When it comes to choosing what kind of parking lot you want for your business, one of the biggest things you have to consider is how much maintenance you’re willing to do. Certain materials require more maintenance than others, and depending on how much traffic you get, what the weather is like, and a variety of other factors, you may end up having to perform regular, costly maintenance on your parking lot.
For some, it’s worth it to be able to have a professional-looking parking lot for their business. For others, however, parking lot alternatives are becoming more and more attractive, especially as parking lot materials and products continue to improve and evolve.
Let’s break down how much maintenance you’ll actually need to perform and what alternatives are available:
Asphalt Lot Maintenance
Asphalt is the single most common material used for building parking lots around the world. Up until now, it has been one of the cheapest and most durable materials for use in parking lots, with over 90% of the world’s parking lots built with asphalt.
Asphalt is not a perfect material, however, and needs a lot of long-term maintenance. Sweeping and cleaning are the most basic of asphalt’s maintenance requirements. Indeed, almost every type of parking lot will require a brief sweeping and hose down every now and then.
Resealing of the top protective layer on an asphalt parking lot is also necessary frequently, especially in snowy areas where snow removal strips this protective layer away. It costs about 20 cents per square foot to reseal an asphalt parking lot and if not performed at least every 2 years, the lot will quickly begin to deteriorate, leading to the need for much more expensive repairs.
Cracks that develop in asphalt parking lots also need to be filled in as soon as they are discovered, or else they will widen and allow more water and debris to penetrate deeper into the lot, worsening the problem.
To make an asphalt lot look brand new, you need to strip off the whole top layer and add a new one. This is more expensive than sealing a lot, but not as expensive as repaving an entire asphalt lot from top to bottom, as is typically required once every few decades or so. There is also the frequent repainting of lot lines which is required to keep them visible.
Concrete Lot Maintenance
Parking lot maintenance for concrete is very similar to that of asphalt. Concrete lots need to be sealed to prevent weathering damage, and they require filling in of cracks as well. Repainting lot lines and full-on resurfacing are also required within the lifetime of a concrete lot. Water can wreak havoc on a concrete lot causing upheaval and cracking. The same goes for tree roots which overpower the concrete over time.
Low-Maintenance Parking Lots
The only option for owning and operating a fully functional, professional parking lot that can perform its duties in residential, commercial, or industrial settings is to use permeable pavers. Permeable pavers like the ones produced by TRUEGRID are able to use multiple types of aggregate locked beneath and in the cells durable plastic pavers.
They are incredibly simple to install and stay locked into place throughout their 60 plus year lifetime. Because they are permeable, no drainage or washing is required, and liquids drain directly through them into the soil beneath. They hold the gravel fill in place so there is virtually no maintenance needed.
Permeable paver lots require almost no maintenance at all once they are installed, because the 100% recycled plastic pavers are nearly immune to all types of wear and tear, weathering, and degradation.
Far more durable than either asphalt or concrete, TRUEGRID’s permeable pavers are also much more eco-friendly, have more creative style options, and are cheaper to install and maintain.
Moreover, they can even be used in tandem with smaller amounts of concrete or asphalt to provide you the benefits of these impermeable materials while lessening the overall maintenance bill and improving the durability of your parking lot.
Lot Maintenance Fees Can Add up Quickly
Asphalt has long been the standard when it comes to parking lots, but the advent of permeable pavers and other products offered by TRUEGRID has greatly reduced the need for the parking lot maintenance.
By implementing a parking lot built with permeable pavers, you can enjoy the benefits of a parking lot that functions as well, if not better than asphalt or concrete. The biggest downside to owning an asphalt or concrete lot is the expense of keeping it maintained throughout the years, often totaling upwards of $100,000.
If you want to eliminate costly parking lot maintenance expenses while still having a beautiful, durable parking lot, TRUEGRID’s permeable pavers are the best place for you to start.
