Interested in Interlayers?

The Magic Mesh Material that Helps Curb Cracks

Crocodile skin may be hot, hot, hot when it comes to fashion, but it’s significantly less desirable when it’s your pavement that begins to look reptilian.

Even with routine maintenance, cracks can appear and begin to take over in an invasive spread. Since asphalt is brittle by nature, temperature fluctuations, soil shifts, and traffic can wreak havoc both on top of and under the surface, creating what are called reflective cracks. You can do a simple overlay of asphalt to provide some temporary measures, but for a more thorough (and less costly in the long run) fix, consider application of an interlayer.

Made of a mesh type fabric, interlayers are known by a few brand names such as Petromat, GlasPave, and TruePave, but they all essentially work the same. They add a slightly more flexible, stress-absorbing and moisture-resisting barrier between your old and new surfaces.

The process is relatively simple:

• A light coat of asphalt is applied on top of the old asphalt to fill in cracks and make the surface smooth again.
• The fabric is then laid on the new asphalt coat. Full saturation with asphalt oil is critical for lasting strength and support.
• Finally, a new layer of asphalt is applied to top things off. The saturated fabric is strong enough to keep the cracks underneath from permeating the new upper layers of asphalt.

If you’re experiencing just a few problem areas of asphalt, rather than across the full surface, this fabric can be applied in those areas as needed. Be aware, however, that any existing cracks from the non-interlay surface can eventually migrate their way over to new surfaces.

Whether you’re interested in fixing problem areas or your desire is to limit the number of cracks and severity of cracking in the future, interlayers can provide a great solution.

Call Black Diamond Paving today to find out if an interlayer is the right solution for your property!