If you’re a commercial building owner or property manager, you know the value of having your parking lot cleaned and maintained regularly. Not only does it keep the lot looking good, which attracts more customers or visitors, but it also keeps more expensive repairs away as well. Yet not all building managers will choose to have their lot treated with a parking lot sealer, often based on the cost alone.
It’s time to reconsider that decision. In fact, a parking lot sealer is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to protect your investment in that commercial lot. Here’s what a sealer can do to protect that your parking lot and why it’s one of the most cost-effective methods for doing so out there.
What a Parking Lot Sealer Does
A parking lot sealer, sometimes called a topcoat or a sealcoat, is a special treatment that is painted on to an asphalt lot, often right after it’s been installed. The sealer does a number of things, but first and foremost it seals the surface of your lot, which offers an additional layer of protection against wear and tear.
A sealcoated lot withstands the elements better, as the parking lot sealer helps to prevent the type of water infiltration that can lead to the formation of cracks and potholes. Additionally, part of the protection a topcoat provides includes ultraviolet light resistance. This keeps your lot from fading in the sunlight to that dull gray color that older, untreated asphalt lots tend to have.
Saving You Time and Money — and Keeping Away Frustration
In a place like Bergen County, which gets a full four seasons of sun, rain, and snow, extra protection in the form of a parking lot sealer can be a lifesaver. There’s nothing that does more damage to an asphalt lot than constant freeze-thaw cycles, and even staying on top of your regular maintenance can be a real hassle in a situation like that.
Deciding to have a sealer applied to your lot can severely reduce to even eliminate the amount of maintenance you need to do on your lot for a significant amount of time. In fact, most sealcoats can provide excellent levels of protection for anywhere between three to five years at a time. This can extend the lifetime of your lot to around 20 years overall if you apply parking lot sealer on a regular basis.
The Bottom Line on Parking Lot Sealer
It’s true that having your lot sealed does increase your initial installation or maintenance cost. However, the excellent protection that parking lot sealer provides, and the fact that it reduces or even eliminates maintenance for up to five years at a time, means that a good sealcoat pays for itself and then some.
Do the smart thing: invest in a solid, high-quality topcoat for your commercial property’s parking lot. A clean, neat-looking, and well-maintained lot is safer and more welcoming to visitors, and that translates to more success for the businesses on your property.