When we think about installing or paving a new parking lot, we must be aware that this process requires a considerable investment – monetarily and time-wise too.

Therefore, it is best to consider a few factors before actually getting down to the parking lot paving process. You need to know the budget you’re working with; having some feasibility can be your safest bet. You also need to pick the right contractor required for this job – one who has the proper experience to deal with this kind of task. After choosing the contractor, you must be able to provide him with your needs and requirements.

Steps for Parking Lot Paving 

1. Preparation:

The preparation of the parking lot is where the work of your contractor begins. Any experienced contractor will take all the necessary steps to ensure there are no hold-ups in the parking lot paving process from the start. All permits should be called for, and all legal procedures must be followed correctly. It is a good idea to have a look at your parking lot after a heavy rain to analyze the sub base and if there is any surface water standing.

2. Milling your current surface:

Carrying out the paving process on damaged asphalt or a soft surface can be a bad idea as, in such cases, asphalt can fail only within a few months of installation. “Reflective cracking” occurs if asphalt surface is not prepped correctly – here, cracks come back through the surface, making it wrecked. 

Create a secure and stable base for the parking lot paving by getting rid of asphalt down to the subgrade level. Once the subgrade is removed, it is ideal for inspecting the subgrade to check any remaining affected areas.

Your contractor will utilize a small bobcat or a milling machine to remove the old asphalt. The old asphalt is carried away in dump trucks and taken to a recycling center to turn it into reusable asphalt later.

3. Grading:

It is of utmost importance to evaluate the compaction of base material during the process of installation. If there is any area where the quality is not up to mark, it is necessary to take essential measures and steps. 

The use of a laser level makes sure that the pitch is appropriate to handle water runoff. It would be proper after the paving of the parking lot will be completed.

Binding layer – a middle layer between the surfacing material and sub-base material might also be utilized. It is generally required in cut out repairs that are done before the surface mix is installed.

A “WET test” is essential for every parking lot before paving it. This process includes visits to the parking lot 24 hours after heavy rainfall to see if there’s any stagnant water. A laser is used to shot the grades to come up with a strategy to repair the drainage. In some cases, drainage is not ordinarily fixed through profile milling, but catch basin or trench drains of 12″ or 18″ are installed to facilitate proper drainage before paving the parking lot.

4. New Asphalt Installation:

After all the steps followed earlier, your asphalt surface layer is all set to be installed. Various types of surface mixes are designed and available to be used in the market. Heavy-duty asphalt is made use of on roadways – one which is an excellent blend to cater to dense traffic areas. These areas include areas like loading docks that are made behind shopping malls and industrial parks. You can bring hot mix asphalt from a local asphalt plant, but it needs to be delivered in a dump truck to be placed in asphalt paving machine.

5. Compaction of Asphalt:

The surface of the pavement is later compacted with a mix of asphalt vibratory rollers that size between 3-10 tons. The final and last step is compacting in the paving of parking lots.

6. Marking of pavement:

Marking pavement is painting lines across your parking lot. It is noticed first by customers as these are set eyes upon while they park their cars. A neat and clean striped parking lot gives off a great impression and shows that the work done has been done professionally.

Paving any road is quite a task in itself, and a parking lot requires special attention because not only there is a hefty amount of funds that will be invested in it and time spent building it, other than that it needs to be safe for the users too. It is a responsibility on the shoulder on the construction experts and contractors and must be taken and fulfilled seriously. If all the steps are correctly followed, it will not only be helpful for the constructors as the durability would be great but also for the ones who will use it, knowing it is safe and hazard-free.