Commercial Property Parking Lots

Asphalt is one of the most durable materials for a parking lot, though the weather can still wreak havoc on it. Pavement in areas that experience weather both hot and cold, wet and dry, can be affected in a multitude of ways. The following are just a few examples.

Hot Weather

Heat isn’t typically the biggest problem for asphalt, but it can cause a few issues. One problem is the sun’s rays. They will begin to fade that dark black into a lighter, more unsightly gray color. The surface of the asphalt becomes soft when the temperature is particularly high, causing it to crack.

Cold Weather

Cold weather could be the biggest culprit of weather damage on asphalt. When the ground freezes and thaws, your pavement will begin to crack due to the opposite types of pressure put on it. Snowplows, ice melt, and other snow removal processes are harsh on the pavement as well.

Wet Weather

As you can imagine, when water seeps down into the cracks that are already on the pavement, the base begins to weaken. When the structural integrity of your pavement is compromised, the entire driveway or parking lot can begin to crack, sink, and experience other types of damage. When water and cold weather are paired together, the freeze-thaw cycle is worsened, which also worsens damage.

Dry Weather

The dry weather itself doesn’t actually do much to the pavement. However, when the dry is mixed with an extremely hot day, it could buckle and crumble more harshly than you might expect.

What You Can Do

Maintenance is key in keeping your pavement high-functioning and in good shape. Be sure to fill cracks as they appear and have the pavement sealcoated every few years. Use trusted professionals to plow the snow from your pavement, reducing the risk of unnecessary damage. Make sure your lot has a proper drainage route and repair any problem areas as they occur.

Calling Someone Who Can Help

Whether your commercial pavement is severely damaged or fairly new, keeping up on maintenance and repairs is essential. Contact NVM Paving & Concrete by calling 703-423-0471 or emailing us today to learn more.

When working on a commercial parking lot, your goal might be to fit as many parking spaces as possible within the given area. While this is a good part of your plan, there are other things you should also consider. When designing your parking lot layout, be sure to pay attention to the following points.

Make It Flow

Have you ever been in a parking lot in which there wasn’t enough space for two cars to drive past each other in opposite directions? Have you ever gotten stuck at the end of a parking row because it turned into a dead-end? You have to think about the flow of traffic when designing the layout of your parking lot. If drivers can’t get easily in and out of the lot, they may take business elsewhere.

Keep the Markings Clear

The stripes that indicate where drivers can park should be bright, clear, and fresh. If someone can’t see the spaces, he or she could take up more than one space, leaving nowhere for other drivers to park. If your emergency lanes and handicap-accessible stalls aren’t clearly marked, it could pose a problem for those who need easy access to your building. This could be both dangerous and inconvenient.

Make Your Parking Spaces Spacious

It’s understandable you want your lot to fit as many cars as possible, but if the stalls are too small, it’s possible drivers will pass them up and go somewhere else. With stalls that force cars to be parked too close together, drivers and passengers end up hitting the other cars with their doors, scratching other vehicles when they’re trying to squeeze in, and can be involved in other unfortunate incidents.

Meet ADA Regulations

Be sure you know what the ADA regulations are for the area in which you have your property. You’ll need a certain number of stalls, they’ll need to be a certain size, they should be clearly marked with proper signage, and they should also be a certain distance from the building. If you aren’t compliant with those regulations, you could face legal consequences.

Help With Your Parking Lot Layout

To learn more about designing a great layout for business, contact the professionals at NVM Paving & Concrete by calling 703-423-0471 or sending us an email. We are standing by to help you with your parking lot layout today.

It seems cracked pavement and winter just go together, though it’s unfortunate for property owners. If your pavement has seen its share of cracks during the winter, you may be wondering why. Understanding why the winter weather can negatively impact your asphalt is key in preventing further problems.

Cracks Should Be Filled Routinely

A crack that remains for a long period of time will turn into a bigger, deeper crack. It could also fill with water, which could freeze and thaw multiple times, causing the base and the surface even more damage. Crack filling should be part of your regular asphalt maintenance service. If you have a crack, it should be filled right away. While winter does pose certain problems for getting it done, there are typically some dry enough days that you can have a temporary fill in place until the weather becomes good enough for a more permanent solution.

