Autumn in Michigan finds many residents scurrying to winterize their vehicles, make last-minute repairs to their homes and prepare for another round of freezing temperatures and heavy snowfalls. However, some property owners fail to realize the importance of making sure that their asphalt pavements are as ready for winter as their vehicles and homes are.

Your asphalt pavement is going to be subjected to extremely cold temperatures, accumulations of ice, snowplows and routine deicing with salt. If you want to avoid costly repairs next spring, you should make sure that your asphalt pavement is in top condition before the first snowflake flutters to the ground.

Things to Add to Your “To Do” List

There are two things that are vital if you want to protect your pavement over the winter. The first is to have cracks professionally repaired. The second is to make sure that your sealcoating is in good shape and have fresh sealant applied if it is not.

• Cracks give water a path it can follow to your pavement’s foundation. Your pavement relies on its foundation for strength and resiliency. Water erodes and weakens the foundation, and when it freezes beneath the pavement, it exerts pressure on both the foundation and the pavement. What was a relatively small crack in the autumn can expand into a large crack or develop into a pothole by spring. Furthermore, if the foundation incurs sufficient damage, large sections of your pavement could sink or develop alligator cracking. Instead of an economical asphalt crack repair, you could be facing an expensive repair.
• Sealcoating helps protect asphalt pavement from the damages that chemicals can cause. Automotive fluids and other chemicals can eat into asphalt pavement, softening it, and making it more susceptible to damage. Sealcoating acts as a shield against chemicals, and it enhances the waterproofing properties of asphalt to help prevent water penetration.

Make Sure that Your Asphalt Contractor Chooses the Best Products

There are many different manufacturers producing materials for crack repair and sealcoating. Some products are superior to others and will provide better results.

• The hot rubberized crack sealants manufactured by Deery are the best for locations in Michigan as they provide excellent adhesion. Inferior sealants such as cold-applied pourable materials can pull away or crack in cold weather, allowing water to penetrate.
• B&E Coating Services only uses environmentally friendly sealants, and these sealants are devoid of the toxins that pose health risks to humans, pets and wildlife that are found in many other sealants.

B&E Coating Services has been providing customers throughout Michigan with superior asphalt maintenance services for more than 15 years. We offer a variety of asphalt-related services to residential and commercial property owners, including sealcoating, crack filling, infrared repairs and pavement marking. Our goal is to deliver work of exceptional quality at prices that are extremely reasonable. If you would like a free estimate, you can submit the online form or call our asphalt contractors at (989) 352-7305.