Good and attractive driveways, sidewalks, and roads require constant repairs and maintenance to maintain high standards. Laying the paving is just the beginning; you need consistent repairs and maintenance to keep everything up to high standards. Instead of hiring experts annually, you can do the repairs, especially if they affect your property.
Besides skills and experience, you need the best tools to help you with the job. These tools are essential to doing a quality job or repairing damages as soon as you notice them. With the proper tools, you can prevent major damage or avoid the higher costs of asphalt repaving. You can hire these tools for the repairs or buy them for your business needs.
If you are starting your asphalt repair business or doing it yourself, here are some tools you must have in your kit.
- An Asphalt Grader
If you have a large-scale project or major damage, you need a grader and perhaps some experts to help with the work. A grader is perfect for leveling the ground before you pour the asphalt coating.
Whenever you remove the top asphalt layer, you need to level the ground, ensuring it is flat before pouring it. With a grader, you will have a uniform layer and well-leveled asphalt. You can also use it to apply multiple asphalt coatings to raise the driveway to a desired height and make it erosion-resistant.
One of the most critical tools the best Vancouver asphalt paving contractors use is the asphalt grader. Whether it is a repair or an installation, contractors use it to ensure durability, ensuring no potholes and uneven surfaces for years.
These contractors use the grader to ensure the ground is firm to withstand erosion, overweight, and pressure; hence, the asphalt does not crack due to such conditions.
- Crack Sealing Tool
Typically, pavements can crack over time due to various conditions. These cracks may grow larger, endangering pedestrians and posing a health hazard. You don’t have to wait for the cracks to widen. However, you can use crack-sealing tools to prevent further damage.
Generally, this is an all-in-one tool with features like a wire broom, compressed air sprayer, and dirt remover. With all these features, you open up the cracks, allowing you to fill them with enough asphalt to seal them completely.
- Asphalt Push or Cleaning Broom
Before you begin the repairs, you need to assess the situation to evaluate the degree of damage and repair needs. You should begin by sweeping the surfaces to remove all the debris, leaves, and dirt from the surfaces. A clean surface will reveal everything invisible to the eye.
Another reason to sweep off the debris is to allow the asphalt to settle easily on the surface. This allows the asphalt to settle on the ground without peeling off later on. Once you have a clean surface, you can easily begin your repair services with a bigger picture and visual knowledge of areas to repair.
- Asphalt Repair Shovels
After sweeping all the debris, dirt, and leaves, you need a shovel to remove them. Instead of pushing the debris to the sidewalks or grass, you can load it onto a wheelbarrow, leaving a neat working space behind.
If you are doing DIY, you can use the shovel to scoop gravel and other material from the crack before applying sealant. It is the most essential accessory for your construction work.
You need two shovels: a normal one and an asphalt shovel. The latter is for spreading asphalt to the needed areas.
- Measuring and Marking Tool
Once you have a clean surface, you can measure and mark the cracks and areas that need asphalt filling and repairs. The best line marking and distances will determine how much asphalt you must apply to the ground to fill the area.
Sometimes, you should mark extra areas around the crack that you must dig up to ensure a level asphalt surface. In your tool kit, ensure you have a marker, tape measure, and chalk dust for proper measurements.
- Infrared Thermometer
Asphalt can sometimes be too hot, further endangering other areas around the crack. It is up to you to ensure that the temperatures are similar to those around the crack but a bit higher to boost viscosity.
Temperatures matter for proper adhesion and the seal coating’s proper settlement on the surface. If you are doing minor repairs, an infrared thermometer is necessary. You can hold it above the coating and inspect the temperatures around it.
With that, you can easily maintain a proper adhesion and ensure you fill up all the areas without causing any further damage. Asphalt should settle after about five hours; that is only possible if you maintain the right temperatures.
- An Asphalt Blower
A broom may not sweep all the debris from cracks; hence, you need something precise to blow all the debris deep into the cracks. This is where a blower comes in. It ensures you eliminate every debris on tiny crevices, allowing asphalt to flow and fill the cracks.
For small-scale repair, you can use a backpack or walk-behind blowers. You need bigger blowers for commercial or large-scale repairs to ensure a cleaner job site.
Wrapping Up
Before you begin the repairs, you need to assess the degree of damage like crack sizes. Next, consider the best machines that would suit the job and ensure you make the long-term repairs. Ensure you have brooms, blowers, graders, crack sealant, infrared thermometers, and other options within the portfolio. You can hire some of these tools or buy those frequently used for repairs.
