If your asphalt pavement has seen better days, you may have already tried various ways to restore it to its original state. You may be unhappy with your attempts to remediate the problem through crack repairs, patches, or sealcoating. You want a pavement you can be proud of, so you assume that a reconstruction is your only solution. That may not be the case. Many times, an asphalt overlay can yield the results that customers want faster and cheaper than a reconstruction.

What Is an Asphalt Overlay?

In brief, when an asphalt paving company places fresh asphalt on an existing pavement, they are installing an overlay. Your Houston paving contractor may also refer to this as asphalt resurfacing. Typically, when resurfacing pavement, contractors use an asphalt milling machine to remove a specific depth of the existing asphalt. They then install multiple courses of fresh asphalt to replace what they removed. The result is an overlay. Naturally, the asphalt overlay process involves a few more steps, but milling and replacing the asphalt are the fundamental parts.

What Is an Asphalt Milling Machine?

Milling machines are vital pieces of equipment for installing asphalt overlays. The machines feature rotating drums with cutters that can quickly turn asphalt pavement into small particles. Operators can adjust the settings so that the machines remove only a predetermined depth of pavement.

What Are the Benefits of Including Milling as Part of an Asphalt Overlay Process?

In conjunction with asphalt resurfacing, milling offers several benefits, including four critical ones.

1. Milling can eliminate bumpy transitions between connecting pavements.
2. Milling keeps manhole covers and other pavement penetrations at their correct elevations. This helps eliminate bumps and tripping hazards. It also decreases the risk of water penetration around the edges of the pavement as well as drains and grates.
3. Milling can remove damaged pavement so that your Houston paving contractor does not have to repair them. Damage patterns can telegraph through asphalt overlays unless the contractor repairs them first. This can delay the process, but it can also increase the price.
4. Milling helps ensure a strong bond between the existing pavement and the overlay. A strong bond is vital to prevent delamination, shoving, and other issues.

Is Milling Always Part of an Asphalt Resurfacing Project?

There are occasions when an asphalt paving company may not recommend milling when overlaying a pavement. However, those occasions are rare, and they typically involve overlaying a very small area. Even then, contractors will normally use a different method to shave or roughen the pavement without a milling machine. Contractors will almost always recommend the use of a milling machine if any of the following are true.

1. The pavement has multiple overlays, and the installing contractors did not perform milling. Thus, the thickness of the pavement increased with every overlay, resulting in serious elevation and transition issues.
2. There is existing delamination. Delamination can occur between lifts on an original pavement. It can also occur between a previous overlay and the pavement underneath.
3. The pavement is riddled with severe cracks or potholes. Milling is typically more cost-effective than attempting to make numerous major repairs.
4. There are existing drainage issues that milling can correct. For example, the slope of the pavement may need a minor adjustment to eliminate standing water.

Marathon Solutions Group is a Houston asphalt paving contractor that offers a wide range of paving services. Our services include asphalt resurfacing, sealcoating, asphalt paving, asphalt repairs, asphalt crack repairs, and asphalt milling. We also offer parking lot striping, bollards, thermoplastic markings, parking lot signage, concrete installation, marking removal, and concrete repairs. Whether you need a one-time pavement repair, an ongoing parking lot maintenance plan, or a structural reconstruction, we can help. We have an exemplary reputation for craftsmanship, honesty, and service. Contact us for a free quote by emailing Sales@Marathon-Solutions.com, submitting the online form, or calling 800-879-1147.