Tips for Removing Oil Stains from Asphalt

Modern asphalt is a combination of petroleum byproducts, fillers, binders, and a variety of different substrates. In other words – it’s oil and some rocks. Even though oil makes up a significant portion of asphalt, foreign oil is an enemy to your gorgeous asphalt driveway.
Not only are oil stains ugly, but leaks from your engine that seep down can also soften your blacktop by chemically weakening the bonds that make it durable. Areas below oil stains are more likely to crack, pit, and chip – no good for your curb appeal and no good for your asphalt.

Step 1
Thoroughly clean your asphalt driveway of all dust and debris. Use a garden hose to gently wash away all dirt, leaves, and anything that shouldn’t be there. Do not use a pressure washer or high-powered nozzle, which can push the oil or foreign debris further into the asphalt. You’re only rinsing, not decontaminating.

Step 2
Mop up excess and surface oil with an absorbent cloth until you can’t get anymore. The sooner you can get to an oil stain, the more likely you can soak most of it up without much further effort. After the initial mop, it’s time to draw more of the stain out.
There are many different products you can use to absorb excess oil, but sawdust, baking soda, and non-clumping cat litter are the most popular methods. Pour a liberal amount of absorbing material over the stain and allow it to sit overnight. You can put a towel over your pile to help keep it secure from the elements.

Step 3
Sweep up your absorbing material and dispose of it. Re-rinse the area with a gentle spray. If there’s still excess oil, add another batch of cat litter or proceed to step 4 if you can’t get anything else up.

Step 4
If the stain was fresh, absorbing the excess might do the trick, but if the stain is older, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. You can use a stiff wire brush (not metal brush which will scratch your asphalt) hose, and a cleaning agent like dish detergent to scrub out the rest of the stain.
How long and how hard you need to scrub depends on the size of the stain and how long it’s been there. You may not be able to get every trace of oil off at once, but a hearty scrub will make a significant change in the stain’s appearance and its ability to harm your driveway.
Pro Tips – Avoid any cleaning agents containing citrus or other solvents. They’ll clean the oil stains but cause more damage than any oil stain ever caused. Most homeowners use dish detergent or an all-around non-solvent based cleaner like Simple Green.

Step 5
Follow up with a seal coat. If there’s one thing asphalt contractors agree on, it’s that not enough home and business owners regularly seal their asphalt. The area you cleaned may look better, but when you scrub off oil, but you can also scrub off the asphalt’s top protective layer. A proper seal will polish things off and can help keep oil from getting into your asphalt to begin with.

Step 6
Mitigate future spills. Add an oil catch under leaky engines and ask any contractors to put tarps down before parking their vehicle on your fresh asphalt. The best offense is a strong defense.

Other Quick Tips on Cleaning Oil other Stains Off Your Asphalt

The steps above are primarily used for oil stains but can be used on stains from organic debris and other stains most likely to occur on asphalt.
There are commercial concrete and asphalt cleaners to help clean oil stains, but most homeowners only need cat litter, dish detergent, and elbow grease. If you’re working with a stubborn stain, consider a microbe-based asphalt cleaner. Microbe-based cleaning agents use tiny microbes instead of chemical bonding to eat the oil and convert it into harmless waste.

Try to take care of any oil stains before the colder months of winter. Stains are much more stubborn, and you’re much more likely to cause damage to your blacktop when you clean during freezing temperatures. Take care of stains during the even temperatures of fall.

When in Doubt Call the Pros

Most homeowners can easily clean oil stains off their driveway, but not all homeowners can or frankly want to. If you’re ever in doubt about your cleaning ability or don’t want to deal with the hassle of scrubbing, call your local asphalt contractor.

Clean Asphalt is Happy Asphalt

Now you know how to remove oil stains from your asphalt driveway. Read the maintenance tips, follow the steps, be careful with your cleaner, and call the professionals if you’re in doubt. With these tips, you’ll have a beautiful blacktop that your neighbors will admire.

9 Causes of Damaged Asphalt

Asphalt is always a smart paving choice. Asphalt is affordable, looks great, and useful for many different applications. Asphalt is one of the country’s premier paving materials, but there’s no question it has enemies. Let’s learn about the nine biggest enemies of asphalt and what you can do to avoid them ruining your beautiful blacktop.

