Concrete & Asphalt Paving Austin, Tx

When planning your paving project, one of the choices you have to make is which material to use. Basically, you have two choices: asphalt and concrete. When choosing between asphalt and concrete, there are a few things to consider. In this post, we’ll show you the pros and cons of both asphalt and concrete so that you can make the best choice for your pavement project.

Asphalt

Asphalt is a mixture of crushed stones, sand, and a petroleum-based liquid asphalt. When combined and heated, it’s poured over a subgrade surface. After it cools and hardens, you have a paved surface.

Pros
The pros of asphalt are:

• It’s cheaper than concrete
• You’ll have a useable surface in about 24 hours.
• Asphalt is easier to repair
• Asphalt works great in colder climates
• Hides stains well

Cons

• Doesn’t last as long as concrete
• Needs more frequent maintenance
• May soften in hot climates

Concrete

Concrete is made of gravel mixed with water and cement. Steel bars are added for added strength. Concrete then dries slowly.

Pros

• Lasts longer than asphalt
• Less maintenance
• More attractive
• Aesthetics- you can stain or tint concrete

Cons

• Takes longer to install
• More expensive
• Stains show up more easily
• Performs poorly in cold weather

Things to Consider

As you can see, there are many things to consider when choosing between asphalt and concrete. Which pavement you choose, depends upon your needs, environment, and budget constraints. Plus, making the right choice can save you in the long run. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your pavement needs.

For example, you need to consider:

• Cost
• Climate
• Maintenance and Repair needs
• Aesthetic and Design
• Ease of Installation

Conclusion

To make your choice, figure out your needs and your budget. Then, make your choice. Fortunately, you don’t have to make the decision alone. There is help available. If you need more information, a pavement contractor can provide you with more information, so that you can make the right pavement choice. Contact Contractors Asphalt today to find out more information about paving with either asphalt or concrete. We’re here to help you with your Austin pavement needs.

If you’re a business owner or manager, finding the right contractor to do business with is absolutely vital in getting your project done professionally, on time, and within budget. This is especially important when that project involves a large investment – such as pavement, for example. In this article, we provide some helpful tips on how to choose the best paving contractor for your business.

• Make sure to choose a local contractor. This is particularly important for paving projects. The local climate and weather conditions play an important role in how and when asphalt or concrete is installed and maintained. Only a local paving professional will be familiar enough with your climate to make these types of judgment calls.
• Look for a contractor who provides free consultations and estimates, as well as quotes that are complete and thorough with regard to the time and cost of the project. Any reputable paving professional will be glad to visit the site and discuss the details of the project with you before returning to their office to prepare your estimate.
• Ask the contractor what kind of materials they plan to use, as well as recommendations on what kind of pavement would be best for your project. You may have your own ideas about whether to use asphalt or concrete, for example, but an experienced contractor can provide you with a full list of pros and cons to help you make the best decision possible.
• Pay attention to the options presented by the contractor. You may think that you need to have an entirely new paved surface installed, but a reputable contractor will present other options if they believe that those choices may benefit you. For example, your cracked and faded parking lot asphalt may simply need to be repaired and sealcoated rather than removed entirely and replaced with new pavement. A contractor you can trust is one that will tell you that rather than encouraging you to go with the more expensive replacement option.
• Ask for examples of other projects they’ve completed. Nothing demonstrates the quality of work that a contractor provides better than actually seeing their finished projects.
• Don’t be tempted to go with the lowest quote. As a business owner, you already know that the old axiom “You get what you pay for” is absolutely true! Instead, gather quotes from a variety of contractors and make your final decision based not only on the quote, but on your assessment of the company using the tips listed above.

The first step in any paving project is to find the best contractor for the job. Start today by contacting a reputable, local paving company and scheduling an appointment.

If you own or manage your own business, you’re probably like most other company owners and enjoy saving money wherever possible. So when it comes to maintaining your place of business, it might be tempting to choose the do-it-yourself approach rather than hiring a professional. And in some circumstances, that might work well. But when it comes to paving projects, doing it yourself can actually end up costing you more money in the long run. What follows are some reasons why it’s always best to hire professional paving contractors.