Freezing and Thawing Are Typically Why Cracks Happen

Cracked pavement in the winter doesn’t mean you aren’t doing your part to care for your property. Even new asphalt can crack in the winter because of how harsh the changing temperatures can be on it. The freeze and thaw cycle is something that causes a majority of winter cracks. When just a small break in the asphalt collects water, the changing temperatures cause it to freeze and thaw, pushing against the asphalt and breaking it up.

Snow Removal Could Damage Your Asphalt

Keep in mind the way you handle snow removal could also play a role in having cracked pavement. Ice melts are a great tool in getting rid of slippery areas that could cause injury. However, they create that thaw that allows water into small breaks in the asphalt, which begins the freeze-thaw cycle. Snowplows that scrape the pavement could also break up small portions of it, which can lead to bigger cracks. On the other hand, if the snow doesn’t get plowed, the pressure of the snow could push the pavement out of shape.

Dealing With Your Winter Pavement Issues

As a property owner, you have a responsibility to care for your pavement, no matter what time of year it is. To get help with your winter pavement issues, contact NVM Paving & Concrete. Call 703-423-0471 or email us today to learn more!

Creating a pavement maintenance plan is only the first step in keeping your parking lot in good condition. You’ve got your plan in place, so now what should you do? If you don’t keep up with the steps involved in your plan, it may not be effective at all. The following are three ways to keep your pavement maintenance plan running smoothly.

1. Know the Plan

Perhaps you’ve worked on the plan with a professional pavement installer. It won’t do you any good to simply hand it over to the professionals without knowledge of it yourself. Read over the plan on a regular basis in the beginning so you know exactly what steps and action items are involved in it. Have your tenants and employees read it and understand it as well so when something arises, it gets taken care of in a timely manner.

2. Regularly Inspect the Property

If you don’t know what the maintenance needs are, they could get overlooked. Take some time each week to walk around your property, looking over any areas where you’ve had pavement installed. You’re looking for cracking, crumbling, pooling water, sinking pavement, and anything else that doesn’t look quite right.

3. Stay in Touch with the Professionals

Some maintenance plans include pre-scheduled maintenance visits, while others include suggestions for what you should schedule and when. Stay in touch with your professional pavers so you can ensure all repairs and installations are done when they need to get done. If you notice something that should be taken care of at a different time than was scheduled, get in touch with the contractor to have him or her handle the situation.

Getting Started

If you don’t have a pavement maintenance plan in place yet, now is a good time to get started. Contact NVM Paving & Concrete to schedule a free estimate with a professional. Call 703-423-0471 or email us today to learn more!

When you walk out of the office after it has been raining, there shouldn’t be any puddles in your parking lot. If the rain has subsided, it’s going to be understandably wet, but if you take a step and water splashes up, there could be a problem with your asphalt. When asphalt is damaged or improperly constructed water starts to pool, and the likelihood of further damage is increased. The following are three ways to prevent asphalt parking lot puddles.

1. Proper Drainage

When your asphalt contractor installs your parking lot to begin with, proper drainage should be a part of the installation. This is the best way to ensure your asphalt will not become damaged due to water pooling. Asphalt contractors have the training and experience necessary to place drains where they should be placed in order to maximize their effect on the design of the entire lot.

2. Sloped Surfaces

Your asphalt contractor should know this already, but it could be a good idea to discuss the slope of the surface with him or her. The lot itself should have a slope of 1.5-3%, and the shoulders should have a slope of 3-6%. The nice thing about having this slope is the water won’t pool, but it’s so subtle, it won’t be noticeable to anyone who might otherwise find a slope concerning.

3. Careful Parking

Consider who and what you allow to park on your asphalt. Parking lot designs take into consideration how much weight will be placed on the asphalt. Your parking lot has a specified range of weight that it supports. It’s one thing for heavy traffic to drive across the asphalt once in a while, but it’s an entirely different circumstance to have heavy machinery and other heavy vehicles park there on a regular basis. Over time, the asphalt will begin to sink, forming potholes where water will pool.

Have a Professional Help You Out

Ensuring your commercial parking lot is in good shape at all times includes proper design and installation. Be sure your design includes proper drainage and sloped surfaces, and be careful what vehicles you allow to park in your lot. Contact NVM Paving & Concrete by calling 703-423-0471 or emailing us to learn more about asphalt maintenance.