Extreme Heat

Asphalt is much more malleable than concrete, which gives it many advantages but makes it more susceptible to damage under extreme heat. Excessive heat can cause softening, sloughing, pitting, and might deform your asphalt under heavy loads. It can also cause bruising, which occurs when a vehicle turns their front tires on a newly paved surface, creating what looks like a bruise. It is crucial to understand that bruising is common on freshly paved asphalt during the hottest summer temperatures and does not cause permanent harm to the asphalt mat. It just doesn’t look nice.

There’s not much that homeowners can do to prepare for heat other than using precautions against softer asphalt. During extreme heat, try to keep heavy vehicles from sitting in one spot for an extended period and avoid using tools and objects that can scratch or dent your asphalt like automotive jacks. Also, it would be best if you can allow more than one day after the paving has been completed before driving on the surface.

Do not attempt to spend extended time on a hot asphalt driveway. Asphalt absorbs heat, making your driveway much hotter than the surrounding environment. Never walk barefoot or take pets on asphalt during extreme heat.

Extreme Cold

On the opposite end of the spectrum is extreme cold. Again, asphalt is more dynamic than concrete, so it’s more susceptible to extreme cold. Like extreme heat causes asphalt to become soft, extreme cold causes asphalt to become harder and stronger – but also more brittle.
The best thing homeowners can do during extreme cold is to be careful around their asphalt, especially edges where the asphalt is more likely to chip or break off. Avoid all heavy loads on your driveway’s borders during bitter cold temperatures.

Standing Water

Standing water looks innocent enough on top of your asphalt, but it can slowly seep through your asphalt and cause issues like softening, displacement, and cracking. Always brush off puddles whenever you see them to keep your asphalt healthier. If your asphalt continuously puddles in an area, have an asphalt contractor evaluate the possibility of permanent repairs and achieving better drainage. Seal coat also helps slow the process of water damage to the surface of the asphalt.

Groundwater

Water running underneath your asphalt is an even greater enemy than standing water. Groundwater can displace asphalt and its base, leaving you with pits, cracks, collapsing asphalt, and potholing. If you’ve tried everything and can’t figure out why your asphalt is continuously cracking or pitting, ask a professional to look for a groundwater issue. If you can identify the issue, you can readjust drainage or stop the source.

UV Radiation

UV rays age both people and inanimate objects – like your asphalt. The sun oxidizes the oil in your asphalt, degrading its ability to glue the asphalt rocks together. But UV damage can be mitigated by resealing your asphalt. At Colorado Pavement Solutions, we recommend resealing your asphalt every five to six years.

Chemical Stains

Asphalt is oil-based, but extra oil is no good for your asphalt, especially diesel stains. If you have a leaky vehicle, try to put an oil catch underneath or park it in a different spot to avoid extra damage. If you have an oil stain on your asphalt, you can apply cat litter on top of the stain overnight to absorb the excess before cleaning the rest with a stiff brush and dish detergent. Never try to clean oil stains with solvents or citrus-based cleaning agents.

Trees and Roots

Roots can snake for yards and are continuously growing. You can install an asphalt driveway with no issues only to spot cracks and upheaval a few years later once roots have crawled underneath your asphalt’s foundation. It’s difficult to mitigate all trees and roots but consider removing trees or at least severing roots that are running toward your driveway.

Heavy Loads

Asphalt can handle most vehicles but might have a problem with excessively heavy loads. If possible, avoid extreme weight, especially on extremely hot or cold days, and always try to keep excess weight away from the borders of your driveway where cracking and chipping is more likely to occur. The good news is most asphalt at least 6″ thick for commercial parking lots or 4″ for residential driveways can tolerate normal heavy loads.

Lack of Sealcoating

Proper asphalt maintenance includes regularly sealcoating your blacktop to protect against oil oxidation in your asphalt from constant sun and water exposure. Asphalt that’s not regularly sealed is much more likely to experience the above issues, so maintain a proper seal for the most extended life.

