Damage to your asphalt parking lot doesn't necessarily mean you need to rip it out and start over. There are a few resurfacing methods that may be able to repair an old parking lot. 

1. Hot In-Place Method

The quickest and simplest method is hot in-place paving. This method is best used on lots with minimal past damage or patches. It's ideal when you are resurfacing to smooth out areas that aren't level, or covering a few small patches or stains that are affecting the lot's appearance. Minor gravel loss from the beginning stages of surface degradation can also be repaired with hot in-place resurfacing.

After cleaning the lot to remove any debris, special devices are used to heat up the asphalt surface so that it is once again malleable. Fresh asphalt is then combined into the heated and softened surface of the old. The lot is then compacted and smoothed as it would be during any paving job. Hot in-place paving cures within a few hours, so the lot can usually be painted and put back into use within a day or so.

2. Overlay Method

An overlay method is a more durable alternative to hot in-place resurfacing. It is also better suited to more extensively damaged parking lots, such as those with multiple potholes and cracks. It is not well suited to damage that reaches the base of the paving, only to those surface cracks and holes that penetrate into the top layer of asphalt.

The very topmost layer of asphalt paving is stripped away, leaving behind the lower layer and the base material. Then, fresh asphalt is poured over the stripped-down parking lot and compacted until it is smooth and level. The lot will look and perform as though it is brand new.

3. Mill and Fill Method

For extensive damage that penetrates all the way into the base of the pavement, there is still a resurfacing option. Generally, the base must still be stable in order to make the mill and fill viable, but the asphalt itself can be in very poor condition.

The asphalt surface will be milled down to gravel, but the milling will not penetrate into the base. This gravel will be compacted and leveled as though it is part of the base material, and then new asphalt layers will be installed as the parking lot is rebuilt upon the old base. 

Contact a parking lot paving service if you have more questions about the available resurfacing options.

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