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26 June 2013

How To Hire Asphalt Paving Contractors

By Myrtle Cash


Asphalt paving is a very affordable and very popular choice in terms of driveway installation in today's day and age. Unfortunately, it can be hard to figure out who to hire to get the job done for you. If you use the tips in this article, though, you should have no trouble finding good contractors that can provide you with a sturdy driveway that hardly requires any maintenance and can last around 30 years.

While concrete isn't very strong or flexible as a whole, the same cannot be said for asphalt. In fact, this material is both strong and flexible, which is what makes it such a good choice for colder countries. If constant freezing occurs in your area, then this would be a good choice for you, as well.

Asphalt pavements, or hot mix pavements, consist of stone aggregates and sand with a bit of liquid cement. This aggregate is very carefully mixed and then heated before mixing it with the liquid version. After that, the mixture will be sent over to the actual job site; otherwise, the new driveway will have trouble curing properly.

To ensure a top quality driveway, it would be vital for the contractor to prepare the area properly first, though. This preparation will include getting rid of clay type soil and topsoil. It will also include replacing that soil with sub-base layers of gravel and crushed stone.

Most of the time, this job will consist of three layers: a sub-base layer and two asphalt layers. If your contractor suggests a complete application, you might have to opt for that, though. This all-liquid application would be especially important if you regularly park heavy vehicles onto the area. Since liquid cement is all that will be used on every layer during this application, you can be sure that your driveway will end up being much stronger than you originally expected.

Ideally, you should get at least four quotes to compare workmanship and price. You should try asking your friends for advice, too. Conversely, you can also do an online search instead.

Regardless of which contractor you decide to hire, you should make it a point to ensure that they are insured. This way, you can protect yourself from poor performances and liabilities. Since the lead times for these jobs could take weeks, make sure you make appropriate plans beforehand while talking to your potential contractors, as well.

To get accurate quotes, it would be best to sketch your home and desired footprint for your driveway. You should bring your potential contractor to the actual site, too. This way, he can paint or stake lines where the driveway should go.

If you want to install proper drainage, talk to your contractor about that before asking for a quote, as well. This would be especially important if you want to keep water pools away from your driveway. In some cases, water may even seep into the actual house, so you should definitely take this into consideration.

During the installation, you should also make sure that every layer is compacted. Make sure you check this out before each layer is installed. The quoted depths need to be given after the compaction, as well. With these basic tips, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the perfect asphalt paving contractor for you.




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