A Look At Having Your Commercial Driveway Resurfaced

The driveway to your commercial property should be in good repair at all times and kept as attractive as possible. Asphalt deteriorates and fades due to sun exposure, so your driveway may not look as good as new, but it should at least be in good structural shape. If you keep up with repairs, a commercial driveway can last a long time. Eventually, the asphalt will need to be replaced.

Resurfacing is a step between replacement and filling cracks and holes. Resurfacing is more than just repairing damage, it stops short of getting a new driveway. Here's how a commercial driveway paving company may go about resurfacing your driveway. 

The Contractor Checks For Drainage Problems First

If your driveway failed because of poor drainage, the drainage problem has to be fixed first or your new paving job may not last as long as it should. Any problem at all with the base has to be repaired before your driveway can be resurfaced.

If you're lucky, the base won't need repairs. When that's the case, the old asphalt can be paved over and save the bother and expense of tearing it out.

The Old Asphalt Is Milled

A small amount of the top asphalt has to be milled down before new asphalt is applied. Resurfacing means new asphalt is added to the old, but if it is added without milling, the driveway may be too high and no longer match up with curbs. Resurfacing grinds up the top of the asphalt so the new asphalt bonds better too.

Before resurfacing is done, the driveway paving contractor has to decide if they'll do the entire driveway at once or one side at a time. This depends on whether the driveway is the only way to access your property. The contractor wants to leave a side open if it's needed so customers and employees can come and go.

A New Layer Of Asphalt Is Added

When the driveway is ready, the new asphalt is put down with a paving machine. The layer isn't too thick, but it's the same thickness as the layer that was milled away. After the new layer of asphalt is added, it's compacted with a rolling machine. Traffic needs to stay off of the new asphalt until the asphalt has cured, which could take a day or so, but your contractor will let you know for sure.

Resurfacing your driveway can extend the life of the asphalt for several more years. That allows you to postpone the expense and disruption of a driveway replacement.

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