Services
Asphalt
Back to topAsphalt is a composite material commonly used for construction of pavement, highways and parking lots. It consists of asphalt binder and mineral aggregate mixed together then laid down in layers and compacted. Asphalt can be applied quickly on a prepared surface, which means a parking lot can be graded, poured and painted with little delay. Patching asphalt is usually a matter of bringing new material to the affected area and pressing it into the cracks or potholes.
Extend the life span of your asphalt, whether newly installed or already existing, through routine maintenance and seal coating. Asphalt should be sealed soon after it is installed to keep the oils in and other destructive elements out. If sealed correctly an already existing asphalt surface can be restored to a rich, new appearance.
Concrete
Back to topConcrete driveways are often preferred because of their low maintenance. While asphalt requires upkeep over several years, concrete, once installed and sealed, requires very little care. However, the concrete costs more than asphalt to install, so you do pay a price for the time you will save.
A concrete driveway can be an excellent choice for the exterior of your home. Concrete is a durable substance that can offer years of use without requiring many repairs. Proper maintenance is the key to a concrete driveway that adds function and aesthetic quality to your home.
The most important part of installing any driveway is the company that you choose. Once you’ve decided which material is right for your home, call Advanced Paving Services, a contractor that specializes in driveway installations. We will give you specific pointers to maintain the appearance of your driveway, while ensuring it will stay crack free for years to come.
Concrete that is poured on a faulty foundation will eventually crack, although concrete cracks can be repaired, if the underlying cause still exists it will often crack again. Working with a professional concrete company such as Advanced Paving Services who will create a good foundation prior to pouring the concrete is crucial for longevity and a virtually maintenance free driveway.
Concrete driveways can be tinted or stained to complement the exterior of your home. Although you may prefer the look of off white concrete, you may want to consider a darker color that is less likely to stain. The easiest way to alter the color of concrete is to add tint to the mix before pouring, so be sure to consult with APS if you would like to alter the color.
How to Keep your Concrete Driveway in Top Condition
A concrete driveway can be an excellent choice for the exterior of your home. Concrete is a durable substance that can offer years of use without requiring many repairs. Proper maintenance is the key to a concrete driveway that adds function and aesthetic quality to your home. Advanced Paving Services will provide you with maintenance tips and the services you need to keep your concrete driveway in top shape for as long as possible.
Sealing the Surface
A new concrete driveway should be sealed after construction to protect the surface. A sealant should be reapplied regularly – maybe once a year – to keep the protection going strong. Some types of sealants need not be reapplied as often. Check the instructions on the sealant used or talk to a concrete contractor about the best schedule for sealing your driveway. In many cases, a new coat may be applied after the surface is pressure washed. Sealant comes in a clear or tinted solution, depending on the preference of the homeowner.
Cleaning the Driveway
Driveways are subject to staining from oil and gasoline. Fresh oil stains can often be removed using plain dish soap and a scrubbing brush. Avoid wire brushes, since these can scratch and erode concrete surfaces. Apply a bit of soap and use some elbow grease to pick up the stain. You can rinse the area with your garden hose or apply kitty litter to absorb the oil and soap for easy disposal. The latter method is usually preferable for larger stains to avoid contaminating the lawn or street. Older stains may require the use of a pressure washer to get them out completely.
Ice and Snow Removal
Proper removal of ice and snow from concrete surfaces should be done as quickly as possible. The freezing and thawing process can cause cracking in concrete. Avoid the use of de-icing chemicals, these chemicals can penetrate the concrete surface and cause damage underneath. While rock salt may not harm a driveway directly, it can harm vegetation and corrode metal. The best way to add traction to an icy driveway is through the use of kitty litter or sand. Resealing the driveway in the fall, will prolong the life span and protect concrete surfaces from the harmful effects of a snowy winter.
Sitework
Back to topPre-pavement installation steps.
Preliminary preparation steps required before installation of buildings & parking lots.
Brick Pavers
Back to topBrick/Concrete pavers provide an easy and affordable way to achieve a classic brick look, whether it is for a patio, walkway, garden, or other outdoor accent.
Using Concrete Pavers for Enhancing the Landscape
Concrete pavers are an easy way to add instant charm and personality to the exterior of any home. Europeans have been using these blocks in abundance for years, and Americans are slowly coming onboard the trend. Concrete pavers provide a wealth of options and styles, and offer a durability that cannot be beat. Pavers can be used for many different outdoor hardscape projects. Check out these ideas for using concrete pavers to enhance outdoor living space!
Driveways
Flashy driveways are becoming a popular way of adding curb appeal to real estate and concrete pavers are an easy way to add beauty and functionality to a home’s entrance. There is a wealth of pavers to choose from in enough colors to coordinate with any home exterior. Traditional brick adds a colonial charm while shell colored interlocking stones can jazz up a home. Choosing a complementary border will add an elegant finishing touch to any driveway project.
