When you have a commercial building you need a successful parking lot and other paved areas around your business for customers, employees, and vendors to have safe access to your business. When it comes time to install the parking lot and driveway areas, be sure to hire a professional asphalt team and follow these recommendations for its preparation and installation. Here are some important considerations to help improve the condition and lasting durability of your newly paved parking lot.
Prepare With a Strong Base
A good pavement, whether it is for a residential or a business parking lot, is going to be supported with a base of compacted gravel. This layer protects the top layer of asphalt from cracking or heaving because the gravel allows for any moisture to drain adequately from the foundation. As a result, you don't have to worry about the erosion of the soil and sunken spots in your pavement layer, and also prevents the collection of moisture that freezes in the winter and causes heaving to the pavement and cracking as a result.
Work With the Edges
The edges of your parking lot are an important element along with a strong base. Be sure you finish the edges of the pavement, whether they taper off onto unfinished landscaping or border against a finished landscaping area or a concrete walkway. For your unfinished areas, be sure the asphalt is angled at a slope and the foundation gravel extends several inches past the slope's end. Otherwise, support the edges of the asphalt with a concrete curb or similar block edging. Edge curbing should be installed prior to the asphalt's installation so the edges can be finished appropriately.
Protect From Construction Damage
If you are installing your new parking area around a new construction commercial building and there are a number of construction vehicles and equipment in the area, it is best to wait until all the construction is completed before you install the new asphalt paved surface. This will help you prevent damage to the finished surface of the asphalt parking area and keeps it protected for customer, employee, and vendor use and safety.
Often your construction crew will eventually need a paved area in which to work, such as during heavy seasons of precipitation, and a construction-grade surface is a good option. This temporary pre-pavement can be made of larger aggregate within the asphalt, which provides a heavy-duty surface that will not become damaged from the heavy equipment. This type of pavement can be paved over with a finer mixed layer of aggregate for your business parking lot when construction ends.
If you have further questions about parking lot paving, contact a local contractor.