Homeowners have the responsibility to keep their property safe and well-maintained. If you’ve got a car or a garage area, one of the things you need to look after is the driveway. Over time, they can get broken and cracked, and you’d need the services of a Maryland paving company for it to be repaved.
Typically, experts recommend doing this kind of repair during summer or late spring. However, this is not always the case. Ultimately, you’d need to take into account proper temperature and the weather condition to determine the perfect timing for driving repair.
In this article, we will be talking about the best time to pave or fix your driveway.
Asphalt Behavior
Many driveways are composed of asphalt — a sticky semi-solid form of petroleum. This choice of material offers a number of benefits including durability, versatility, ease of maintenance, weather resistance, and aesthetic value.
Nonetheless, you should note that pouring asphalt to make a driveway requires precision and utmost meticulousness. A Maryland paving company usually pours hot mix asphalt on the road when the weather is warm. Under this situation, the labourers can spread the asphalt and level it off while it’s still in liquid form, resulting in an evenly-hardened driveway.
If the weather is cold, the asphalt will be hardened at a quicker pace, giving quite the challenge for it to be levelled off properly once poured.
Factors Affecting Driveway Construction or Repair
Paving firms don’t only consider weather as the sole variable when doing a certain project. They also take into account surface temperature and the depth of the driveway.
Surface Temperature. Paving experts agree that the best surface temperature to pave asphalt is at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. During this temperature, you will have ample time to level the surface off before it cools down — resulting in a final product without bumps or any irregularities. Others also do driveway construction or repair when the surface temperature is between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Depth of Driveway. The depth of your driveway also significantly affects the quality of the final output of asphalt pavement or repair. At 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s most suitable to pour down asphalt on a 1.5-inch deep driveway (if it’s only about repair). If a complete replacement is needed, you would first need to compact about 6 inches of gravel into 3 inch-lifts for a sub-base, 3 inches of new asphalt, then 1.5 inches of ¾ inch-binder topped off by a surface coat.
Should Rain Be Avoided?
For any Maryland paving company, it’s best to do driveway works during dry temperatures. However, there are cases when this can be done when there’s little rain.
Whenever possible, it’s better to repair driveways during the former situation. Too much rain means a huge amount of water will pour down on the hot mix asphalt, compromising the quality of the final product (oil repels water!). Paving on wet ground can also cause the creation of potholes underneath the asphalt. These consequences come on top of having a cool temperature that causes the material to harden too quickly.
Manuel Hicks & Sons Paving is the top Maryland paving company today. If you are looking for a reputable paving company trusted by home and business owners, contact us today!