Beating the Biggest Enemies of Asphalt

Asphalt is one of the most popular paving materials in the U.S. for good reason, but it does have several enemies that will try to wear it down. Follow the above advice and keep your asphalt sealed for the longest possible asphalt lifespan.

Can You do Asphalt in the Winter?

Let’s imagine a scenario. You wake up on a chilly January morning, and while heading to your car you trip on cracks in your asphalt driveway, spilling your morning coffee. As you curse your driveway and its many faults and pits, you realize something – you need a new asphalt driveway.

Daily temperatures make a big difference in paving, including asphalt work, so can you do asphalt in the winter, or do you need to wait until the warmer temperatures of spring and summer? Let’s find out what you need to know about asphalt paving in winter, including how to properly prep and other annual maintenance tips.

What to Know About Asphalt Paving in Winter

The most straightforward answer is yes, you can perform driveway repairs during the cold winter months – but it depends on many factors. Let’s go through the specific factors, so you know if a winter asphalt job is viable for your property.

Hot-Mix vs. Cold-Mix Asphalt

Did you know there are two distinct types of asphalt? Asphalt paving projects utilize hot-mix asphalt, so it is not ideal to pave in the winter. Hot-mix asphalt must remain hot to compact and perform properly. If the ambient and ground temperatures are too low, they will chill the hot-mix asphalt while it is in transport from the production plant to your property. This is not good. The other type of asphalt is cold-mix asphalt. This product is engineered to perform in almost any temperature, so it can be installed in the summer or the winter. Cold-mix cannot be paved, so it will not work for replacing an entire driveway; however, it can be used to repair potholes.

Daily Temperatures

You can do hot-mix asphalt installation in winter only when temperatures are above 55 degrees and rising. Also, asphalt plant production is spotty during the winter months, making it challenging to purchase asphalt from the producers. Asphalt should never be installed on frozen ground. So if you’re looking at a string of days below or close to freezing, it’s best to wait. Asphalt can’t properly mix, set, or cure if the temperature is too cold, and you’ll be left with a low-quality job you’ll have to fix immediately.
However, not everyone gets freezing or bitter temperatures through winter. Though known as a cold-weather state, Colorado can see winter temperatures in the 50’s and even 60’s. Places like the deep south, the high desert, and coastal areas are very unlikely to see a string of freezing temperatures making asphalt work in the winter viable for several parts of the country, including Colorado under limited circumstances.
Trying to schedule a winter asphalt installation is difficult, but if you can find a few days with above-average winter temps and no freezing forecast, you should be able to take on your asphalt job without any issues. If you have concerns, talk to your asphalt contractor about waiting for a better time for a full paving project.

Temperature Fluctuations

Severe temperature fluctuations during installation can also cause deficiencies in your asphalt installation or repair. Even if winter temperatures are well above freezing, look for any wild temperature swings in the forecast and avoid them for new installations. Extreme temperature swings can cause cracking, softening, and raveling.

Precipitation

Precipitation in all forms can be bad for asphalt paving, depending on a couple of factors. Winter brings freezing rain, snow, ice, and other enemies to asphalt that must be monitored. Avoid paving with any precipitation in the forecast. Light rain in the summer won’t cause harm to asphalt if it has already been compacted, but it can cause the asphalt temperature to drop swiftly during the installation process, which is not good.

Importance of Hiring Local Asphalt Company

The most important thing to do when hiring an asphalt company for winter work is to schedule a local asphalt paving company. Local companies know the subtleties of their local environment, including when the asphalt is most likely to take and when you should stay clear of installing new asphalt. A local company will tell you outright if winter installation is a bad idea, and when your asphalt installation is more viable.

Get Paving (Maybe in Winter)

If temperatures are warm, if there’s no precipitation in the forecast, and if your local contractor thinks you’re good to go – you can do asphalt in the winter. If your asphalt job can’t wait and your environment allows it, talk to a local paving contractor about getting on the schedule. If you have miserable cold winters, schedule your project for spring installation. Cold weather and asphalt don’t get along very well, but with patience and the right contractor, you can make it work – but only if mother nature allows it.

