If your parking lot has cracks and is faded, talk to a commercial paving contractor about the repairs it needs to restore its appearance. A parking lot should be kept in good repair so customers don't trip in holes or damage their cars. Plus, a lot that's in good shape and attractive looks like it's taken care of well, and that could give customers a favorable impression of you. Here are methods a commercial asphalt paving contractor might use to repair your parking lot.

Repair Damaged Areas

After inspecting your lot, the commercial asphalt paving contractor may determine all that's necessary is to repair minor cracks. This can be done with asphalt crack filler. It's important to repair cracks so they don't get bigger and so rain can't seep down inside of them. Once the cracks are filled in, the contractor might recommend applying a sealcoat on top of the parking lot. This is a black coating that will protect your lot from further damage and that will make your lot look dark black again.

Replace Parts That Can't Be Repaired

Some damage to your parking lot might be too severe to repair. This can happen in areas where there are large potholes or where the asphalt has crumbled or sunken. When a patch of the parking lot is in bad shape, it's often possible to cut out the damaged asphalt so the base can be repaired. The cause of this type of damage is often drainage issues that cause problems with the base. The contractor can improve drainage, repair the base, and then add new asphalt to the area to make it look good as new. Since the new asphalt will have a rich black color, the contractor may apply a sealcoat to make the rest of the lot look dark too, so the repairs blend in.

Resurface The Entire Lot

Resurfacing involves covering the entire lot in new asphalt. This makes your parking lot look brand new again at a much lower cost than putting in a new lot. Repairs may need to be done first, and the base should be in good shape with no drainage problems. The contractor can then mill down the surface of the lot so the addition of new asphalt won't make the lot too high.

Hot asphalt is then applied, spread, and compacted. Since your lot has new asphalt on it, even though it's a thin layer, your lot looks new. You'll need to have striping done too since the new asphalt makes the line stripes disappear. 

For more info about commercial asphalt paving, contact a local company.