issues over time. As your pavement materials age and weaken, small cracks naturally expand. The problem arises when these tiny cracks allow water to penetrate the asphalt and reach the subgrade. The more water infiltrates your pavement, the more surface failures you’ll experience. Over time, these cracks can enlarge, the pavement may buckle, and other problems can emerge.

Even small cracks should not be ignored, as they can lead to aesthetic and structural issues. When you observe cracks, addressing them promptly is essential. Superior Asphalt uses top-quality materials for crack filling and follows a thorough process to ensure a strong bond and long-lasting results.

We begin by thoroughly cleaning and preparing the damaged area to ensure proper adhesion. This preparation also ensures that debris is removed from the cracks, allowing the filler to penetrate every opening.

After preparing the area, we heat the high-quality crack filler to over 350 degrees and apply it to the pavement using a banding machine and squeegee apparatus. This process, along with our choice of materials, ensures a durable pavement repair and strong protection. Our commitment to high-quality workmanship results in a long-lasting repair that safeguards your pavement for years and saves you money.

We deliver high quality crack fill products to protect your asphalt from weather exposure.