Mile High Stadium Parking Lot Project

A showcase of some work by Colorado Pavement Solutions. This lot is located in Denver, CO and is used for Denver Broncos game parking, as well as, parking for other events at the stadium. The lot was in disrepair and in need of reconfiguration for additional parking spaces, efficient traffic patterns, and safety for pedestrians moving through the lot.

Our team completed the following improvements:

• Removal of concrete islands to expand the lot
• Sealcoating
• Crack Fill
• Re-striping to reconfigure the lot for safe and efficient parking

An annual asphalt maintenance program is critical for property owners!

Weather causes expensive damage to asphalt parking lots. The number one reason asphalt parking lots require patching is water infiltration to the sub-grade. Performing annual maintenance ensures the longevity of one of your most expensive assets.

Annual maintenance consists of crack filling, seal-coating, and patching. Filling cracks in the asphalt with hot rubber should be completed every year. It prevents moisture from entering and damaging the sub-grade. Seal coating reintroduces oil to the asphalt. Asphalt is basically rocks and sand glued together with oil. Extended sun exposure and moisture weaken the oil. So we recommend adding a seal coat every 2-5 years to re-strengthen that bond and protecting against further weather exposure. Patching asphalt is required after substantial moisture has entered and damaged the sub-grade, causing the area to collapse and pothole. This typically happens because cracks were not filled every year. Annual maintenance can not repair these areas. The only remedy is to “patch” the asphalt. This involves removing the existing asphalt, repairing the sub-grade, then installing new asphalt.

You want your parking lot to last a long time. You also want to avoid costly repairs. Replacing your entire parking lot is expensive and can have a serious impact on your business because the work takes a long time to complete. Annual maintenance has minimal impact on your parking lot and can often be performed during non-business hours. Filling cracks annually and seal coating every couple of years can save you money in the long run by preventing costly damage to your asphalt parking lot.

Why is filling cracks in asphalt so important?

If you own an asphalt parking lot or driveway, you should consider performing annual crack fill maintenance. You may not think much about your paved surfaces, except when someone complains about a pot-hole, but this part of your property needs annual maintenance just like every other piece of your property. You may ask why? Colorado’s climate has dramatic temperature swings, plenty of sunshine and freeze-thaw cycles in the winter. These weather patterns cause slow deterioration to your asphalt pavement.

How Water Crates Damage

Every year you may notice that cracks form in your pavement surface. These cracks are mostly unavoidable. When water drains into these cracks, over time it removes the soil from under the pavement. Asphalt is only as durable as the soil underneath it. When water flows through the cracks, it creates voids underneath the asphalt, and when traffic travels over the pavement in those areas, the asphalt collapses into the void. This cracking and collapsing pattern then spreads. Eventually, it will create potholes.

Solution

But there’s good news; you can slow this deterioration by performing some straightforward maintenance. Fill the cracks with a hot crack sealer once every year. A crack filler can be done on your own or by a professional. In Colorado, it’s ideal to perform the maintenance between April and October. When temperatures are over 55 degrees for the whole day and the pavement surface is dry, you’ll achieve the best results. If you hire a professional, make sure they are using hot crack seal material, and they adequately cleaned all weeds and debris from the cracks before application of the crack sealer.

If you have any questions about asphalt crack repair, contact us. We are glad to perform a site visit with you to discuss any of your asphalt questions. We offer free estimates and budget projections.

Repairing your parking lot or sidewalk issues thre right way.

If you don’t know, call us, and we will ensure that your money is invested wisely. Colorado’s freeze-thaw cycle of weather and abundant sunshine impose plenty of abuse on your parking lot and sidewalks. Without the proper maintenance, this portion of your property can swiftly become a money pit. We can help you manage all the necessary repairs to your property’s pavement surfaces. Whether you need a crack seal, seal coat, chip seal, patching, milling with overlaying, or a complete removal with replacement, many contractors around town will oversell certain products or deliver a service that falls short of your expectations. Allow us to save you valuable time and money; call or email us for a free consultation.
We can also help you plan into the future. By working closely with us, we will establish 2 year, 5 year, or 10 year plans for future maintenance items to help you budget for the future and maximize your investment.

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