• Professionals will get the job done right the first time. Installing and maintaining asphalt and concrete surfaces may not be rocket science, but it’s not nearly as simple as some people think. When it comes to installing a new paved surface, preparing the ground surface underneath the pavement is crucial, and most people don’t have the time or equipment to do it right. If done improperly, the integrity of the pavement will be compromised and the surface last a fraction of the time that it would had it been installed correctly to begin with. The same holds true for repairing and maintaining an existing surface – if you don’t have experience, you can inadvertently cause even more damage by attempting to do it yourself.
• Paving projects are time-consuming. Even for trained paving contractors, the tasks involved with installing, repairing, and maintaining a paved surface take time. But when you do it yourself, it takes even longer! You may think you’re saving money by taking the DIY route, but consider how much your own time is worth before trying to do it yourself.
• You might be putting your business at risk. Most business owners understand that liability extends past the doors of your business and onto the walkways and parking areas that surround it on the outside. A poorly installed and/or poorly repaired or maintained parking lot and sidewalk can be dangerous for visitors. And if someone is injured, you could be held liable. Fortunately, you can avoid this risk altogether by simply hiring a professional to ensure that your paved areas are as safe as possible.
• Make sure your pavement lasts for many years to come. Whether it’s a few parking spaces, a sidewalk or pathway around your business, or a large-scale parking lot, paving projects are a real investment. In order to make sure that your paved surfaces last for many years to come – and that you don’t have to do it all over again in two or three years – just hire a professional to begin with.

To find out more about the benefits of hiring a professional paving contractor, contact a local paving company today and schedule an appointment.

If you’re consistently seeing puddles form in certain areas of your parking lot, you should contact your asphalt paving contractor for an assessment. Puddles may be a sign of a variety of issues, each of which needs to be addressed by a contractor. What follows are some of the reasons why those puddles may be forming.

• Heavy use – If your parking lot is used day in and day out, the puddles you’re seeing could be an indication of that heavy vehicular traffic. Although asphalt is an incredibly strong and durable material, it can eventually start to break down under heavy use. Over time, this can cause depressions in the surface, and those depressions can collect water and form puddles.
• Rutting – The term “rutting” refers to indentations that occur in asphalt as it ages. There are two types: 1) rutting that occurs as a result of inadequate compaction when the surface was installed, and 2) rutting that occurs when the surface starts to collapse as a result of heavy traffic over an extended period of time. When water collects in ruts, puddles form.
• Raveling – If your asphalt surface wasn’t properly installed, you might be seeing puddles forming as a result of raveling. This occurs when the bonding agent in the asphalt mix begins to break down. If your puddles are forming because of raveling, you’ll also see loose gravel on the surface.
• Poor drainage – If you don’t have an adequate drainage system in your parking lot, puddles can form when rainwater and/or irrigation water collects in certain areas on the surface. Installing an effective drainage system should be part of any quality parking lot installation.

If you see puddles in your parking lot, pay attention! Puddles that form after a heavy rain or as a result of melting snow may not be anything to worry about. But if you see puddles that form in certain areas of your pavement on a regular basis, it’s usually an indication that your asphalt is damaged in some way. Water can quickly cause significant damage to your asphalt pavement. This is especially true when depressions, cracks and/or potholes are present, allowing the water to seep below the surface and damage the sublayers of your pavement. Fortunately, there are ways to resolve these issues. The first step is to contact a local, reputable paving contractor and schedule an appointment. They can make recommendations on how to repair any damage that exists, and how to prevent puddles from forming in the future.

This time of year, most of us are preparing our homes, businesses, and vehicles for the colder months ahead. Tasks like turning off irrigation systems and making sure our cars have fresh antifreeze are often at the top of our fall to-do lists. But as you make these preparations, don’t forget your asphalt surfaces! As it turns out, there are steps you should take to make sure that your pavement is prepared for the colder temperatures as well. What follows are some steps to protect your asphalt from the harsh winter weather that’s just around the corner.

• Clean the surface: Ideally, you should be keeping your asphalt surface clean throughout the year. That’s just part of regular maintenance. But that’s especially important during the fall months, when leaves and other plant debris can quickly accumulate on the surface. If you only have a small amount of pavement to maintain, you can clean it yourself with a blower or a broom. But if you’re responsible for maintaining a parking lot, roadway, or some other large paved surface, you should consider having it professionally cleaned. This will make it easier for your paving contractor to identify any repairs that need to be made. And speaking of repairs…
• Make repairs: Now is the time to repair any damage that has occurred to your asphalt surface. Potholes are one obvious problem, but there is other damage that might not be so apparent. Small cracks should be repaired as well. It’s important to have these repairs made before the colder weather sets in for two reasons: 1) fall usually brings weather that is conducive to repairing pavement, so your asphalt contractor will have an easier time of it before the colder/wetter winter months, and 2) the moisture that comes with the winter season can easily seep into your pavement – even through tiny cracks in the surface – and can create much more damage in a short period of time.
• Ask your paving contractor about sealcoating: The fall is often an excellent time to sealcoat asphalt. This provides good protection from the moisture and temperature extremes that occur throughout the winter months. And, as is the case with asphalt repairs, it’s much easier to sealcoat a surface during the fall than it is during the winter.

If you’re working on your fall to-do list, don’t forget your paved surfaces! The best way to start preparing your asphalt surface for the colder months ahead is by contacting a local, reputable paving contractor and scheduling an appointment.

