The appearance and condition of your asphalt pavement can really make or break the impression of any new or existing customer who visits your business. In order to keep up your pavement parking lot, look to arrange for regular care and timely repairs when needed. The following provides some details to help you take care of your commercial parking lot with thorough maintenance and repairs.

Clean Your Pavement Surface

As a regular practice, you should walk through your parking lot to check for signs of damage and to clean its surface. By cleaning your parking lot regularly, you can combat some of the most common types of damage that result from poor surface conditions. Some of the more damaging conditions can arise from vehicle fluids spilled upon your pavement's surface, which can happen regularly when it is available for your customers and the public's use. Vehicle fluids will soften the surface layer of your pavement, eventually loosening the binders of your pavement's strength. Vehicle fluids can also disintegrate and eat through any existing surface sealant on your pavement. 

Also look out for debris on your parking lot pavement, which can include blown-in trash, paper, and litter, as well as leaves and dirt. Extra dirt that sits on your pavement will settle into cracks and allow a place for weeds and vegetation to grow. This eventually results in your pavement's small cracks widening larger. Hire a professional asphalt service to clean off your pavement to keep it looking nice as well as protect it from debris damage. 

Watch For Surface Problems

Another important tip for keeping up your asphalt pavement's condition is to watch for problems. Look for items, such as ponding water in certain areas of your pavement. This usually indicates your pavement foundation has sunken from excess moisture below, poor drainage, or improperly prepared base materials. You can apply a temporary patch to your pavement to even out the sunken spots and to protect the site from excessive saturation seeping down into your pavement's layers, as this can cause premature erosion of the pavement.

Also, watch out for crack formation on the surface and also pothole damage. Both of these conditions start out as tiny cracks that widen from either vegetation growth, freeze-thaw damage, or moisture saturation. The right way to repair a small crack is with a liquid asphalt repair emulsion or an asphalt patching mixture for wider cracks. Your asphalt professional can ensure complete and successful repairs to reinforce your asphalt parking lot's condition.

Talk to a parking lot paving service for more advice.