Walkways
Imagine the cottage charm of concrete pavers neatly pointing the way to flower beds. Pavers can be used in walkways throughout outdoor spaces, from stepping stones through a garden to neat rows of interlocking pavers that run from the front yard to the back. When creating new walkways in a casual landscape, it is best to curve the path gently in a free-flowing style. On the other hand, straight paths with geometric concrete pavers can be the perfect touch for a formal landscape.
Patios
The pattern possibilities of concrete pavers make them a unique choice for enhancing a patio surface. Multi-choices of shapes, sizes and colors, will determine the desired ambiance. Concrete pavers provide a sturdy, slip-proof surface for entertaining, cooking or just relaxing in the great outdoors. Choose from an abstract pattern with stones of various shades placed randomly or a more orderly pattern with rows or geometric shapes of like colors.
Retaining Walls
Concrete pavers are one of the easiest choices for retaining walls and for adding height. Simply stack the pavers in the pattern of choice to create raised beds of any height. Since concrete pavers come in an array of styles and colors, any look can be achieved. Coordinating retaining walls with the concrete pavers in the patio and walkway areas will create a uniform look in any outdoor landscape. Concrete pavers provide a wide range of options for decorating outdoor living space.
Sealcoating
Back to topRubberized Emulsion Seal Coating
FAQ About Seal Coating
What is Seal coating?
Seal coating is a widely used and accepted preventative measure that helps safeguard your parking lot against the harsh effects of gas, oil, salt, weather conditions and oxidation. An asphalt sealcoat, or seal coating, is a layer of asphalt surface treatment applied to your parking lot.
Why Sealcoat Your Driveway?
Asphalt pavement deterioration is primarily caused by weathering, oxidation, and the destructive softening effects of gasoline, oils, and de-icers. Unprotected pavements lose flexibility, aggregate ravels from the surface and the pavement becomes rough. The surface becomes brittle, cracks develop, and water penetrates the cracks and damage progresses. Damage occurs faster during freeze-thaw cycles. Seal coating your driveway fills in the surface voids, leaving a smooth even-textured surface that prevents oxidation, resists gas and oil, weather proofs and beautifies your pavement.
Residential driveways should only be resealed when the sealer is wearing away. Applying sealant every year will cause excessive build up and will cause cracks and peeling.
How often should you have your parking lot seal coated?
Your parking lot should be seal coated at least every 2 to 4 years. A newly laid asphalt parking lot should be sealed within 6 months. Because of the ever increasing costs of asphalt, many business owners now seal every other year. This has proven to be an excellent approach to avoid expensive repairs and maintain an aesthetically pleasing parking lot. There are many factors to consider when deciding how often to sealcoat. How much traffic does the pavement receive, what are the weather conditions like, and what applications methods were used when applying the sealer are all things that would affect its longevity. The trained estimators at APS can evaluate all these things and recommend a seal coating plan for you. Advanced Paving Services, uses the highest quality industrial sealer on the market today.
Crack Fill
Back to topHot and Cold Crack Sealer
Crack treatment is one of the best investments in preserving the life of your asphalt pavement, commercial or residential.
Benefits of Crack Treatment
Crack Sealing is often used as the first line of defense against pavement deterioration for the following reasons:
- Protects the base and/or sub-base from erosion, which if not treated will result in further cracking or potholes
- Preserves the adjacent pavement around the cracks
- Eliminates the damaging effects sand and stone can cause within the cracks
- Extends pavement life
- Cost effective
The Asphalt Institute says… “Crack sealing is the most important maintenance work you can have done to extend the life of your pavement. Water is the number one destroyer of asphalt pavement. Standing water under the asphalt will eventually turn into ‘MUSH’ from the bottom up. Water also erodes the base that is supporting the asphalt, which in turn weakens the pavement structure, leading to further cracking. Then the cycle repeats itself until there is nothing but ‘MUSH’.” APS offers a full line of both cold and hot applied crack treatment.
Striping & ADA Signage
Back to topLine Striping, Crosswalks, Loading Zones, Directional Arrows, Stop Bars, Fire Code, ADA Compliance Upgrades
Just like most things, parking lots require routine maintenance, in addition to keeping both asphalt and concrete surfaces sealed. The most common type of routine maintenance is striping. This re-painting of the parking lot usually takes place ever 12-36 months depending on traffic and wear patterns. In addition to striping, signage is required, cleaning must be done, and ADA and Fire Code regulations must be met. Advanced Paving Services is a full service asphalt maintenance company that can assist you with all your maintenance needs.
Benefits of Striping
Refreshes Pavement – APS only uses the highest quality highway traffic paint to assure the brightest possible lines.
Controls Traffic – To avoid congestion within a parking lot it may be necessary to divert traffic in a certain direction. Directional arrows and stop bars can assist you in influencing the traffic patterns
Fulfills All Laws – By law, parking lots must have some required markings including fire lane and ADA compliance. Fire lanes are usually set by the local fire Marshall. The industry standard is a yellow curb with a 4” or 6” inch “NO PARKING FIRE LANE” in black on the curb face and a yellow 12” “NO PARKING FIRE LANE” on the asphalt surface in front of the curb. These fire lane specifications vary from region to region but ADA compliance is clear. The number of parking spaces on the lot dictates how many handicap stalls you must have. The law is also clear about how the spaces are to be laid out.