There’s no doubt about it – sealcoating pavement is one of the most important things you can do to protect and maintain your paved surface. And while the frequency of sealcoating will depend on other factors – such as the age of the pavement and how much heavy traffic it supports on a regular basis – most paving contractors would agree that fall is a great time of year to apply sealcoat.

Here are some of the reasons why that’s true:

• Sealcoat helps to repair the damage done over the summer. The harsh rays of the sun, combined with the heat and dryness of the summer months, can really wreak havoc on paved surfaces. So after the summer comes to an end, at the start of the fall season, is an excellent time to apply sealcoat to help repair the damage done during the hotter months.
• Sealcoat protects pavement from the weather conditions that occur in fall and winter. Just as the summer heat and UV rays can damage your paved surface, so too can the wetter and colder weather conditions coming in the months ahead. As strong and durable as pavement is, it’s inevitable that tiny cracks form in the surface. Often those cracks are barely visible, but they’re still big enough to allow water to seep in. Once that happens, the moisture expands and contracts when the temperatures change during the fall and winter months, and that can result in damage to the sublayers of the pavement. Sealcoating fills in those tiny cracks and prevents water from seeping into the surface.
• Weather conditions during the fall and spring are the best times to apply sealcoat. Ideally, sealcoat should be applied when temperatures are above 50 degrees and when no rain is expected for the next 24 hours or so. That means that from a paving contractor’s point of view, fall is a great time of year to apply sealcoat since the weather conditions are usually more favorable than at other times of the year.
• Sealcoating saves you money. Okay, we admit that this isn’t directly related to the fall months. But most of us would agree that any time of year is a good time to save money! Sealcoat is a relatively inexpensive way to extend the life of your paved surface. And, ultimately, having sealcoat applied will save you money in the long run since you won’t have to pay for more expensive repairs down the road.

To find out more about the benefits of sealcoating, contact a local, reputable paving contractor today and schedule an assessment.

When it comes to household maintenance, sometimes the simplest tasks reap the greatest benefits. The same could be said when it comes to taking care of paved surfaces. This is especially true in the fall, when leaves and other debris can begin to collect on driveways, parking lots, and patios. Believe it or not, one of the most effective steps you can take to preserve your pavement is to simply remove this debris. Here’s why that’s true.

When leaves and other debris collect on any paved surface, they trap moisture. And anytime moisture remains in contact with a paved surface, it eventually seeps into tiny cracks. Once that happens – particularly in the fall and winter – the moisture can expand and contract with changing temperatures. This damages the sublayers of the pavement, weakening the surface and resulting in damage such as large cracks, crumbling, and potholes. If that kind of damage isn’t repaired promptly, the surface just continues to deteriorate.

Homeowners can avoid these problems with either a broom or leaf blower. Just make sure you remove the leaves and debris on a regular basis. Avoid the temptation to wait until all the leaves fall off your trees. Remember that the longer the leaves and other plant debris sit on the pavement, the more moisture they collect and the more damage is done to the paved surface. So sweeping or blowing off the leaves every few days is the best way to maintain your driveway or patio.

If you’re a business owner with a larger sized parking lot, or if you’re responsible for maintaining a road surface, you should consider arranging for a professional street sweeping service to come in periodically to remove the leaves, dirt, and debris from the paved surfaces. While it’s true that a professional street sweeper will cost money, consider it an investment that will pay for itself in the long run since you’ll be avoiding costly pavement repairs that you would end up needing if you didn’t have the debris removed.

Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, there are other good reasons to remove leaves from your paved surfaces. Removing debris makes the pavement safer for both pedestrians and drivers. And if you’re trying to sell your home or business, you’ll be improving the “curb appeal” by keeping surfaces clean. Even if you’re not selling your business, maintaining a clean parking area is sure to attract more clients and customers than one that is full of debris!

For more information about how to maintain your pavement, contact a local paving contractor today and schedule an appointment.

Even the strongest materials eventually need to be repaired or replaced – take concrete, for example. While it’s true that concrete is an incredibly strong, long-lasting paving material, it will eventually need to be either repaired or replaced. Minor problems can usually be easily resolved by a reputable paving contractor. But there are times when repairs aren’t enough, and the surface will need to be replaced completely. Here are some signs that it might be time for an entirely new concrete surface:

