New asphalt installation for a Fort Worth property offers a smooth, safe surface for vehicle and foot traffic as well as a fresh pavement appearance, ready for new stripes and markings or for colorful borders around a driveway. Asphalt is typically cheaper than concrete and only needs a full day or two to cure, if that, so you can drive on it very soon after its installation!
While asphalt installation offers many benefits over concrete, it’s not necessarily a DIY job. Before you start researching tool rentals and other needed services for asphalt pouring on your property, you might note some reasons why this work is best left to a Fort Worth asphalt installation contractor. You can also discuss your questions and concerns with him or her as well, so you know you end up with durable pavement that lasts for years to come.
A Fort Worth asphalt installation contractor doesn’t just arrive on your property with a truck full of asphalt and start pouring it; that ground need proper prep work and cleaning for it to hold fresh asphalt! One important aspect of this prep work is evaluating existing asphalt or concrete.
In some cases, you might add new asphalt layers over existing pavement but damaged and broken concrete or asphalt provides a poor foundation for new blacktop. An asphalt installation contractor in Fort Worth has the experience and knowhow to evaluate that pavement properly and note if it needs repairs, can be used as is, or should be removed altogether before new asphalt installation.
Evaluating soil conditions is also vital before asphalt installation in Fort Worth. Moisture breaks down asphalt, and this moisture can come from above that pavement or below! Improper grading or sloping or overly moist soil might allow water to collect under new asphalt so that it begins to soften and then break down, buckle, chip, or form potholes. To avoid this potential damage, leave your Fort Worth asphalt installation to the pros.
If you’re putting down asphalt over bare ground or have removed existing pavement, you’ll need an aggregate base for your new asphalt installation. That aggregate provides a solid, firm surface for asphalt while it cures and sets, and helps keep it from shift and settling or sinking into the ground.
Your gravel layer depth is determined by your new asphalt thickness, expected weight of vehicle traffic, soil conditions, and other such factors. A thin layer might not provide the strength needed to support your new asphalt and vehicle traffic while an overly thick layer might mean too much weight on the ground under it, and wasted installation costs.
An experienced asphalt installation contractor can evaluate ground conditions, expected vehicle traffic and weight, and other such conditions, and note the best aggregate type and thickness. In turn, your new asphalt will have the support it needs and stay strong and sturdy for years to come.
New asphalt is poured and pressed to a desired thickness. As with the thickness of your aggregate base, your new asphalt thickness is determined by soil conditions, expected traffic, existing asphalt thickness, and other such factors. Overly thin asphalt breaks down easier especially when exposed to heavy traffic while overly thick asphalt might be too heavy for the soil underneath, and means paying for materials unnecessarily!
An experienced asphalt paving contractor in Fort Worth discusses needed asphalt thickness with every client, taking into account vehicles that will drive over that asphalt, current pavement thickness, any issues with the current pavement, and the like. He or she can then determine the right depth and thickness of new asphalt, ensuring a solid and stable surface without having property owners pay for asphalt layers not actually needed.
New asphalt is not simply poured and then left to cure; instead, it needs pressing, typically with a heavy-duty roller, to push or compact it into place. This compaction allows it to set or cure properly so that it becomes strong and stable once dried. Without proper pressing, asphalt tends to fall apart sooner rather than later, with new potholes, cracks, and spalling forming far too quickly.
Pressing new asphalt into place is not an easy task and requires skill and knowhow, and the ability to manage a heavy-duty roller! Improper installation and poor compaction is one common reason for new asphalt installation to fall apart far sooner than it should, and also allows for an uneven surface and eventual shifting, buckling, and heaving. To ensure this part of your new asphalt installation in Fort Worth is handled properly, leave this work to the pros.
If you do need to remove old pavement before your new asphalt installation in Fort Worth, what will you do with that material? Typically there is too much material and those chunks of concrete or asphalt are too sharp and heavy to be put in your standard household or commercial trash receptacles.
Many local areas also have regulations about what can and cannot be included in curbside trash, and a commercial trash removal company might also avoid taking such heavy debris. However, you might not want to face the cost and hassle of renting a truck or dumpster to collect that debris, and then finding a disposal facility that accepts bulk pavement materials.
A homeowner or commercial property owner might also want to ensure that old concrete or asphalt is recycled rather than winding up in a landfill. Both pavement materials are easy to recycle but only if reclaimed by a paving company or recycling facility. An asphalt paving contractor in Fort Worth makes quick work of collecting that debris and will usually have a list of placed that accept such pieces for recycling, keeping them out of landfills.
Keep these points in mind before you decide to attempt DIY asphalt installation in Fort Worth. There are many reasons why you might leave this work to the pros, and this will also ensure a quality installation that lasts for years.