Enhances Safety of the Parking Lot – The more clearly marked a parking lot is, the safer it becomes. Bright yellow speed bumps notify drivers that they must slow down. Clearly defined crosswalks give pedestrians a safe passage across busy lanes of traffic. Loading zone signs notify drivers and pedestrians of constant stop and go traffic. Bright white “Stop Bars” give a defined place for vehicles to stop. A freshly painted parking lot is a safer place.
The Striping Process
Preparation – APS will prepare the lot for striping by using chalk lines and markers to predetermine the correct placement of parking stalls, arrows, handicaps, etc. This is the most important part of the striping phase and APS takes great pride in ensuring that all measurements are correct. This allows the end of each stall to line up exactly and creates uniformity among stall sizes.
Speed Bumps
Back to topThe primary function of speed bumps are to reduce speed and enhance the safety of parking Lots. APS professionals design traffic flow plans that focus on ensuring pedestrian safety by reducing speeding in parking lots and vehicle traffic control with the use of professionally constructed speed bumps.
Catch Basins
Back to topA catch basin is a part of a storm drain or sewer system which is designed to trap debris so that it cannot enter the drainage pipes. Catch basins are a large scale version of the traps used in home drains to accomplish a similar function. Most municipal sewer and storm drainage systems use catch basins, and the design is basically the same all over the world, with a few small variations.
Catch basins have a wide sloping inlet which collects runoff, assuring that even when high volumes of water are being dumped into the system, there is minimal overflow. The inlet opens to a pipe which is covered with a grating. The grating traps large debris, preventing it from entering the piping. As water floods the catch basin, small particles which slip through the grate settle to the bottom. Drainage pipes are located above the bottom of this vertical pipe, ensuring that the water which flows into the drains is clear of sediment.
Pipework & Water Basins
Back to topA drainage pipe is a pipe that removes water from a particular area. There are many types of drainage pipes; some are meant to drain water off roofs, while others are used to drain water away from land. This type of water removal is vital for preventing flooding of basements, damage to structures, soil erosion, and the creation of swamp-like conditions around a person’s home or property. Often, these drain pipes are made of plastic, concrete, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or ceramic. The type of pipe a person chooses for his property depends on the drainage situation at hand. Some types of drainage pipes take in water through openings at their joints while other pipes are perforated to take in water all along their length. It’s important to choose a material that is strong enough for its job yet as simple as possible for installation. Choosing based on price alone isn’t usually the best option.
PVC pipes, made of combined plastic and vinyl, are often used for projects in which a drainage pipe has to hold up well against pressure and heavy weight. This type of drainage pipe can be constructed in a range of sizes and is very durable, even when exposed to chemicals. PVC drainage piping can be recycled, which makes it Earth-friendly, however, it isn’t as flexible as other types of pipes.
Concrete is a frequent and inexpensive choice for drainage projects that require heavy-duty piping. This type of drainage pipe is often used when it’s critical that the pipes stay sound and without leaks. Concrete can also be used to provide structural support to another type of drainage pipe. In such a case, it may be used to create an outer shell for pipes made of materials that aren’t as strong.
Snow Removal
Back to topAdvanced Paving Services/Stripe-a-Lot, Inc. offers professional removal of ice and snow, our team of experts use the utmost care in protecting the lifespan of your asphalt or concrete pavement throughout inclement weather.
Proper removal of ice and snow from concrete surfaces should be done as quickly as possible. The freezing and thawing process can cause cracking in concrete. Avoid the use of de-icing chemicals, these chemicals can penetrate the concrete surface and cause damage underneath. While rock salt may not harm a driveway directly, it can harm vegetation and corrode metal. The best way to add traction to an icy driveway is through the use of kitty litter or sand. Resealing the driveway in the fall, will prolong the life span and protect concrete surfaces from the harmful effects of a snowy winter.
Green Paving Solutions
Back to topAt Advanced Paving Services/Stripe-a-Lot, Inc. we are conscious of our environment and are identifying ways to GO GREEN! APS is making strides to implement green construction practices in all phases of our business. With the green building movement sweeping the nation, APS is pioneering better paving practices by offering eco-friendly alternatives in addition to our existing line of conventional products.
Throughout the planning and implementation of any project we identify construction materials that can be salvaged and reused as the project goes along, or else disposed of, in an environmentally friendly manner. Wherever possible, recycled materials are used in green construction.
These alternatives can help greatly reduce energy, waste, and pollution. They may also qualify for various LEED credits, depending on the project (for more information, click on LEED green building rating system). Ultimately, by utilizing paving practices and materials that conserve resources, facilities can help ensure future growth and development in a cleaner, healthier environment.
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fit out, and significant retrofit. And LEED for Neighborhood Development extends the benefits of LEED beyond the building footprint into the neighborhood it serves.
Miscellaneous Services
Back to topAPS is a full service company offering property managers and business owners’ additional services outside of sealing, striping, crack treatment and asphalt repairs.