• Crumbling and missing chunks of concrete – If you notice holes and crumbling in your concrete surface, it’s usually an indication that the pavement is severely damaged. Once holes form, the concrete and sublayer will be exposed to weather, and that will weaken the surface even more. You can ask your paving contractor to patch holes in concrete, but these repairs rarely last long. When there are missing chunks of concrete and crumbling around the edges of those holes, it’s typically an indication that the surface needs to be replaced.
• Large cracks – Almost any paved surface eventually forms cracks. And while it’s true that small superficial cracks can usually be easily repaired, those that are deeper and create gaps of a half inch or more on the surface will almost always lead to more extensive damage. If your pavement has large, deep cracks that have created crevices, you may need to replace the surface altogether.
• Depressions in the surface – Concrete pavement is only as strong as the land beneath it. If the ground under your paved surface begins to shift or sink, you’ll likely see sunken areas form on the top. This is an indication that the ground underneath needs to be strengthened and leveled. Typically, this can only be done by removing the concrete on top, using a combination of sand and crushed stone to stabilize the soil, then replacing the concrete that was removed to make the repairs.
• Lots of repairs on old pavement – While it’s true that concrete is remarkably strong, pavement only lasts for so many years. If you have an older concrete surface, and you find yourself having to make extensive repairs over and over again, it might be time to replace the concrete completely.

To find out more about concrete repairs and replacement, contact a local reputable paving contractor. They can visit your site, assess the condition of your concrete, and tell you whether it will need to be replaced or repaired.

By the time August and September roll around, most of us are ready for the cooler temperatures that come with the fall months. The fact is that long, hot summers take a toll on just about everything, and that includes asphalt surfaces. It’s easy to forget that this remarkably durable paving material isn’t invincible. The truth is that asphalt can be negatively impacted by a variety of weather conditions, and that includes the hot temperatures of the summertime. In fact, asphalt absorbs heat, and that can weaken the surface and lead to damaged pavement. What follows are some of the most common asphalt issues caused by excessive heat.

• Cracking – One of most common indications that your asphalt surface has been exposed to hot weather is cracking. Although cracks are more common in older pavement, newer surfaces can also form cracks. This is particularly true if the asphalt has to withstand heavy traffic on a regular basis and is exposed to prolonged periods of high ambient temperatures.
• Tracking – When it’s extremely hot outside, asphalt can show signs of what’s called “tracking.” This happens when the pavement softens and small amounts of asphalt begin to stick to tires, shoes, or anything else that walks or rolls across the surface.
• Raveling – Excessive heat can also cause asphalt to disintegrate. If you notice areas in your pavement where gravel and crushed stone are starting to accumulate, it’s typically due to the aggregate and binder in the asphalt separating – something that can be caused by extremely hot weather.
• Oxidation – When asphalt pavement is exposed to long periods of heat and bright sunshine, it can become faded and brittle. This is because UV rays weaken the binder material in the asphalt mixture. Oxidation not only makes the surface faded and brittle – it can also lead to cracking and raveling.

Excessive heat is not the only climate condition that can damage an asphalt surface. Rain and the freeze/thaw cycle that occurs in many northern states can also compromise pavement. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your paved surfaces. Have any kind of minor damage repaired as quickly and possible, and have the pavement seal coated on a regular basis to guard against damage caused by virtually any kind of weather, including excessive heat.

For more information about how to protect your paved surfaces from the extremes of Mother Nature, contact a local, reputable paving contractor today and schedule an appointment.

Asphalt is a remarkably durable, long-lasting material. But even the strongest pavement won’t hold up for long without a solid foundation underneath. Just like a building needs a sturdy foundation underneath it to prevent it from breaking apart over time, a paved surface also needs a strong and solid foundation to prevent it from cracking and falling apart. That’s why it’s so important to choose a reputable paving contractor in install your new asphalt surface. Any asphalt professional will know exactly what is required in order to create a foundation strong enough to support your pavement for many years to come.

What follows are steps that your paving contractor will take to ensure that your foundation is sturdy enough for an asphalt surface:

• Debris removal – The first step in any paving project will be the removal of existing debris in the area to be paved. This includes removing any existing pavement, as well as any plants, roots or large rocks that might interfere with preparing the foundation.
• Sloping and grading the site – Proper water drainage is absolutely necessary to ensure that water doesn’t collect on any portion of your paved surface. Pools of water on asphalt can seep underneath the pavement and into the foundation, weakening the asphalt and creating cracks and potholes. To make sure this doesn’t happen, your contractor will grade and slope the surface area to ensure that water will run off the pavement once it’s installed.
• The foundation material – Typically, a foundation is made from a combination of sand and compacted rock that has been rolled over several times to create a solid surface. In fact, the top of the foundation should look smooth and be free of any loose material. To achieve this, your contractor will apply the foundation material, then use a heavy-duty roller machine to compact the material and smooth the surface.
• The role of water – Although your contractor will add water to the foundation as they lay it, this is intended only to help bond the rock and sand mixture together. But once the surface has been laid and rolled numerous times, it should be left to dry completely before asphalt is applied over the top.

A good foundation is absolutely essential to make sure that your asphalt pavement lasts for many years to come. To find out more about the steps involved in asphalt installation, and to request a free estimate for your upcoming project, contact a local, reputable paving contractor today.