Answers by an Experienced Paving Contractor on How to Build a Nice Driveway
Although there are different types of pavement that you might be interested to learn more about, our team has decided to focus on asphalt pavement in this post. What is asphalt pavement? It’s basically the name that your paving contractor would use to call a paved road surfaced with asphalt.
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What does the hot asphalt mixture consist of?
It combines 95% sand, stone, or gravel together with 5% of asphalt cement which is a crude oil product. The asphalt cement is the aggregate that is actually heated with the aid of specialty equipment when laid on top of all the asphalt mixture ingredients.
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What is the temperature that asphalt can be heated up to?
This aggregate melts at approximately 270 °F. But this temperature value may vary from 200 °F for asphalt cement to 300 °F for virgin asphalt and 330 °F for the polymer-modified one.
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How long does it take for a freshly paved driveway to get ready for exploitation?
This actually depends on the weather conditions determined by the season. On hot and humid summer days that would be 4. But if the temperature is less than 90 °F, then 2 days are more than enough for the asphalt to cool and dry off.
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Why is asphalt preferred over concrete?
There is not only a single answer to that question. There are quite a few reasons, actually. The most obvious one is because of the price that has to be paid for its installation. Needless to say, it is way cheaper. Another popular reason is safety. Every experienced paving contractor knows that asphalt is a better solution against snow and skidding.
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Is asphalt toxic or hazardous?
Toxic fumes are generated only during the installation of hot asphalt. That’s why people working with it are wearing protective equipment. It is not considered a hazardous waste and the old one it is often recycled into new asphalt pavements.
You still have questions? Call (760) 589-8148 to get your free answers from the paving specialists at Flatline Striping LLC. As a leading paving contractor in Columbus, GA we have all the replies that you need.