Sealcoating your parking lot, pathway or other surface provides a layer of protection that helps your pavement last longer. It’s as simple as that.
Our Commercial Sealcoating procedure
Assuming the pavement is ready to accept a sealcoat (in other words the pavement is sound and areas that need repair have been repaired), Black Diamond crews show up on site to start the job. If the job is large enough, meaning our crews will be there for a number of days, we’ll select a staging area out of the way of the daily activity of the property. (In most cases this site is selected in advance in consultation with the property manager.)
Then the asphalt is cleaned. Walk-behind blowers are used to remove dust and debris; hand brooms are used on stubborn areas. The blacktop surface is cleaned because the sealer adheres better when the surface is free of dust.
Once the pavement has been cleaned our crews “cut in” or edge the pavement by hand. Asphalt adjacent to concrete curb and gutter or slabs is worked by hand to make it easier for the sealcoating trucks to finish the broad application of sealer.
Once the pavement is sealed a second coat is often applied in drive lanes or other high-traffic areas. Before that can happen the pavement must have cured – it must be dry to the touch so that the sealer truck won’t damage the first coat.
After the sealer has set up the striping can be done – a finishing touch that makes the parking lot look brand new!
Sealcoating Your 24-hour Business
For many property managers, especially managers of retail spaces with dozens of tenants, large-scale pavement projects can be a nightmare. The key is scheduling work around your tenants’ needs and peak business hours. We do that all the time (though that’s a different blog post).
The most extreme and to some the most perplexing sealcoating jobs are for locations that are open 24 hours.
No worries! We handle these challenges all the time, and we know:
- That at a bank the ATM lane needs to be accessible
- That at least one drive-thru lane needs to be open at all times
- The drive-thru lane at fast-food restaurants is the high-traffic lane later at night – and we know how to keep that traffic (and sales) moving
- And we know to ask questions such as:
When do the sprinklers go on?
- When does your garbage get picked up and how does the truck enter and exit your lot?
- When do you receive your food deliveries?
- When is your parking lot swept by a contract sweeper? What route does the sweeper take through the lot?
But most importantly, we know to talk with the property manager and the manager(s) and owner(s) of the 24-hour facilities. We know a lot but they know their businesses and clientele best. And it’s the communication that enable us to get a pavement sealcoated and striped while remaining open during the entire 24 hours.
